Instructional Leadership Practices and the Effectiveness of Inclusive Education in GES Basic Schools: The Role of Vision Setting, Teacher Support, Classroom Supervision and Resource Coordination

Abstract

This paper focuses on instructional leadership practices and the effectiveness of inclusive education in GES basic schools in Ghana especially in the areas of vision setting, teacher support, classroom supervision and resource coordination. The discussion is informed by a review of policy briefs, international reports and empirical studies that have been published from 2021 to 2025. The findings indicate that inclusive education in Ghana is still a policy that is not fully implemented in practice, primarily due to the lack of trained teachers, learning materials, accessible infrastructure and leadership support in many schools. Recent research also indicates that basic school headteachers in Ghana are not necessarily trained in leadership and that they are expected to perform a variety of leadership functions including mobilizing resources, leading teaching, facilitating staff development and ensuring that learners with diverse needs are accommodated in regular classrooms. The paper suggests that inclusive education is more effective when headteachers articulate policy into a shared vision for the school, provide regular opportunities for teachers to learn, monitor classroom practice in a positive way and fairly and transparently coordinate the use of available resources. It concludes that instructional leadership is not a decorative addition to inclusive education. In the Ghanaian basic school context, it is one of the main conditions for turning inclusion from a written policy into an everyday school reality.