Inclusive!Education!CourseEnhancement! ModuleCEEDARCenter &...

Inclusive Education Course Enhancement

Module Part 3: Inclusive Service Delivery

Facilitator’s Guide

2015

CEEDAR Center Part 3: Inclusive Education Anchor Presentation

1

Contents

page

Introduction to the Evidence-‐Based Behavioral Interventions Course Enhancement Module ...... 2

Purpose ........................................................................................................................................... 2

Audience ......................................................................................................................................... 2

Facilitator’s Guide ........................................................................................................................... 3

Evidence-‐Based Materials .............................................................................................................. 3

Six-‐Part Organization ...................................................................................................................... 3

Opportunity to Learn ...................................................................................................................... 4

Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 5

In This Guide ................................................................................................................................... 5

Part 3: Slides and Supporting Facilitator Notes and Text ............................................................... 6

This facilitator’s guide is intended for use with the following resources: • Presentation slides These resources are available on the Course Enhancement Modules (CEM) web page of the CEEDAR Center website (ceedar.org).

CEEDAR Center Part 3: Inclusive Education Anchor Presentation 2

Introduction to the Evidence-‐Based Behavioral Interventions Course Enhancement Module

The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center developed this Course Enhancement Module (CEM) about inclusive education to assist faculty at institutions of higher education (IHEs) and professional development (PD) providers in the training and development of all educators. The CEM about inclusive education is a compilation of resources intended for use in the development and enhancement of teacher and leadership education courses as well as for PD programs for practitioners. The resources are designed to support professional learning opportunities for stakeholders invested in the support and instruction of students with disabilities and others who struggle with learning to meet college-‐ and career-‐readiness standards.

Through this CEM, participants will gain a thorough understanding of inclusive education and how it is related to meeting the needs of all students, not just students who receive special education services. In addition, participants will learn how to provide access to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to students with disabilities, design and implement various inclusive support strategies for a variety of students, value educational equity for all students, and collaborate and problem solve with other professionals and educators, families, and students to develop and implement effective inclusive practices.

Purpose This CEM was designed to build the knowledge and capacity of educators in the selected topic. The module can be adapted and is flexible to accommodate faculty and PD provider needs. The anchor presentation and speaker notes can be used in their entirety to cover multiple course or PD sessions. Alternatively, specific content, activities, and handouts can be used individually to enhance existing course and/or PD content.

Audience The audience is intended to be teacher and leader candidates within pre-‐service programs at the undergraduate or graduate levels and/or district teachers and leaders participating in in-‐service professional learning opportunities. The facilitator’s guide is designed as a blueprint to support faculty and PD providers charged with providing teachers and leaders with training in a selected topic. The training can be conducted by faculty and by state and local PD providers.


Facilitator’s Guide The facilitator’s guide consists of anchor presentation slides with a script to support facilitators as they present the content and learning activities within the anchor presentation. Facilitator notes and talking points are included. The speaker notes are intended as a guide for a facilitator who is using the PowerPoint slides and may be modified as needed. Reviewing the entire guide prior to facilitating the training is highly recommended.

Evidence-‐Based Materials There are now three converging areas of support for inclusive practices. Empirical research findings from the past four decades document the positive outcomes of inclusive education for students who do and do not experience disability. Inclusive education was born from a civil rights perspective, which continues to guide the implementation of inclusive practices, including system of supports and social model of disability perspectives. Another area of support comes from federal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 and supporting case law.

Six-‐Part Organization The learning resources are organized into six main parts:

• Part 1: Historical Perspectives of Disability and Education, Inclusive Lives, andDefinitions of Inclusive Education. Part 1 contains an overview of the historicalperspectives of disability and education for students with disabilities, a discussion ofhow separate and special is not better, and key definitions and quality indicators ofinclusive education.

• Part 2: Rationales for Inclusive Education. Part 2 begins by providing clarification ofterminology that will be used throughout the remainder of the module. This part alsoexplores a series of rationales (e.g., guiding principles, values, empirical evidence, legalfoundations) that led the field to focus on inclusive education for ALL students, includingthose with extensive and complex support needs.

