Leadership Strategies For Successful Schoolwide Inclusion

Effective, schoolwide inclustion ensures the best outcomes for all students, but how can school teams knock down the barriers to inclusion and make sure it's happening across all classrooms? This concise book gives principals and other school leaders the solution they've been waiting for: a clear framework for leading inclusion efforts, monitoring their success, and facilitating consistent use of best practices. Develped by two veteran special educaiton experts with a combined 70 years of experience, this guidebook breaks the inclusion process into concrete, manageable goals and shows how to accomplish each one by applying the authors' four-step STAR model. Using this proven, research-based model, school leaders will collaborate with all members of the education team to: implement RTI to help all students make progress toward learning standards; align students' IEPs with the general curriculum; select approprite accomodations and modifications; conduct effective screening and progress monitoring for all students; include parents as collaborative partners; prepare stuents to direct their own IEP processes; and more. To meet each of these critical goals, school temas will refer to the book's handy STAR organizer, which lays out in chart form the specific steps needed to accomplish each task. Then they'll take action with suffested inclusion strategies and helpful photocopiable forms and tools, including a sample vision statement, and IEP meeting feedback form, a survey on professional develoment priorities, and self-assessment toosl so schools can see how effectively they're implementing the STAR model.

Richard A. Villa and Jacqueline S. Thousand provide an in-depth, research-based guide for ensuring that your school provides the federally guaranteed "least restrictive environment" for students no matter the severity of the challenges they face. Leading an Inclusive School: Access and Success for ALL Students offers administrators, teachers, and other educators working to promote inclusion a wealth of information about the history and research base of inclusive education in the United States, including pivotal amendments to and reauthorizations of the EHCA, landmark court cases, and the philosophical underpinnings of the movement; essential curricular and instructional practices for inclusive schools, such as heterogeneous grouping, creative problem solving, and co-teaching; powerful organizational structures such as Multitiered System of Support and Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports to help optimize the benefits of differentiation for all students; and a conceptual framework for coordinating educational initiatives and best practices for educating all students in general education. Also included are vivid personal stories of students with disabilities that illustrate how these students flourish when they learn alongside their general education peers. Educators who are serious about committing to the success of learners at all levels of perceived physical, intellectual, communication, and social/emotional ability will find the examples, advice, and tools in this book indispensable for planning, implementing, and promoting inclusion in their schools.

How to raise the achievement of all kids, from gifted to those with severe disabilities This book presents lessons learned from in-depth case studies of some of our most effective inclusive public schools. The authors conclusively demonstrate that schools can educate students with mild and severe disabilities in general education classrooms by providing special education services that link to and bolster general education instruction. This goes beyond complying with Special Education law; having a truly inclusive environment raises the achievement level for all students and results in more committed and satisfied teachers. Insights shared from teachers, school leaders, parents, and the students themselves provide a path forward for anyone striving to Improve special education services. The authors reveal what these exemplary schools do that makes them so successful, and provide advice for readers who want to incorporate these practices themselves. Hehir, former U.S. Office of Special Education (OSEP) Director, is a leading name in Special Education Highlights the important relationships between administrators, teachers, and parents to foster maximum collaboration between general and special education Includes information on committing to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Positive Behavior Supports This vital resource zeroes in on what excellent public schools do differently to ensure all students succeed.

Leadership for Inclusion: A Practical Guide makes a significant contribution to an emerging literature in which all professional educators, and especially principals, are beginning to vigorously take on the new challenges presented by inclusion and inclusive schooling. Overall, this volume of candid propositions about principals’ practice invites the reader to engage in likeminded analyses and syntheses and to enfold their newfound knowledge and skills into their leadership.

Practical and forward-thinking, Developing Teacher Leaders in Special Education is the administrator's essential guide to growing special educator leadership in any school, district, or program. Special educators need to be flexible, proactive, and collaborative – qualities that make them uniquely suited to roles in school leadership – but these skills are often overlooked when choosing effective teacher leaders. Featuring helpful tips and detailed examples to demonstrate the concepts in action, this book breaks down the qualities that special educators can bring to your school leadership team and explores how you can leverage those skills to create a more inclusive and successful community.

It is important for school librarians to consider the expertise of classroom teachers, the position of school administrators, and the beliefs and values of the community at large. Striking the balance between collaboration and leadership is a key to successful implementation of an effective library program.

This book is a guide for ensuring that your school provides the federally guaranteed "least restrictive environment" for students no matter the severity of the challenges they face.

Intentional leadership can unite, motivate and empower all educators to work towards the common goal of creating a truly inclusive culture in which all children, with or without disabilities, are supported and enabled to fully participate in every aspect of daily life and learning. This book recognises diverse manifestations of special educational needs, from communication difficulties and delays in learning, to social and physical disabilities, and considers the ways in which these needs might be embraced within inclusive mainstream settings. Key to this is robust and purposeful leadership that removes barriers to learning, changes existing attitudes and values, motivates staff and foregrounds holistic learning opportunities and experiences. Chapters draw on theoretical models, reflect on international and national policies, and consider topics including: the image of the child physical, aesthetic and temporal aspects of the learning environment relational pedagogy long-, medium- and short-term planning the role of assessment collaborative working with parents, families and other professionals. In-depth descriptions of behaviours and leadership strategies, practice scenarios and activities support the reader’s understanding. Intentional Leadership for Effective Inclusion in Early Childhood Education and Care is a comprehensive guide for students, teachers and practitioners involved in Early Childhood Education and Care, Social Care and Early Intervention programmes.