Leadership for Change: Promoting Inclusive Values and Cultures

Abstract

Cultural values are the foundation of inclusion, and this is the reason why Ainscow and Booth (2002) in their Index for Inclusion put this dimension at the base of their inverted triangle with the other two sides being policies and practices. The authors of the index argue that developing inclusive cultures can bring about a change in procedures (Booth & Ainscow, 2002). This is why it is critical that all the policy participants are made aware of the cultural values and ideas before trying to implement the inclusion policies. This study focuses on the cultural aspects of implementing inclusive education at schools, and attempts to answer who should take the leadership role in order to undertake positive practical steps in promoting inclusive values and cultures in the mainstream schools in Kazakhstan; and discusses which leadership models would best suit in the context of inclusive schools...