• Part 3: Inclusive Service Delivery. Part 3 discusses the following components of inclusiveservice delivery models: school-‐wide implementation of multi-‐tiered system of supports(MTSS) that strive to improve the academic and behavioral outcomes for ALL students;collaborative teaming between general educators, special educators, related servicespersonnel, paraeducators, parents, administrators, and students themselves; andsupportive and visionary administrative leadership.


• Part 4: Access to Core/General Education Curriculum and Settings (Part 1). Part 4acknowledges that for ALL students, including those with disabilities, access tocore/general education curriculum in inclusive school contexts and settings requires keypractices in place such as ecological/contextually based assessment, person-‐centeredplanning, differentiated instruction, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Part 5: Access to Core/General Education Curriculum and Settings (Part 2). Part 5 discusses the specific roles and responsibilities of team members in relation to supporting students’ meaningful access to and participation with curriculum; the principle of partial participation; curricular, instructional and ecological adaptations to support access and participation; and finally, embedded instruction as an evidence-‐based practice (EBP) to deliver high-‐quality, specialized instruction in inclusive settings. The section begins with a discussion of the roles, responsibilities, and strategies employed by an effective inclusion facilitator to implement high-‐quality, effective inclusive services for students with the most intensive and complex support needs. Inclusion facilitators are defined as credentialed teachers who develop and implement inclusive education. Inclusion facilitators are often special education teachers by trade, but can also be general education teachers or other school team members.

• Part 6: Peer Relationships and Supports in Inclusive Classrooms. Part 6 discusses waysto promote peer interactions and relationships between students with disabilities andtheir classmates in the general education classrooms. These are understood to play keyroles in learning and quality of life (Carter, 2011; Carter, Bottema-‐Beutel, & Brock, 2014;Carter, Cushing, & Kennedy, 2009). Within the professional literature describing theadministrative, logistical, and curricular practices to achieve successful inclusion, there isa clear mandate to offer students with disabilities the same opportunities for sociallearning, participation, and friendship that are available to all students (Halvorsen &Neary, 2009; TASH, 2010).

Opportunity to Learn Learning activities are embedded throughout each part of the anchor presentations. All activities are optional and may be adapted to meet the needs of a particular audience.

Resources The following resources are provided for use in delivering the anchor presentation:

• Facilitator’s guide (this document)• Presentations


All of these materials may be used and adapted to fit the needs of the training context. When sharing the content, please use the following statement: “These materials have been adapted in whole or in part with permission from the CEEDAR Center.”

Materials The following materials are recommended for training and associated activities:

• Chart paper• Sharpie® markers for chart paper• Regular markers at each table for name cards• Post-‐it® Notes• Timer• Pens at each table• Internet connection for website links embedded in presentations

Necessary materials will vary based on the content and activities selected, which will depend on the audience and the format of the course or PD session.

In This Guide The rest of the guide provides the slides and speaker notes to support facilitators as they present the content and learning activities included in the anchor module. Reviewing the entire guide prior to facilitating the training is highly recommended.


Part 3: Slides and Supporting Facilitator Notes and Text Slide 1—Anchor Presentation: Inclusive Education for ALL Students: Hour 3

Effective inclusive service delivery involves • school-‐wide implementation of systems of supports that

strive to improve the academic and behavioral outcomes forALL students;

• collaborative teaming between general educators, specialeducators, related services personnel, paraeducators,parents, administrators, and students themselves;

• and supportive and visionary administrative leadership.Each of these key aspects of inclusive service delivery will be discussed within this section of the module.

Anchor'Presenta-on:''Inclusive'Educa-on'for'ALL'Students'

Hour'3'

Project(#H325A120003(

Inclusive(Service(Delivery(



Slide 2—Multi-‐Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

School-‐wide implementation of multi-‐tiered systems of supports (MTSS) strives to improve the academic and behavioral outcomes for ALL students, not just students receiving special education services. All students are provided with the appropriate level of academic and behavioral support based on their skill levels and needs. Academic tier model is often called Response to Intervention (RtI). Behavioral support model is referred to as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). “Through a MTSS framework each student is given, based on their measured educational need, what they instructionally need to succeed when they need it, rendering irrelevant the physical location of supports and services (i.e., special education is a service, not a place)” (Sailor & McCart, 2014, p. 58).

