Date of Award

Spring 6-11-2022

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

College of Education, Doctoral Program

First Advisor

Donna Kiel

Abstract

Special education students benefit in important ways from receiving academic and social-emotional support in the general education classroom and natural learning environment of their nondisabled peers. This capstone proposes a theory of action that can serve as the foundation for creating a leadership development program to support principals in promoting the adoption of inclusive practices for Diverse Learners in their schools. When properly organized, inclusive schools become cohesive, supportive communities where all members learn and value each other. Autoethnography was the methodological approach used to invoke, account for, and analyze experiential data from the author’s 30 years of service as an educator within a large suburban school district in the Midwest region of the United States. The project captures the researcher’s trajectory, evolution, and lessons learned as a teacher, case manager, principal, and principal supervisor through the lens of special education.

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