Pockets of positivity: school leaders’ strategies for developing school inclusion for students with refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds

Currently, millions of children and families with refugee and asylum-seeker experiences find themselves living in new countries, with different languages, dissimilar cultures, diverse expectations, and different forms of schooling. For school leaders, the challenge of integrating these students and their families, some of whom may have endured and be dealing with trauma and loss, can be challenging. This paper presents findings from a study involving twenty-two school leaders in five English-speaking Western countries (Australia, England, New Zealand, Northern Ireland and the United States), who have created places of wellbeing and belonging for these families. Five major findings from the research are discussed and suggestions for school leaders are offered. Of note, school leaders working with children and families with refugee and asylum-seeker experiences are encouraged to identify and implement high-quality ongoing professional development for staff. These leaders must learn to work within and to modify existing school policies that often have deleterious effects on this group of students and become adept at navigating the web of external resources and organisations that can offer support beyond what schools can provide. This research also offers suggestions for educator/teacher preparation programs as it is evident that working with and supporting this population is not a competency covered in most training programs.