From the Desk of Sean Reinhart
Happy Friday team!
Below is an excerpt from Student and Family Engagement Themes and Takeaways Report. As part of the listening sessions that were conducted during the fall of 2019, students experiencing disability and their parents/caregivers participated in 5 focus groups. The excerpt below is the summary of their feedback which can be found on page 13-14 of the full report, and I encourage you to read the full report linked in this paragraph. The feedback highlights the great connections our special education staff have with students and families and their desire to fully participate in all aspects of our schools.
School-Family Partnerships:
Parents of students with disabilities share a deep appreciation for and desire for more collaboration between staff and families to help their children thrive. Parents reported that teachers and aides taking time and interest to hear how morning routines went at home as a gauge for how the rest of the day might go makes them feel connected and at ease. It makes an even bigger impact when staff are open to meeting with families to collaborate on solutions to issues as they come up during the week. One parent commented about the pushback they sometimes receive from staff: Don’t feel threatened if we offer some ideas about how to help our kids! Parents wished there was more consistency between the grade levels in terms of partnering with schools, with a feeling that at each grade level we have to do this all over again, re-start the system and process of creating a plan that works all over again. It would be helpful in there was more continuity, more trust in making these transitions go more smoothly by partnering with families, early and often. Interestingly, parents discussed different barriers or push backs between roles at schools. When they go directly to the teacher, they find they are receptive to feedback, want to collaborate, and are willing to try new things . However, if they go to the school administrator, they feel like they are at the gatekeeper, it takes a long time, and they often find the gate is closed (the answer is “no”).
Inclusion, not Accommodation:
Across both student and parent sessions, participants expressed a desire for students with disabilities to be meaningfully integrated into their school community and educational experiences . Families mentioned consistently, they just want their kid to be treated like any kid, and how much they appreciate the effort to recognize, include, and connect their child into regular school activities . Parents cited, for example, that they like it when the school reaches out to create a plan for their student to participate in a school event. It feels proactive and validates that their student is a valuable member of the class/school community.
However, these plans tend to rely on parent participation. If a parent is not available to directly participate with their child in the event, the inclusion effort often falls apart. This process is an area to address and improve. Related, the high school students that participated in focus groups shared issues around their own inclusion. A number of students discussed how they feel judged or that they have to work to hide their disabilities . One student shared: I have to hide my ADHD so that I don’t get judged. It makes it harder to go to school. Another student shared: I’ve been judged many times on how smart I am, every day. One mistake and then you are retarded, stupid. Students feel a lot of pressure to feel like they belong.
The need for advocates:
Across these sessions, it was made clear that families and students need advocates to support them. On the student side, there was a mix of experience. In some cases, students felt really supported within the school setting. One student recounted: My teacher knows I have an IEP and he came to me and assured me that he was here to help and he knew what was in my IEP. On the flip side, another recalled: I didn’t even know I had accommodations, I have an IEP. I didn’t know I could take my test in a separate room, didn’t know any of these things. At the end of the year last year I knew. I went my whole middle school career and freshman year not knowing this. Let students know what they can have and know. Ensuring both students and teachers are clear about the supports students can access seems foundational to revisit. Among parents, ideas surfaced to build community with each other in order to learn together and to learn from each other’s experiences in navigating the school system with a students with disabilities. Parents shared some powerful examples of how connection has occurred among families. One parent remembered: I had an administrator ask to share my number with another parent and we are still friends to this day. Another parent wondered: is there a way to have another parent that could come with me to an IEP to support? Helping facilitate connection and peer support seems to be an opportunity ripe for exploration to help parents support their children and achieve the inclusions outcomes they seek.
Universal Design for Learning: The Empower Trip Webinar Series
Simply UDL Strategies for Vocabulary, Literacy, Writing, and Communication
Check out these 1 hour webinars. The purpose of this series is to expand teacher and parent knowledge of Tier 1 Universal Design for Learning strategies that may be integrated across all grade levels and across all content areas. The goal is to guide attendees to understand the relevance of the strategy and to demystify the concepts of Universal Design for Learning. The content of the sessions looks great.
From the Desk of Colleen Funderburg:
Another amazing professional development opportunity for classified staff and they will be PAID!
When: January 31 at Three Rivers from 8-2 pm
Topics include: behavior management, phonics bootcamp and iPads.
Please see the flyer Classified PD opportunity for additional details.
Information from Jake Slodki on a Collaborative Problem Solving online session.
“Are you trying to use the model in your classroom and wish you had some help?
Educators can now access a Think:Kids Certified Trainer online session where time can be used to brainstorm how to address challenging situations using the CPS model and discuss strategies for intervening and troubleshooting.”
All of the Early Childhood Special Education documentation is now available for school teams to review! 
