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Inclusive education (IE) is at an early stage of development in Bangladesh. In response to international policies and declarations over the past two decades (UNESCO, 1990; UNSCO, 1994, UNESCO, 2000) IE reform in Bangladesh has enacted a number of national policies and developed several professional development initiatives. This paper reports on the challenges identified by school leaders in attempting to implement IE policies in ten regular primary schools in Bangladesh. Interview data were collected from teachers, head teachers, members of school management committees and sub-district education officers. Data were analyzed using a general inductive thematic analysis procedure. The challenges identified by the participants included lack of authority, students' lack of acceptance, non-supportive views of parents and community, teachers' resistance, limited professional development, limited resources, and physical environment. School leaders also suggested strategies to address the identified challenges that included making local authority active, increasing resources and valuing diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accountability approach influences the way in which school leadership is practiced (Leithwood, 2001). A managerial approach to accountability is one which makes leadership practices to follow hierarchical system control (Møller, 2009). Market approach and decentralization approach to accountability respectively increases competition among schools for students and encourages the participation of parents and other community members in school governance structure. Professional approach to accountability emphasises on creating professional learning community (PLC) and distributes leadership to teachers empowering them in decision making (Leithwood, 2005). This paper reports on a study that examined the accountability approach and leadership practices in ten primary schools of Bangladesh that were involved in an inclusive education reform. Interview method was applied to collect data from formal and informal school leaders. Bangladeshi schools primarily use a managerial approach to accountability which makes the leaders of the school to be adherent to rules and accountable to the bureaucratic system. There was evidence of leaders who felt powerless because of the top-down management control system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]