The Barriers to Inclusion

Conclusion

Administrators encounter many barriers to inclusion. Some of these barriers are deeply entrenched in powerful global and systemic patterns and structures. Racism, for example, acts as a significant hindrance to inclusion. It also extends far beyond the individuals who act as its bearers. But these barriers also have a personal and local dimension. They show up in schools and in the ideas, values, knowledge and practices of educators and administrators. As we have seen, for example, administrators’ conservative leanings can get in the way of inclusive efforts. Overcoming these barriers requires action that addresses both their global and local natures. Administrators can best play a part in resisting and changing these exclusive patterns if they first target their own backyards — their school communities, their teachers and themselves — for action. There are many things in their own realms that they can do to promote inclusion. The final chapter documents this action.