Mul$%Tiered+System+of+Supports+(MTSS)++

• All#academic#and#behavioral#instruc3on#is#

delivered#through#a#school5wide,#data5driven#

system#using#Universal#Design#for#Learning#(UDL)#

principles#(Sailor,#2009;#Sailor#&#Roger,#2005).#

• Educators#collaborate#in#teams#to#provide#and#

monitor#academic#and#behavioral#interven3ons#

across#3ers.###

• Universal#screening#tools#are#u3lized#to#iden3fy#

students#at#risk#for#poor#learning#outcomes.##

• Ongoing#and#frequent#progress#monitoring#

measure#and#assess#students’#responses#to#

instruc3on#(SWIFT,#2014).##


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Slide 3—School-‐Wide Academic and Behavioral Support Across Tiers

This visual illustrates the school-‐wide academic and behavioral supports across tiers that are implemented. As the visual represents, for both academic and behavioral systems, schools will implement universal interventions for all students and in all settings, and these interventions will be effective for approximately 80-‐90% of students. Approximately, 5-‐10% of students who are considered at risk may require targeted group interventions. Finally, approximately 1-‐5% of students may need teams to develop intensive, individual interventions.

Slide 4—Inclusive Academic Instruction

Inclusive academic instruction uses school-‐wide approaches, such as RtI, to promote academic success and prevent academic failure. All students receive Tier 1 instruction. Progress is screened and monitored for all students. The focus is on high-‐quality instruction. Accommodations and modifications are made as necessary to ensure achievement by all students.

Tier 2 involves differentiated instruction in the classroom using evidence-‐based intervention programs. Students who are falling behind their peers receive additional targeted instruction in small groups. A collaborative problem solving approach is used to Identify specific strengths and weaknesses of individual students. Tier 3 utilizes intense specialized instruction, which is also

Academic(Systems! Behavioral(Systems!

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive,!Individual!Interven/ons!• Individual!students!• Assessment!based!• High!intensity!

Intensive,!Individual!Interven/ons!• Individual!students!• Assessment!based!• Intense,!durable!procedures!

Targeted!Group!Interven/ons!• Some!students!(at!risk)!• High!efficiency!• Rapid!response!

Targeted!Group!Interven/ons!• Some!students!(at!risk)!• High!efficiency!• Rapid!response!!

Universal!Interven/ons!• All!seDngs,!all!students!• Preven/ve,!proac/ve!

School3Wide(Academic(and(Behavioral(Support(Across(Tiers(

Inclusive*Academic*Instruc1on*

Response'to'Interven,on'(RtI)'•  Tier'1:'Universal'Interven,ons:'

o All'students.'o Preven,ve,'proac,ve.'

•  Tier'2:'Targeted'Group'Interven,ons:'o Some'students'(at'risk).'o High'efficiency.'o Rapid'response.'

•  Tier'3:'Intensive,'Individual'Interven,ons:'o  Individual'students.'o Assessment'based.'o High'intensity.'o Longer'dura,on.'


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assessment based. The instruction is high intensity and for longer duration and/or frequency than previous intervention.

It is important to keep in mind that the multi-‐level instructional strategies in reading and math include all students, including those with disabilities, in the general education curriculum. The school identifies priorities for instruction by analyzing multiple sources of data. Inclusive academic instruction involves differentiation, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and flexible grouping, which will be discussed later in this module. Slide 5—Inclusive Behavioral Instruction

Inclusive behavioral instruction uses school-‐wide approaches to prevent challenging behaviors and provide social and behavioral support to facilitate learning and achievement for all learners. Behavioral support interventions are developed and implemented based on the identification of functions of behavior. As with inclusive academic instruction, the school identifies priorities for instruction by analyzing multiple sources of data.

