School leadership and post-conflict education: How can their roles in developing inclusive practices in post-conflict schooling be understood and conceptualized?

Abstract

The concepts of ‘leadership’ and ‘inclusion’ continue to attract much attention in educational discourses; however, not many studies have explored their connection in schools serving conflict-affected communities where displacement and fragmentation of families risks the access, participation and achievement of many young people in education. This single intrinsic case study with aspects of ethnography was conducted in one post-conflict community primary school in Kenya, following the 2007/8 post-election violence. Overall, the aim was to understand the connection between school leadership and inclusive education practices, with interest in the schooling experiences of conflict-affected children. Following an integration of reviewed literature and findings emerging from the entire study, this paper specifically examines how roles for school leadership can be understood in relation to developing inclusive practices for conflict-affected pupils in post-conflict schooling. Three core thematic issues emerged, suggesting that these roles involved: mediating ‘post-conflict conflicts’; fostering ‘socio-moral connectedness’, and engendering aspects of ‘indigenous leadership practice’ in school. These roles were fundamental in reversing community disintegration and repairing moral distortion. Besides contributing to knowledge in the developing field of education and conflict, this study highlights the joint social, moral and professional investment made by headteachers and teachers in repairing violence-torn societies.