What School Leaders Get Wrong About Inclusion and How to Get It Right

Busting the biggest myths about inclusive education and leading a campus where every student thrives—without burning out your staff.

Introduction: Inclusion Is Not Just a SPED Thing

Far too often, “inclusion” gets tossed around as a buzzword or delegated solely to the special education department. But here’s the hard truth: inclusion is not a place or a program, it’s a mindset and a leadership decision.

If you’re a school leader struggling to implement inclusion without chaos, conflict, or burnout, you’re not alone. But chances are, you’ve been misled by some deeply rooted myths about what inclusive education actually means.

Let’s bust those myths wide open and show you how to get it right.

💣 MYTH #1: Inclusion Means Putting Students with Disabilities in General Ed and Hoping for the Best

Reality Check: Inclusion without intentional planning is just placement, not access. And placement alone does not equal progress.

Get It Right:
Build in co-teaching models, schedule push-in services strategically, and prioritize Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) in general education settings. Create systems where general and special education teachers plan together—because “dump and pray” is not inclusion.

💣 MYTH #2: General Ed Teachers Aren’t Trained to Teach Students with Disabilities

Reality Check: They may not be, yet. But inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and your leadership sets the tone.

Get It Right:
Stop silo-ing professional development. Provide job-embedded support like microteaching, co-planning time, and shared PD for all staff. Build capacity instead of blaming capacity.

💣 MYTH #3: Inclusion Is Just for Mild Disabilities

Reality Check: Students with significant disabilities also have a right to access the general curriculum—and they can learn alongside peers with the right supports.

Get It Right:
Partner your SPED and Gen Ed teams to develop universally designed lessons and meaningful participation strategies. Focus on access over mastery because inclusion isn’t about doing the same thing, it’s about being part of the same community.

💣 MYTH #4: Inclusion Will Water Down Instruction

Reality Check: Done right, inclusive instruction doesn’t lower the bar, it raises the floor and extends the ceiling for all learners.

Get It Right:
Promote the use of differentiated instruction, flexible grouping, and formative assessment. Create a campus culture where scaffolding and accommodations are just best practices; not extra work.

💣 MYTH #5: Inclusion Is a “Nice to Have,” Not a “Must Do”

Reality Check: Inclusion is not optional. It’s grounded in IDEA, civil rights law, and ethical leadership.

Get It Right:
Lead from a place of values and vision. Ask: “If we say all means all, do our systems reflect that?” Inclusion isn’t a side hustle, it’s how we define equity.

🛠 Practical Tips for School Leaders:

🔁 Protect co-planning time for Gen Ed and SPED teachers.

📅 Schedule with inclusion in mind—cluster students for maximum support.

📚 Model inclusive language and expectations during staff meetings and walkthroughs.

🎯 Use walkthrough tools that observe SDI and differentiation—not just classroom management or engagement.

🤝 Build an inclusive leadership team with special education represented at every decision-making table.

The Bottom Line

Inclusion isn’t easy but it’s necessary. If you have the right mindset, systems, and support, you can lead a campus where inclusion isn’t an afterthought, it’s the standard.

You don’t have to do it alone. But you do have to lead it.

🔚 Conclusion: You Can’t Delegate What You Haven’t Defined

Here’s the truth: Inclusion won’t just “happen” because you want it to. It happens because leaders like you make intentional decisions, challenge outdated systems, and invest in the people doing the work.

When you get inclusion right, you don’t just change classrooms, you change campus culture.

If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leading a campus where every student belongs, every educator is empowered, and every IEP is more than just paperwork, I’d love to partner with you.

💼 Let’s Reimagine Special Education—Together

✅ Whether you need coaching, PD, systems consulting, or a total SPED program reboot, I’ve got you.
✅ I specialize in helping school leaders design inclusive, legally sound, instructionally powerful special education systems that actually work.

👉 Click here to work with me and let’s get to work. Because inclusion shouldn’t be confusing—and you don’t have to lead it alone.