Primary prevention involves the school staff developing and then explicitly teaching all students the rules, routines, and physical arrangements of all school environments to prevent initial occurrences of behavior the school would like to target for change. Secondary prevention provides intensive or targeted interventions to support individual or small groups of students who are not responding to primary prevention efforts.

Tertiary prevention focuses on the needs of students who exhibit

Inclusive*Behavioral*Instruc1on*

Implementa)on+of+school0wide,+targeted+group,+and+individual+posi)ve+behavior+interven)ons+and+supports:+•  Primary+preven)on+(all).+•  Secondary+preven)on+(targeted+group+or+simple+individual+plans).+

•  Ter)ary+preven)on+(individual,+comprehensive+plan).+


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patterns of problem behavior. A primary goal is to diminish problem behavior and increase the student's adaptive skills and opportunities for an enhanced quality of life.

Each of the levels of behavioral instruction and support involve a proactive approach that seeks to intervene prior to a behavior becoming a problem. In addition, at all levels, focus is on the empowerment of students and involves providing ways for students to express choices, promoting personal growth, and ensuring respect and dignity. The desired, socially meaningful outcomes of inclusive behavioral instruction and support for all students are community participation, development of communication and social skills, and increased quality of life. For additional information about the multi-‐tiered approach to positive behavioral interventions and supports, go to the Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports established by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at http://www.pbis.org


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Slide 6—Multi-‐Tiered Supports in Action

Watch and discuss the Thaysa video at http://whocaresaboutkelsey.com/multimedia Thaysa is a 13-‐minute mini-‐film/documentary by Dan Habib. Thasya Lumingkewas, 8, has autism and thrives at Maple Wood Elementary School in Somersworth, NH. The school has implemented RtI, PBIS, and UD. (UDL will be discussed in subsequent sections of this module). This film highlights the power of presuming competence, differentiated instruction, and augmentative and alternative communication to support students to meaningfully participate and learn.

Slide 7—Collaborative Training

Collaborative teams are essential to successful inclusive education. Each member of a student’s team has a valued and critical role to play in supporting successful inclusive education.

Mul$%Tiered+Supports+in+Ac$on+

Collabora've*Teaming*

•  Working(effec,vely(in(collabora,ve(teams(is(vital(to(successful(inclusive(educa,on.(

•  Each(member(has(a(valued(and(cri,cal(role(to(play.(


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Slide 8—Collaborative Team Members

This slide shows a list of collaborative team members often responsible for implementing inclusive services. This list is not exhaustive. Some students may require different types of support, based on their individual needs.

For some team members who have worked in/experienced traditionally non-‐inclusive schools, these roles and responsibilities as a collaborative team member may require change in their previous practice.

In the following slides, the roles of each of the key team members in inclusive schools will be discussed in more detail.

Slide 9—Key Team Member Roles in Inclusive Schools

Give participants time to read the slide and discuss the roles and responsibilities of the team member and the possible implications.

Collabora've*Team*Members*

•  General'educator.'•  Special'educator.'•  Related'services'personnel'(e.g.,'speech8language'pathologist,'occupa9onal'therapist,'physical'therapist,'reading'specialist).'

•  Paraeducators.'•  Parents.'•  Student.'•  Peers.'•  Principal.'

Key$Team$Member$Roles$$in$Inclusive$Schools$

•  General'educator:'o Welcome'ALL'students'as'members'of'the'general'educa5on'classrooms.'

o  Uses'UDL'to'design'and'implement'accessible'curriculum'and'instruc5on.'

o  Shares'in'the'responsibility'to'develop'accessible'instruc5onal'materials'for'all'students.'

o  Par5cipates'in'team'mee5ngs'to'plan'instruc5on'and'supports.'

o Works'with'special'educators'to'evaluate'work'of'students'with'disabili5es.'

