Instructional leadership of school administrators in inclusion/integration

Purpose: The aim of this study is to mutually examine the leadership situations of school administrators on inclusive processes in three different schools within the scope of the study within the framework of instructional leadership theory. Method: This research is a multiple case study that was carried out with the qualitative research method. To determine the study group of the research; 1. In one of the central districts of a province with metropolitan status, according to the maximum diversity sampling; Three different secondary schools were determined according to the number of classrooms, the number of teachers and the number of students at different socio-economic levels. 2. According to the criterion sampling method, three 7th grade male students studying at these schools with a diagnosis of special learning disability were identified. 3. The study group of the research consists of 22 participants from 3 schools, including members of the IEP unit, school principals, assistant principals, school counselors/psychological counselors, classroom guidance teachers, Turkish teachers, parents of students and students themselves. Results: In School 1, the school principal delegates authority to the assistant principals and intervenes when necessary. Assistant principals carry out the process with the expert support of counselors. In School 2, the processes are carried out in co-operation with the school counselor and classroom and course teachers, the school prin-cipal and the assistant principal carry out official procedures and intervene when neces-sary. In School 3, the school principal is well-versed in bureaucratic procedures of the inclusion process. It ensures that the processes are carried out under the expertise of the school counselor and with the support of the assistant principal. In all three schools, IEP preparation and implementation processes are different from each other. Conclusion and Suggestions: In all three schools within the scope of the study, school administrators do not get involved in the diagnosis process, IEP preparation and evaluation processes, as they see it as a technical area of expertise. School administrators prioritize fulfilling legal obligations in, carry out official transactions and follow up whether the work is done or not. Rather than acting as instructional leaders, school ad-ministrators display a facilitating and supportive attitude for stakeholders who play a more active role in the process. Stakeholders interpret inclusion process processes dif-ferently and leadership behaviors differ from school to school. It can be investigated how Inclusion and integration practices process works in pre-school education institutions and primary schools where teachers are more centrally involved. Benefiting from the legal rights and opportunities granted to students with special needs differs from school to school due to various factors. In this respect, the social justice leadership roles of school administrators in the context of Inclusion and integration practices process can also be examined. Similar studies can be designed for students studying with different diagnoses as well as students studying with a diagnosis of special learning disability. Since they need to increase their knowledge and skills in the field of special education in order to manage inclusion and integration practices pro-cesses as instructional leaders, activities can be organized for this purpose. In order to provide mentoring support to guidance and psychological counselors, teachers, assistant principals in inclusion and integration practices processes, Within the Ministry, it can be assigned to work in certain school districts. Keywords: Instructional leadership, Inclusion/integration practices, Management of special education, Multiple case studies