Inclusive Schooling

📄 Free Resource: 10 Lifelines for Calming Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom Need practical support for handling challenging behaviors? This free guide gives you 10 effective lifelines to help students return to calm and focus. Essential for every educator’s toolkit! What’s Inside: 🧡 How to validate emotions without overwhelming students 🤲🏿 Non-verbal cues that show presence and understanding 💡 Tips for offering restorative choices and calming silence 📥 Download your copy today: https://lnkd.in/gJXWzE5R #FreeResource #EducationTools #BehaviorSupport

Episode 31: Understanding LRE and Its Role in Supporting All Learners https://lnkd.in/g8PrxnGN Key Takeaways: ✅ Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) emphasizes educating students with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers as much as possible, focusing on how to support them in inclusive settings. ✅ Before considering a more restrictive placement, schools must first try supplementary aids, supports, and services to ensure students can succeed in general education environments. ✅ Challenging behaviors should be seen as opportunities for support and growth within inclusive settings, not reasons for exclusion. Highlights from the Handout: Julie Causton's Favorite: Utilizing Material Supports: The story of Mark’s success with a key to the art room illustrates how simple material support can empower a student to lead and participate meaningfully in their environment. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak’s Favorite: Prioritizing Diverse and Inclusive-Minded Leadership: Hiring leaders, educators, and paraprofessionals who are both inclusive-minded and bring a range of experiences to support an inclusive culture effectively is crucial. Quotables: (7:54) “This handout gives you everything you should and have to try before even considering removing a student into a resource room or into a separate self-contained classroom.” (12:17) “When someone says distraction is a reason to exclude a child, it's not a justifiable reason because benefiting from a small group is common for most kids.” https://lnkd.in/g8PrxnGN

📋 3 Powerful Ways to Use This Inclusion Checklist (from Episode 31 of the Inclusion Podcast) For those committed to fostering inclusive classrooms, having a toolkit of practical supports is essential. Our latest podcast episode dives into this with a CHECKLIST OF SAMPLE SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORTS, AIDS, AND SERVICES—packed with ideas to help students succeed right where they are. Here are three ways to put it to work: 1️⃣ Writing IEPs with Real-World Supports: Use the checklist as a resource for your IEP meetings. Equip your team with specific, actionable supports that empower students in the general education classroom, rather than in separate spaces. 2️⃣ Supporting Students Who Struggle: When students face challenges, this checklist offers a range of supportive strategies, from quiet workstations and adjustable seating choices to visual aids and self-management tools. These practical supports help create a calm and focused environment for all learners. 3️⃣ Quick Wins for General Education Teachers: Share the checklist with your teaching teams as a go-to resource for immediate classroom strategies. Ideas like visual organizers or pre-written notes give general educators easy ways to support all learners and build a more inclusive environment. ➡️ Ready to make inclusion easier? Listen to Episode 31 of the Inclusion Podcast and download this practical guide to start using these tools in your classrooms today! https://lnkd.in/g3KG8sfj #InclusiveEducation #IEPs #ClassroomSupports #SpecialEducation #SchoolLeadership #InclusiveClassrooms #EdLeaders #LRE #EducationForAll

As school leaders, we often grapple with creating the right balance of support for students with diverse needs. The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) principle shows us that inclusion isn’t just a policy—it's a mindset shift. Instead of removing students who need more help, we can try supplementary aids and services within the general education environment. Rather than sending students to a separate space for support, let’s explore strategies like pacing changes, material supports, or environmental adjustments within their current classrooms. Small shifts can make a huge difference, allowing students to stay engaged with their peers while getting the support they need. 🌟 ➡️ Dive into our Episode 31 of the Inclusion podcast episode to learn practical ways to build truly inclusive environments, one support at a time! https://lnkd.in/g3KG8sfj #InclusiveLeadership #LRE #SpecialEducation #SchoolLeadership #EducationInnovation #Inclusion #EdLeadership #InclusionMatters

We always say… ”Choice is the friend of inclusion,” and that goes for staff too! When shifting mindsets, heartsets, and skillsets to be inclusive…here are 10 ways to offer choices for staff... 10 Ways to Inspire Staff by Offering Choices • Design PD that staff can do in pairs, as individuals, or in groups and teams (aka PIG grouping) • Utilize engaging on-demand PD experiences (e.g., YouTube shorts, podcasts, webinars) • Allow staff to make decisions about their work or tasks - build on their strengths • Offer a range of PD allowing staff to choose what aligns with their interests and goals (microlearning to PLCs) • Empower staff to set their own goals related to the larger efforts to become inclusive • Encourage staff to identify and collaboratively solve challenges and seek solutions - provide resources in real-time as needed • Provide ongoing PD and support that is differentiated (i.e., by content, process, product, and interest) • Support staff in working together to design and deliver inclusive lessons • Provide individualized choices to give a sense of control and autonomy • Utilize your staff’s creativity - ask them what would work! Which choice can you offer yourself on your journey to inclusive education?

🎙️ Curious about strategies that keep students in inclusive environments? Our latest episode covers transformative stories and practical steps on supporting diverse learners without needing separate spaces. Discover how these small shifts lead to big wins in inclusive education! 🌟 🔗 Listen to the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g3KG8sfj #EducationalLeadership #InclusiveLearning #SpecialEducation #SchoolImprovement

💬 Help Us Spread the Word: Share the episode with your network. Real inclusion doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right tools, it’s possible. If this episode resonates with you, share it with your network. Together, we can create schools where every student thrives! 🎧 Listen to the episode: https://lnkd.in/ggMJysiC #InclusiveLeadership #InclusionMatters #EducationalChange #ShareAndLearn

🛑 Are you depending too much on paraprofessionals in your classrooms? Paraprofessionals are key players in inclusive education, but when they’re seen as the first line of support, it can lead to unintended challenges—students becoming too dependent, social isolation, and behavioral issues. Instead, we need a balanced strategy that includes rethinking classroom setups, adjusting the pace of learning, and training paras to foster independence. 💡 In our latest blog, we dive deep into the hidden costs of over-reliance on paraprofessionals and how to foster more inclusive learning environments. 📖 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gSRhw7mg #InclusiveEducation #LeadershipInEducation #SchoolAdministrators #ParaEducators #SpecialEducation #InclusiveSchools #EduLeadership #EdLeaders #EdChat

🎙️ What is Inclusive Education? Sometimes you have to start with "what its not". In our latest episode, we unpack the 9 must-have ingredients for real inclusion, from redesigning systems to partnering with families. These insights will help you move beyond surface-level inclusion and into a more impactful approach. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/ggMJysiC #InclusiveLeadership #EducationLeaders #SchoolImprovement #ListenAndLearn

Get actionable strategies from our latest podcast episode. Download your 📄 Free Handout: 9 Essential Ingredients for Inclusion 🔗 Download it now: https://lnkd.in/g3KG8sfj #InclusionInSchools #InclusiveEducation #LeadershipInEducation #ResourceDownload