Jorgensen,'FischerEMueller'&'Prud’homme,'2014'


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•  Special(educator:(o  Serves(as(Inclusion(facilitator(for(students(with(disabili7es(and/or(co9teacher.(

o  Develops(students’(individualized(educa7on(program((IEP)(goals(based(on(general(educa7on(standards(and(func7onal(skills(in(collabora7on(with(team(members.(

o  Facilitates(regularly(scheduled(mee7ngs(for(instruc7onal(planning(and(designing(supports(for(students’(full(par7cipa7on(in(general(educa7on(instruc7on.(

o  Shares(in(the(responsibility(to(develop(accessible(instruc7onal(materials(for(all(students.(

(Jorgensen,(Fischer9Mueller(&(Prud’homme,(2014(

(


•  Related'services'personnel'(e.g.,'speech5language'pathologist,'physical'therapist):'o Writes'goals'and'objec=ves'that'priori=ze'skills'for'students'to'par=cipate'meaningfully'in'general'educa=on'instruc=on'and'typical'social'rela=onships.'

o  Integrates'services'within'the'instruc=onal'rou=nes'and'typical'social'ac=vi=es'of'the'general'educa=on'classroom'and'seDngs.'

'Jorgensen,'Fischer5Mueller'&'Prud’homme,'2014'


14




We would be remiss to not discuss that parents/family members, peers, and of course, the student him/herself are valued members of the student’s team in inclusive schools. Parents and/or other family members provide valuable knowledge, information, and understanding of their child that is essential for the team to consider. Educational teams must take into consideration how the student with disabilities can be actively involved on his/her team in order to share his/her preferences, interest, etc. Peers can provide natural supports to the student throughout the school day. Both the student and peers can participate in “circle of friends” to increase understanding and acceptance of individual differences and brainstorm strategies to support the meaningful participation and


•  Paraeducator:+o  Contributes+to+the+development+of+the+educa7onal+program,+instruc7onal+plans,+and+ac7vi7es+for+the+student.+

o  Supports+the+implementa7on+of+instruc7onal+programs;+facilitates+learning+ac7vi7es;+collects+student+data;+and+carries+out+other+assigned+du7es+(e.g.,+supervise+students+at+lunch+or+recess,+provide+personal+care+supports+to+students,+do+clerical+tasks)+based+on+plans+developed+by+the+teachers+and+special+educators.+


•  Parents/family.members:.o  Share.knowledge.and.understanding.of.the.student.that.is.

valuable.to.the.team..o  Assist.other.team.members.in.assessing.the.student’s.skills..o  Collaborate.with.other.team.members.to.iden>ty.priority.goals.

for.instruc>on...

•  The.student:.o  Shares.with.other.team.member’s.his/her.preferences,.interests,.

etc...o  Par>cipate.in.“circle.of.friends.”.

.

•  Peers:.o  Provide.natural.supports.to.the.student.in.the.classroom,.

cafeteria,.play.yard,.hallways,.etc..throughout.the.school.day..o  Par>cipate.in.“circle.of.friends.”.


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inclusion of students with disabilities. Circle of friends will be discussed in the Peer Relationships and Supports in Inclusive Classrooms section (Hour 6) of the module.

Again, give participants time to read the slide and discuss the roles and responsibilities of the team member and the possible implications. Slide 14—Key Team Member Roles in Inclusive Schools

Finally, the principal is another key member in inclusive schools. In fact, strong leadership and support for inclusive practices by the principal is consistently documented as a critical component of inclusive reform.

We will now discuss administrative and teacher leadership for inclusive education in more detail.


•  Principal:*o  Provide*support*and*allocate*resources*to*ensure*the*successful*educa4on*of*all*students.*

o  Ensure*the*fidelity*of*implementa4on*of*MTSS.*o  Demonstrate*values*of*inclusive*educa4on*through*leadership*and*administra4ve*ac4vi4es.*

o  Support*inclusive*prac4ces*through*professional*and*staff*supervision*and*development.*

*Jorgensen,*McSheehan*&*Sonnenmeir,*2010*


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Slide 15—Importance of Leadership

