Commitments and Choices

Bold Leadership in Action: Standing Firm in Decisions for Inclusion in Diversity and Inclusion Challenges for Leaders of International Schools by Lauren Jones
IGI Global, December 2024

International school students are often culturally and linguistically diverse, yet many school leaders intentionally limit neurodiversity in their schools. In a book chapter from a very large tome, Diversity and Inclusion Challenges for Leaders of International Schools, author Lauren Jones argues that while international schools frequently proclaim their commitment to inclusion, their decisions often fail to reflect it. Jones focuses on financial decisions, arguing that schools that wish to be neuro-inclusive must align their structures to set these students up for success. Jones describes reducing the size of her leadership team in favour of doubling the size of the student support team, thereby enabling the school to accept a wider range of students. Her budget served both as a tool to support neurodiverse students and as a signal to the community about the school’s priorities. Jones also tackles stated objections to a broader admission policy. Demonstrating that a more open admissions process can increase enrollment; have a positive impact on both academic and social development; and consequently build a school’s reputation as caring and effective, the article provides a path for international school leaders to make bold decisions in favor of all students. More broadly, Jones challenges leaders to examine whether their publicly stated commitments to inclusion are reflected in the institutional choices they make.