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OUR STORY
In 2016, the research team completed a national study, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), on the ways in which principals and vice-principals in Canada support students with special education needs in inclusive schools.
This initial study led to other research projects on inclusive school leadership, including a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant to support the development of interactive case studies for principals’ professional development and the SSHRC-funded Intersectionalities in Leadership conference in June 2019. In addition, in 2019 the team received a SSHRC Insight Grant to further explore inclusive school leadership over the next five years.
This Lead to Include site is the product of the team’s work over the past five years and aims to provide school leaders with resources to support their professional learning on inclusive education for students with special education needs.
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MEET OUR TEAM
Current Members
STEVE SIDER
KIMBERLY MAICH
JACQUELINE SPECHT
Steve is the lead researcher on four nationally-funded research projects examining how school principals foster inclusive schools for students with special education needs. He is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada where he teaches courses on school leadership and special education.
JEFFREY MACCORMACK
Associate Professor, University of Lethbridge
Jacqueline is the director of the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education and a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario. She is a strong advocate for inclusive education. Her work on this project is guided by that passion.
JHONEL MORVAN
MONIQUE SOMMA
Assistant Professor, Brock University
Kimberly is a partner on the Lead to Include team, helping to develop quality project content. She is an associate professor at Memorial University as well as a special education specialist, certified teacher, behaviour analyst, and psychologist who loves research, teaching, and services in the field of autism spectrum disorders. To learn more about Dr. Maich’s work, please click here.
Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University and Inclusive School Leadership Research Group Principal Investigator and Director of Centre for Leading Research in Education
Professor, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
Professor, Western University and Director of Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education
Ph.D. Candidate, Brock University
Jeffrey is an assistant professor of Educational Psychology and Inclusion at the University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education. As a former classroom teacher, Dr. MacCormack's research on after-school programs, executive functions, social competence, and play-based learning is also informed by 10 years of experience teaching elementary students and many years of teaching post-secondary adult learners. His work has focused on creating spaces where youth can thrive. He also has an orange-tabby Persian kitten, who is a troublemaker.
Jhonel is a collaborator on the Lead to Include team. He is a provincial math educator and leader who is very passionate about equity and inclusion. He currently works at the Ontario Ministry of Education as an Education Officer while pursuing his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Brock University. His research interests focus on school leadership, inclusion, equity in mathematics, mathematics achievement of racial minorities, and teachers’ expectations. His involvement in this project centers around the intersectional aspects of inclusive leadership.
Monique Somma is an assistant professor at Brock University, mainly instructing teacher candidates' cognition, educational psychology and inclusive education. Having worked front line as an educator in schools for many years she recognizes the important role of administrators in successful school-wide and classroom-focused inclusion. Her research includes best practices for inclusive education for students with exceptionalities from preschool to grade 12 through research partnerships with school boards and community organizations.
DONNA MCGIE-RICHMOND
Associate Professor, University of Victoria
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Donna is an Associate Professor in Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. Experiences working within transdisciplinary teams to support children and youth with significant and multiple learning challenges are fundamental to her work. Access, Inclusion, Opportunity are concepts central to her undergraduate and graduate-level teaching practice and research. Her research focuses on the intersection between teacher beliefs, knowledge, experiences, and instructional practices in promoting inclusion for all.
Kishi Anderson Leachman
Assistant Professor, University of Winnipeg
Dr. Kishi Anderson Leachman is an Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg. She is a reflective, dedicated, humble, and empathetic professional who is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusivity. She has conducted research on inclusive leadership, and the experiences of multiple stakeholders with inclusive education in elementary schools in the Caribbean. She is interested in research that focus on inclusive leadership looking at school leaders’ experiences with implementing inclusive policies and programs, roles and experiences of educational assistants in inclusive education, social justice in inclusive classrooms and examining inclusive education from a contextual and systemic lens. During her down time, she enjoys traveling, watching tv shows, and networking.
ANDERS LUNDE
Research Associate
Anders is a special education teacher in British Columbia. Anders completed his Bachelor of Education and received his teacher education training at Simon Fraser University. His special education specialization was also obtained at SFU. Anders graduated from Memorial University in 2019 with a Master's of Education in Educational Leadership. His Master's work focused on school leadership, support for teachers, and professional development as important aspects required for K-12 schools to be inclusive. Anders has a passion for inclusive education and loves to work with and support students with exceptional learning needs every single day.
ZACH FLAMING
Research Assistant
Zach Flaming is a Teacher Candidate in the Bachelor of Education program at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is a passionate educator with experience teaching internationally in Vietnam and is looking forward to becoming a fully certified teacher in Ontario next year. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Contemporary Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and believes that life is about the continual experience of helping others and learning new skills. Zach is currently a Research Assistant on our team with interests in international education and school leadership. He loves to hike, travel, and immerse himself in different cultures.
