‘It Will Be a Ripple Effect:’ Coaches Cultivating Teacher Leadership for Inclusive Education through Professional Learning Communities

Abstract

Traditional approaches to professional development for inclusive education narrowly frame inclusive education as a special education reform. Such approaches emphasize technical practices rather than surfacing and disrupting harmful ideologies that normalize the segregation of students with disabilities. Alternatively, there is potential for a transformative ripple effect for inclusive education when professional development prioritizes the critical inquiry, collaboration, and collective action of teacher leaders. Professional learning communities offer a model for professional development through which teacher leaders can cultivate the tools and support needed for taking action for inclusive education in their own contexts. Coaches are uniquely positioned as advocates and teacher leaders who can facilitate such professional development. This action research study explored how four inclusive education coaches (1) worked to cultivate a professional learning community for developing inclusive teacher leaders in response to the needs of their district and (2) reflected on the impact of this professional development to plan for their ongoing support of the district’s inclusive teacher leaders. The findings highlight the importance of professional learning communities as a professional development approach for supporting the collaboration and agency for teacher leaders for inclusive education.