While researching inclusive education and those factors that act as barriers and facilitators of inclusive education, strong leadership and support for inclusion is consistently documented as a critical component of inclusive reform. Likewise, lack of leadership and commitment to inclusive education can act as a substantial barrier to inclusive education. Leadership from administrators (i.e., school or district level) in supporting inclusive practices can be critical to inclusive reform and sustainability. However, committed leadership from teachers can also be a key factor in developing and sustaining inclusive practices. For the rest of this section, we will discuss leadership for inclusive education. Slide 16—Administrative Leadership

A research study by Fuchs (2010) found that teachers requested administrative leadership for inclusive education in specific areas. Practicing teachers wanted in-‐service/professional development (PD) opportunities to learn more about teaching diverse students in general education classes. They also wanted reasonable class sizes that would enable them to meet the needs of all students, along with time allocated to collaborate and plan with special education staff. Last, teachers in this study wanted more support from special education staff in terms of planning instructional activities and making adaptations in the classroom.

Importance+of+Leadership+

“Systema)c+change+toward+inclusive+educa)on+requires+passionate,+visionary+leaders+who+are+able+to+build+consensus+around+the+goal+of+providing+quality+educa)on+for+all+learners+.+.+.+[Study+a>er+study+found]+administra)ve+support+and+vision+to+be+the+most+power+predictor+of+moving+toward+full+inclusion.”+– Villa,+Thousand,+Meyers,+&+Nevin,+1996+

Administra*ve-Leadership-

•  In#service*support/professional*development*(PD).*

•  Class*size*support.*•  Collabora=on*and*planning*=me.*•  Sharing*du=es*with*special*educa=on*staff.*

Fuchs,*2010*


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Slide 17—Administrative Leadership

Another recent research study has further investigated the factors that sustained a highly successful inclusive school. In this study, McLeskey, Waldron, and Reed (2014) found that the administrator in this effective inclusive school took a flexible but efficient approach to allocating resources. Specifically, the elementary teachers in this school were required to teach given subjects at specific times. Teachers were not allowed to simply teach reading whenever they wanted to, for example. Instead, they needed to provide reading instruction on a given schedule so that special education co-‐teachers could schedule supports and be available during literacy instruction. Next, the principal at this school set the bar for high expectations but did not micro-‐manage how teachers provided instruction to meet those goals. When administrators spend too much time telling teachers how to teach and do not give enough power and time to teachers to actually teach, teachers become frustrated and overwhelmed (e.g., Sindelar et al., 2006). The major caveat in McLeskey’s study was that teachers were given the power to make instructional decisions, but they were required to continually look at school-‐ and grade-‐level data to make instructional changes as needed. This kind of reflective practice gives teachers the tools and information they need to make conclusions about the effectiveness of their teaching, and then make changes as needed. The principal in McLeskey’s study also provided high-‐quality PD for inclusive education. This focused on teacher-‐identified supports and needs and was not expert centered. That is, rather than bringing in an outsider to provide PD, teachers at this school developed a learning


•  Flexible'use'of'resources'(e.g.,'shi3'personnel).'

•  Distributed'decision'making.'•  Data=driven'instruc?on.'•  Coaching.'•  Emphasis'on'all'students.'

McLeskey,'Waldron,'&'Redd,'2014'


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community in which teachers coached one another and provided support to one another that was embedded over time and in real-‐classroom contexts. Finally, the principal at this school created the vision of inclusive education as reflecting all students (e.g., students who are gifted, students with disabilities, students who are learning English). By emphasizing the ideal of meeting the needs of all learners and acting as a warm demander who has high expectations and caring support to reach those expectations, the principal created a climate at this school where all teachers were empowered to teach and support all students. Slide 18—Administrative Leadership

Sindelar and colleagues (2006) have followed a middle school for several years that began implementing important inclusive education reform and have seen the consequences of turnover in leadership in terms of sustaining that reform. The first principal set about making major commitments to inclusive education, including building a community of teachers committed to inclusive principles. These teachers met regularly and discussed the importance of inclusive education and designed instructional practices together, such as teaming and co-‐teaching, to realize their vision. The principal also committed to incorporating inclusive practices into hiring new teachers. The second principal was similarly committed to inclusive education, which helped sustain the practices at this school for several years. However, by the time the third principal was hired, the school had grown in size, and the principal had a different set of priorities. In turn, the school became less inclusive because was no longer a common vision, and educational teams were responding to


