Developing inclusive school cultures through ethical practices

This chapter draws lessons from research carried out within school networks in England and Australia to examine the effects of ethical school leadership on improving equity and inclusion. Education systems around the world are facing increasing pressure to improve their rankings on global league tables derived from stan-dardised testing regimes. Current research cautions that the market logic and emphasis on between-school competition in many industrialised Western nations have not resulted in improved learning outcomes for all students. School performance is generally compared on the basis of standardised assessments from which some groups of students, including those with disability and those with limited English-language skills, can be excluded. A key initiative of many of the network schools was to develop a ‘point of difference’ from other schools that would attract parents of high-achieving students. Discussions with the research network schools in both Manchester and Queensland highlighted the need for all school principals to act in an ethical and inclusive manner