Studies indicate that principals who create an inclusive culture and champion students with exceptionalities work towards success for all students. When students with exceptionalities spend time in the general education setting, they experience academic, social, and emotional growth. This study contributes to research on inclusive school leadership for students with exceptionalities to enhance capacity for inclusion and provide strategies around initiatives that foster inclusive school cultures. The research used a sequential mixed method multiple case study. Emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and leadership practices were examined for elementary school principals in urban and rural schools. The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory survey was used for quantitative data collection. Based on the results, principals with varying emotional intelligence were selected for the qualitative phase. Key findings demonstrated moderate levels of self-awareness within the emotional intelligence competencies, highlighting the need for prioritizing self-awareness in leadership development. Participants were categorized into levels of inclusivity: Unconscious (Oblivious), Conscious (Enlightened), Competent (Knowledgeable), and Institutionalized (Proficient). Distributive and transformative leadership models facilitated inclusivity by operationalizing an inclusive school vision for students with exceptionalities. However, no participants reached Institutionalization demonstrating underdevelopment. The crucial actions for advancing an inclusive culture for students with exceptionalities were institutionalizing visions and practices through an inclusive lens and adopting a sustainability mindset. A sustainability mindset focuses on creating inclusive cultures that persist over time, ensuring ongoing support and opportunities for students with exceptionalities. Inclusive school leaders must not only strive for equality but also prioritize equity for students with exceptionalities.
","abstract_html":"<p>Studies indicate that principals who create an inclusive culture and champion students with exceptionalities work towards success for all students. When students with exceptionalities spend time in the general education setting, they experience academic, social, and emotional growth. This study contributes to research on inclusive school leadership for students with exceptionalities to enhance capacity for inclusion and provide strategies around initiatives that foster inclusive school cultures. The research used a sequential mixed method multiple case study. Emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and leadership practices were examined for elementary school principals in urban and rural schools. The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory survey was used for quantitative data collection. Based on the results, principals with varying emotional intelligence were selected for the qualitative phase. Key findings demonstrated moderate levels of self-awareness within the emotional intelligence competencies, highlighting the need for prioritizing self-awareness in leadership development. Participants were categorized into levels of inclusivity: Unconscious (Oblivious), Conscious (Enlightened), Competent (Knowledgeable), and Institutionalized (Proficient). Distributive and transformative leadership models facilitated inclusivity by operationalizing an inclusive school vision for students with exceptionalities. However, no participants reached Institutionalization demonstrating underdevelopment. The crucial actions for advancing an inclusive culture for students with exceptionalities were institutionalizing visions and practices through an inclusive lens and adopting a sustainability mindset. A sustainability mindset focuses on creating inclusive cultures that persist over time, ensuring ongoing support and opportunities for students with exceptionalities. Inclusive school leaders must not only strive for equality but also prioritize equity for students with exceptionalities.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Spears, Dawn"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Leadership and Counseling","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Davis Clement, PhD","Rachel Radina, PhD","De’Andre Shepard, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z","subjects":["Emotional Intelligence","Free Appropriate Public Education","Inclusion","Inclusive School Leaders","Leadership Theory","Students With Exceptionalities","Education","Educational Leadership","Special Education and Teaching"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1238","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Davis Clement, PhD","Rachel Radina, PhD","De’Andre Shepard, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Spears, Dawn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-09-13T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Leadership and Counseling"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Emotional Intelligence","Free Appropriate Public Education","Inclusion","Inclusive School Leaders","Leadership Theory","Students With Exceptionalities","Education","Educational Leadership","Special Education and Teaching"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1238"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Studies indicate that principals who create an inclusive culture and champion students with exceptionalities work towards success for all students. When students with exceptionalities spend time in the general education setting, they experience academic, social, and emotional growth. This study contributes to research on inclusive school leadership for students with exceptionalities to enhance capacity for inclusion and provide strategies around initiatives that foster inclusive school cultures. The research used a sequential mixed method multiple case study. Emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and leadership practices were examined for elementary school principals in urban and rural schools. The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory survey was used for quantitative data collection. Based on the results, principals with varying emotional intelligence were selected for the qualitative phase. Key findings demonstrated moderate levels of self-awareness within the emotional intelligence competencies, highlighting the need for prioritizing self-awareness in leadership development. Participants were categorized into levels of inclusivity: Unconscious (Oblivious), Conscious (Enlightened), Competent (Knowledgeable), and Institutionalized (Proficient). Distributive and transformative leadership models facilitated inclusivity by operationalizing an inclusive school vision for students with exceptionalities. However, no participants reached Institutionalization demonstrating underdevelopment. The crucial actions for advancing an inclusive culture for students with exceptionalities were institutionalizing visions and practices through an inclusive lens and adopting a sustainability mindset. A sustainability mindset focuses on creating inclusive cultures that persist over time, ensuring ongoing support and opportunities for students with exceptionalities. Inclusive school leaders must not only strive for equality but also prioritize equity for students with exceptionalities.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["School leaders creating an inclusive school culture for students with exceptionalities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Davis Clement, PhD","Rachel Radina, PhD","De’Andre Shepard, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Spears, Dawn"],"dc:date.available":["2024-09-13T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Studies indicate that principals who create an inclusive culture and champion students with exceptionalities work towards success for all students. When students with exceptionalities spend time in the general education setting, they experience academic, social, and emotional growth. This study contributes to research on inclusive school leadership for students with exceptionalities to enhance capacity for inclusion and provide strategies around initiatives that foster inclusive school cultures. The research used a sequential mixed method multiple case study. Emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and leadership practices were examined for elementary school principals in urban and rural schools. The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory survey was used for quantitative data collection. Based on the results, principals with varying emotional intelligence were selected for the qualitative phase. Key findings demonstrated moderate levels of self-awareness within the emotional intelligence competencies, highlighting the need for prioritizing self-awareness in leadership development. Participants were categorized into levels of inclusivity: Unconscious (Oblivious), Conscious (Enlightened), Competent (Knowledgeable), and Institutionalized (Proficient). Distributive and transformative leadership models facilitated inclusivity by operationalizing an inclusive school vision for students with exceptionalities. However, no participants reached Institutionalization demonstrating underdevelopment. The crucial actions for advancing an inclusive culture for students with exceptionalities were institutionalizing visions and practices through an inclusive lens and adopting a sustainability mindset. A sustainability mindset focuses on creating inclusive cultures that persist over time, ensuring ongoing support and opportunities for students with exceptionalities. Inclusive school leaders must not only strive for equality but also prioritize equity for students with exceptionalities.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1238"],"dc:subject":["Emotional Intelligence","Free Appropriate Public Education","Inclusion","Inclusive School Leaders","Leadership Theory","Students With Exceptionalities","Education","Educational Leadership","Special Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["School leaders creating an inclusive school culture for students with exceptionalities"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Leadership and Counseling"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z"}