Abstract
This study investigates the essential abilities required of principals to effectively promote special needs education, based on a comprehensive questionnaire survey conducted in a Japanese prefecture among public elementary and junior high schools. Out of 436 valid responses(82% response rate)， the mean level of special needs education was rated at 7 out of 10 points. The promotion status was found to be correlated with various factors such as school resources, special needs education coordinators holding special needs school teaching licenses, and the principalsʼ personal experiences. The factor structure of the abilities emphasized by the principals was a six-factor model(vision/management plan, personnel affairs, organizational management, human resource development, external collaboration, and education promotion), which was assumed necessary for special support education in school management. The principals evaluated organizational management centered on the support system of homeroom teachers as the most important and implement. However, external collaboration and vision and management plans were low. Principals must have the ability to manage special support education systems based on their own school conditions. Developing principalsʼ abilities were also mentioned.