•  Build&a&community/coali/on&based&on&principles.&

•  Create&and&work&to&sustain&a&vision.&•  Hiring&prac/ces.&&

Sindelar,&Shearer,&Yendol@Hoppey,&&&Liebert,&2006&


19

different pressures, largely taking the lead from the current principal. The principal no longer made sure to hire teachers who shared a commitment to inclusive education, and, thus, by the end of this study 5 years later, students with disabilities were no longer being included in general education classes. Slide 19—Administrative Leadership

Watch the Administrative Leadership video on http://www.swiftschools.org/#implementation [video is less than 2 minutes in length].

Ask participants to identify the qualities that promote inclusive education and demonstrate leadership for inclusive education.



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Slide 20—Teacher Leadership

Ideally, leadership for inclusive education will come from district-‐ and site-‐level administrators. However, leadership cannot come from these sources alone. Teacher leadership is critical for effective inclusive education. Teachers act as leaders by collaborating with others and developing relationships (e.g., offering assistance or consultation as needed to administrators and colleagues, becoming a member of the school team to address the intervention needs of all students, initiating the shift in thinking from my students to our students for themselves and colleagues). Participating in department, school, and district teams, such as parent-‐teacher associations or intervention teams can help teachers learn more about the school culture, organization, and politics. This can further help teachers identify resources, develop resources, and share a philosophy and practice of inclusive education. Teachers can further develop leadership roles by participating in activities that require collaborative relationships, such as extra duty (e.g., chaperoning a dance) or just eating lunch with colleagues. Building trust and rapport with colleagues and successfully communicating and negotiating with different groups will help develop the skills require to lead and advocate for inclusive education. Teachers act as leaders when they demonstrate excellence; teachers are viewed as more effective when others view her as being knowledgeable and skilled. Teachers also act as leaders when they develop and share a vision for inclusive education. Articulating this vision to others provides a foundation on which to build a community. Last, teachers act as leaders for inclusive education when they advocate for inclusive

Teacher'Leadership'

•  Take%on%collabora,ve%roles.%•  Lead%by%example.%•  Develop%and%ar,culate%a%vision.%•  Advocate%for%inclusive%educa,on.%


21

practices. Teachers can advocate for students to be placed in general education settings, advocate that those settings have a range of supports in place to support students and student learning, and develop systems of supports for all students to be successful by collaborating with others. Slide 21—Administrative Support for Teacher Leadership

School administrators play an important role in supporting teacher leadership. They help teacher leaders to identify important committees on which to serve such as committees for adopting new textbooks. School administrators can also support teacher leadership by allocating time or resources to support teacher leadership such as permitting teacher leaders to attend leadership or management conferences and providing release time for teachers to engage in leadership activities. Last, and perhaps most importantly, school administrators can support teacher leadership by creating space for teacher leadership. This can be done by sharing insights, rationales, and providing emotional support to teachers who take on these important leadership roles.

Administra*ve-Support-for-Teacher-Leadership-

•  Create&a&safe&environment.&

•  Support&open&communica3on&and&exchange&of&ideas.&

•  Provide&feedback.&


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Slide 22—Capacity Building

SWIFT schools have identified a series of activities that can be completed to build capacity of local schools and districts to implement inclusive education. The following actions can be used to initiate this process.

First, identify who the stakeholders are. This may include teachers, administrators, parents, and related services providers. Equally important is to determine who should be involved in the process. For example, perhaps the school secretary or a community agency play key roles and should be involved in the process.

Second, work from an area of strength. This involves identifying what is working well in the district or school in terms of providing services to students with disabilities. Those things that are working well should be strengthened, and not abandoned, while implementing inclusive school reform.

Third, teams should identify those values from which you will not stray. This non-‐negotiable list will be developed as a team, and is the vision that will sustain the team on the journey. Lastly, any decision made must align with the beliefs that you have articulated. This can be done explicitly by checking with your written list.