SAMUEL CHARLES
Research Assistant
Samuel Charles, MD recently graduated from medical school in Haiti as a doctor. He is the coordinator of one of the components of the Educator and Leadership Institute in Haiti and has been working with Dr Sider for a few years now on inclusion of kids with disabilities in Haiti.
BEATRICE WINCHESTER
Research Assistant
Beatrice is a student enrolled in the International Education Studies program at Wilfrid Laurier University. After moving to Waterloo in 2022, Beatrice is currently a Research Assistant on our team. She is interested in education and inclusive school leadership practices. Beatrice is working towards obtaining her Bachelor of Education, in hopes of continuing to teach primary level children internationally.
JARON BOWMAN
Research Assistant
Jaron is a student enrolled in the International Education Studies program at Wilfrid Laurier University. Due to his belief that young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but also the leaders of today, Jaron is passionate about empowering the next generation of learners to make a difference in the world. Working as a Research Assistant on our team, Jaron is interested in inclusive school leadership practices on a local and international level. He loves music, both as a consumer and a creator, and he is always up for an adventure.
Ruthie Dunham
Research Assistant
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Ruthie is a first-year International Education Studies student at Wilfrid Laurier. She took a gap year and went to Ethiopia where she was able to volunteer and work in a few schools which grew her interest in being an educator. As a new addition to the LTI team as a Research Assistant, Ruthie is interested in both inclusive education and supporting those in leadership. She is working towards getting her Bachelor of Education to be able to teach abroad at the junior/intermediate level.
Kiara Daw
Research Assistant
Kiara Daw is a Teacher Candidate in the Bachelor of Education program at Wilfrid Laurier University. She recently completed her Master’s Degree in Social Justice and Community Engagement at Wilfrid Laurier, where she focused her research on investigating the impacts of educational disengagement on Black students’ educational experiences in Ontario school boards. She is passionate about youth justice and amplifying youth voices in education. As a researcher on the LTI team, Kiara is interested in inclusive education at the local and international level. When she’s not in the classroom, you can find Kiara at the gym or outside; hiking, biking or kayaking. She loves travelling, listening to her favourite tunes and learning to speak new languages.
Maddie Dunn
Research Assistant
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Maddie is a student enrolled in the Psychology and Neuroscience BSc program at Wilfrid Laurier University. She just finished her second year of the undergraduate degree and plans to pursue graduate studies in the future. With a strong desire to help others and a passion for psychology and working with children, her goal is to have a career in school psychology. Maddie's aspiration to work in schools to help children with different needs learn better in the classroom has contributed to her interest in inclusive school leadership practices. As a Research Assistant on the team, Maddie is interested in the psychological theories that are involved in the research.
Lok Chi Wong
Research Assistant
Lok Chi is a fifth-year Bachelor of Arts and Education student at the University of Hong Kong. She aspires to be an English as a second language teacher following her graduation. In Hong Kong, she has been working on integrating arts and music into English teaching to support students with special educational needs with their reading and writing development. Her steadfast belief is that arts and music have the potential to build a more equitable and inclusive learning environment for children with special educational needs. As a summer intern under the Mitacs Program, she is keen on learning more about the inclusive education landscape in Canada.
Past Contributors
MÉLISSA VILLELLA
Adjunct Professor at University of Ottawa
AMAN DHALIWAL
Research Assistant
DANIEL ANDERSON
Research Assistant
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HILLARY WINGER
Research Assistant
EMMA MCKENZIE
Research Assistant
DANIKA MORRISON
Research Assistant
ALYA PRASAD
Research Assistant
PAUL TIMAH
Research Assistant
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BREANNA SAMPO
Research Assistant
ABBYGALE BRECKLES
Research Assistant
BRIANNA SCHWANTZ
Research Assistant
RACHEL DOBBS
Research Assistant
CLAUDIA BRODA
Research Assistant
APHRODITE AL ZOUHOURI
Research Assistant
HENOK YOSIEF
Research Assistant
RAHA MORADHASEL
Research Assistant
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SARAH THOMAS
Research Assistant
KEIFER CIARRONI
Research Assistant
MEGAN WALTER
Research Assistant
ESTHER BROCKETT
Research Assistant
LUBUYA TSHISWAKA
Research Assistant
LAURA FIETJE
Research Assistant
ARABA MAANAN BLANKSON
Research Assistant
CAROLYN FITZGERALD
Assistant Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University
SASHA MILDENBERGER
Research Assistant
HAILEY GODDERRIS
Research Assistant
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