Fostering teacher leadership for inclusion: the role of school-university partnerships and professional learning communities

Developing inclusive schools is a global imperative reflected in education policy worldwide. However, despite a strong policy emphasis on inclusive education, persistent barriers hinder implementation. One major challenge is the teacher knowledge-practice gap, perpetuated by insufficient professional learning opportunities for inclusion across the teacher education continuum. When supported by school-university partnerships, professional learning communities (PLCs) have proven effective in bridging this gap. Yet, little research explores how teachers can be supported to lead PLCs for inclusion within and across schools. We address this gap by examining how a school-university partnership empowered teacher leadership for inclusion in the Republic of Ireland. A university academic collaborated with four teachers to effectively lead PLCs in their respective schools. Qualitative data from 33 participants across four schools indicated that the PLCs supported transformative professional learning for inclusive practice. The PLC teacher leaders played a crucial role in driving change within their schools and across the network of participating schools, demonstrating the potential of this model for systemic reform. This paper details how teacher leadership for inclusion was supported and enacted. It presents a pathway for fostering teacher leadership for inclusion through school-university partnerships, offering a scalable model to effect system change for inclusion.