Abstract:

The paper focuses on the role of middle leaders as instrumental functions for inclusion in the Italian context, in order to promote inclusive cultures, policies and practices in the school as a complex organisation, in full compliance with current legislation. In fact, in the Italian context, where the choice of full inclusion has been adopted, these figures, who actively collaborate with the whole community in coordinating the inclusive educational offer (Pirola, 2015; Paletta & Bezzina, 2016; Bufalino, 2017; Agrati, 2018), should be considered as central elements of the school organisation system. In fact, as mentioned at the beginning, the school, understood as a complex organisation based on human relations, although characterised by a high subjective component among the various actors, should be based on a systemic interaction, substantiated in a circularity of knowledge, relational and participative links. From this perspective, the teacher acting as a middle leader is tasked with assisting management in a variety of processes, including the monitoring of procedures, the documentation of activities, and the optimisation of resources in accordance with the regulations set forth by the relevant sector. In addition to these duties, the middle leader is also responsible for promoting distributed leadership within the school community. This approach emphasises the effectiveness of a collaborative model, which contrasts with the traditional hierarchical structures that have been in place for some time (Bennett et al., 2003). Indeed, as evidenced in the existing literature, the distributed leadership model has been shown to yield a number of benefits, including fostering collaboration between teachers, a positive attitude for change and more effective decision-making (Hallinger & Heck, 2010; Alma Harris & Jones, 2017). Furthermore, international studies highlight the link between distributed leadership and positive student learning outcomes, particularly through the actions of middle leaders who connect school leaders, classroom teachers, parents and other stakeholders ( Leitwood , 2016; Bezzina et al., 2018; Fullan, 2002; Harris & Jones, 2017). From such considerations, the profile of middle leaders as active agents and promoters of an organisational culture based on principles and values, such as that of inclusion, would be the distinguishing feature of the school institution (Harris & Jones, 2017; De Nobile, 2018).

Stumming from these premises, this paper aims to highlight the findings of a qualitative study conducted through the administration of 10 semi-structured interviews. These interviews were analysed according to the model proposed by Braun and Clark (2006) in order to put on evidence the respondents' perceptions of their distributed leadership approach. In particular, this study will focus on the role of instrumental functions with regard to acknowledging, disseminating and subsequently declining provisions set out in regulations on inclusion. This approach is based on the premise that the advancement of inclusive processes necessitates the activation of a continuous process of adaptation within individual schools in light of evolving regulations.

Keywords:

School as a complex organisation, distributed leadership, inclusion, middle leaders, legislation.