3. COACHING A SCHOOL BOARD'S TRANSITION INTO INCLUSION

Across the province of Ontario (Canada), local school boards/districts have adopted various approaches to facilitate shifts for students with disabilities from segregated special education classrooms to full inclusion. To assist educators with this transition, the mid-sized publically funded school board profiled here chose to provide classroom teachers with individualised personnel support (i.e., “inclusion coaches”). Although coaching models are beneficial for supporting educators to create inclusive environments (Morris & Sharma, 2011), there is little research on the experiences of coaches as their role unfolds in a school system undergoing transition to inclusion. Coaches provide specialised support, yet connecting with educators in an authentic way can pose great challenges (Sharma, Moore, Furlonger, et al., 2010). Coaches recognise that the inclusive practices of educators change when they have opportunities to engage in transformative learning by reflecting on and challenging their beliefs (Pyhältö, Pietarinen and Soini, 2012). In the current research, classroom teachers were provided with an inclusion coach. The coaches supported three to four schools where they worked one to two days per week, with several teachers who had a student with an exceptionality in the class. All coaches had special education training and an average of 12 years of experience in various capacities. Through a mixed methods design, the experiences of the inclusion coaches and the teachers they supported were explored. Inclusion coaches (n=13) completed four online reflective responses (Fall and Spring of Years 1 & 2) and four focus groups (December and June of Years 1 & 2). Teachers working with an inclusion coach (n=38) engaged in focus groups. Finally, a survey in the Spring of Years 1 and 2 assessed educators’ knowledge and beliefs about inclusion. The findings reported on herein reflect the qualitative data analysed to date. Some of the experiences of the inclusion coaches were unanticipated. They initially encountered negative attitudes and a misunderstanding of their role by teachers and principals, overall. The coaches began to ‘celebrate the baby steps’, which demonstrated inclusivity in the schools such as when they observed an educator implementing an inclusive strategy. They attributed their break through to scaffolding inclusion to ‘meet teachers where they are at’ and then encouraging teachers to take risks. One teacher said, ‘I set myself up to fail every time you come in’, and the coach reflected, ‘What she is really saying is that she is trying something new’. Coaches noted that it was invaluable to meet weekly with each other to share accomplishments, problem-solve and encourage one another as they translated their knowledge and beliefs about inclusion into practice. The teachers that received coaching acknowledged the challenges and positive outcomes of providing a fully inclusive classroom environment. A significant challenge was differentiating instruction, ‘The planning curriculum at kindergarten [level] for a child who is eleven – that was overwhelming’. Yet, teachers who were coached reported that their students were more confident, happy and socially, ‘you can see them out on the yard hanging out and playing with other students’. Most of the teachers that contributed to the focus group agreed that they still require ongoing professional support from their coaches to hone their inclusive practices. By examining the experiences of inclusion coaches during challenging and successful moments, this research has provided a glimpse into the process of breaking down barriers, changing teacher perceptions and facilitating genuine inclusive classrooms through partnerships and capacity building. The perspectives of the coached teachers have also provided insight to better practice guidelines for transitioning future educators in inclusive practices. The author reports no conflict of interest.

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