"Systemic-Global Educational Leadership as an Emancipatory Connectome for Educating Communities"

Systemic-Global Educational Leadership as an Emancipatory Connectome for Educating Communities Keywords: Leadership, GLI (Inclusion Working Group), ICF, Equity This contribution analyzes the findings of a doctoral research project in the field of education, centered on Italian school principals and investigated through the cultural lens and multidimensional perspective of Special Education. The exploratory-descriptive design of the study aims to identify the perceptions and practices of Italian leadership regarding the inclusive paradigm. Specifically, it examines the extent to which this paradigm emerges and establishes itself as a generative and emancipatory criterion within the daily planning and organizational dimensions of schools, driven by the agency of all stakeholders, starting with the proactivity of students. The study adopts a mixed-methods framework, triangulating data derived from an extensive questionnaire (N=584 School Principals) with an in-depth qualitative analysis of open-ended responses concerning school leadership styles and the guidance of educational staff. The data analysis underscores the urgent need for a revision of the roles and "postures" of school community members—beginning with the principal—toward a new systemic and global vision of leadership that characterizes diffuse educational identities. This vision is conceptualized as a generative connectome, capable of transforming the diverse collective found within educational contexts into an ecosystem of authentic, co-educative participation dedicated to equity. Systemic-global educational leadership is not framed as a mere "garb" to be donned for increased effectiveness and efficiency in school governance; rather, it assumes the daily vitality of a living organism. It represents a genuine ecosystem where collegiality regenerates statutory decision-making bodies and the dynamic interconnections between contexts and those who inhabit them. Within this framework, the GLI (Inclusion Working Group) evolves from a bureaucratic body—often perceived as peripheral to other deliberative councils—into the highest expression of leadership itself, transforming into a hub for situated and transformative research-training. Here, the ICF acts as a pedagogical device and a scientific language of contextualization, capable of unlocking the agency of students, families, teachers, and local services. This is aligned with Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda, ensuring the universality required for every individual to emancipate their own life project. Emancipatory education requires inhabiting the "situ-actions" of the present with conscious intentionality and as a creative act of social justice. Despite Italy’s robust inclusive tradition, systemic barriers and discrepancies persist, often reducing inclusion to a mere compliance-based task. This study offers a vital opportunity to highlight the urgency of generating global health and well-being, "here and now for all," nurturing future planning through a widespread conscientization that transcends formal declarations to become an immanent praxis within educational contexts.