(As an extension activity, look at the Stoughton School District values on page 4 of the SWIFT website: http://www.swiftschools.org/Common/Cms/Documents/SWIFT%20

Capacity(Building(

•  Iden%fy(stakeholders.(•  Work(from(a(place(of(strength.(•  Establish(the(list(of(non:nego%ables.(•  Ensure(that(all(decisions(align(with(ar%culated(beliefs.(


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CENTER%20ISSUE%20BRIEF%203%20Revised.pdf. Participants can use this as a model to develop their own list of non-‐negotiables. Slide 23—Administrator’s Roles and Responsibilities

Although variation in roles and responsibilities will occur across schools, districts, and states, the administrator plays a critical role in making sure that all team members effectively work together to meet the needs of all students. At the core of all teams are the general and special educators who must work closely together to meet the needs of a range of students. The administrator plays an important role in matching these team members together by considering their strengths, giving them time to plan, and making sure they operate efficiently and effectively. This may be done by asking teachers and staff to name colleagues with whom they believe they are best suited to collaborate while also using their own knowledge of staff strengths and personalities to create teams. Once teams are created, it will be critical to invest in supervising and providing feedback to the teams. The administrator should set expectations that teams use planning time to develop differentiated lessons and unites with appropriate adaptations for all learners, that all adults in the classroom have meaningful roles during instruction, and that a variety of instructional and co-‐teaching practices are incorporated every day in the classrooms. During walk-‐throughs and observations, the administrator should see that students are heterogeneously grouped. These positive examples of co-‐planning and co-‐teaching must be celebrated. Administrators should also provide constructive feedback when they see students with disabilities grouped together or adults having less than meaningful

Administrator+Roles+and+Responsibili1es+

•  Develop'collabora,ve'instruc,onal'teams.'

•  Set'and'supervise'inclusive'instruc,onal'expecta,ons.'

•  Provide',me'for'planning.'•  Provide'PD.'•  Inclusive'hiring'prac,ces.'

Causton'&'Theoharis,'2014'


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engagement in classrooms.

Teams should have 40-‐60 minutes of joint planning one to two times per week. Creating a master schedule in which instructional teams have this common planning time is a priority.

The administrator’s role is to provide teams with PD related to collaboration, co-‐teaching, and inclusive instruction. This must be ongoing and built into the culture of the school. Consider using coaching as a means of pairing teachers together to provide ongoing PD with constructive feedback to one another.

Last, the administrator plays an important role in hiring teachers and paraeducators who support an inclusive philosophy. It is critical to hire colleagues who work well with others, share a commitment to educating all students, and have the collaborative and teaching skills to implement inclusive practices.


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Slide 24—Sustaining Inclusive Education After inclusive education has been developed, the administrator will take an important role in sustaining those activities.

The administrator must take an active role in purposefully and authentically communicating with others their vision and values. This may mean reaffirming their belief in inclusion to others, asking questions of others to gauge their practices and commitment, and explaining the impact of a decision someone made.

Leaders in the inclusive education movement benefit from having colleagues with whom they can talk and gain support from. These networks diminish the sense of isolation and loneliness that often characterize this hard work.

Leaders also recognize the value of shared decision making and empowering others to create a sense of ownership in decisions. Leaders in the inclusive education movement delegate and trust others. Developing teacher leaders can be an important piece to sustaining inclusive education. Next, leaders engage in ongoing professional learning to help leaders accomplish their agenda and overcome the barriers they will experience.

Last, it is important for leaders to engage in the activities that promote their well-‐being as leaders and as humans. Taking time to engage in mindful diversions, exercise, and fun outlets can reduce stress and prevent burnout. The road toward inclusive education is

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•  Communica)on.+•  Suppor)ve+network.+•  Empower+others.+•  Professional+learning.+•  Self;care.+

Causton+&+Theoharis,+2014+


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fraught with struggles and difficulty, making it all the more important for leaders to invest in themselves so that they can, in turn, invest in others. Slide 25

This content was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Award No. H325A120003. Bonnie Jones and David Guardino serve as the project officers. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or polices of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this website is intended or should be inferred.

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