Exploring the Impact of Inclusive Education Knowledge on School Administrators' Attitudes: A Quantitative Analysis of Influencing Factors and Leadership Preparedness

<p>Federal laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establish the legal foundation for inclusive education and mandate that students with disabilities (SWD) receive access to education in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). To achieve the high-stakes accountability standards of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools are also responsible for ensuring academic progress for all students, including those with disabilities. However, simply complying with these policies does not guarantee meaningful participation for SWD. School administrators play a central role in advancing inclusive education, yet there is a lack of preservice training, which leaves many administrators unprepared to lead it effectively. Research suggests administrator preparation programs spend the majority of learning time on procedural compliance rather than developing the knowledge and skills to confront practices that exclude SWD and promote systemic change. This quantitative study, based on the Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and social justice leadership (SJL) framework, investigated the relationship between administrators' knowledge, source of knowledge, and attitudes toward inclusive education. To investigate how preparation programs, on-the-job, and other experiences shape attitudes toward inclusive education, 115 K–12 administrators from California Unified Public School Districts responded to an electronic questionnaire through Qualtrics. The study looked at the difference between groups of administrators, one that held an Education Specialist Instruction Credential (ESIC) and one that did not, to determine the impact on their attitudes toward inclusive education. This analysis showed that administrators with an ESIC reported significantly more positive attitudes toward their preparation for inclusive education. Additionally, the results indicated knowledge gained from preparation programs negatively predicted attitudes toward Professional Training and the preparation of administrators to support SWD. On-the-job experiences were the most significant source of administrator knowledge regarding inclusion. These findings expose the importance of realigning training during administrator preparation programs to move beyond compliance-driven content to providing equity-based learning opportunities to adequately prepare administrators to lead successful, inclusive schools where all students can succeed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year

2025

Author dc:creator

• Everitt, Michelle

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Meghan Cosier
• Dr. Jennifer Kong
• Dr. Donald Cardinal

• school administrator
• inclusive education
• preparation programs
• attitude
• knowledge
• Disability and Equity in Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/education_dissertations/98

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.chapman.edu:education_dissertations-1097