I love the response I see on faces when I tell people that my coaching packages are called Joyful Inclusion. They get it right away! They smile and say, “Yes! Exactly what we need.”

I thought I’d take a moment to explain why I chose that term and why I didn’t call it “Happy Inclusion.” It was intentional!

Special Education Director: Our special education funding isn’t big enough to cover Collaborative Teaching professional development for our whole faculty. Maybe we should just plan to include our special educators?

Me: But we know effective co-teaching practices rely on full buy-in and understanding of everybody - the special educators, the general educators, the paraprofessionals, and the specialists who push in. Besides, there are many general educators teaching solo who have students with IEPs in their classes. Don’t they all need to improve their collaboration?

Special Education Director: I agree and frankly the Joyful Inclusion Initiative aligns with our strategic plan. I just don’t know how we could fund it.

Me: What about braided funding?

Special Education Director: Braided funding? What’s that?

As we begin the new year, I find myself in a surge of gratitude and appreciation for professionals in the education community who have come through the past three years and are still in the profession. Bravo! I am so inspired by your tenacity and determination to still be here for the children and youth who are our tomorrows.

As I was visiting classrooms over the last month, I kept hearing echoes of my students’ voices so many years ago. “What are we learning today?”

Different students asked in different ways, of course:

Are we going to do anything fun?

Do we have to work today?

Are we going to learn more about____?

Could we learn more about _____?

Problem One: Is your district experiencing a critical shortage of special educators?

Every state has reported a teacher shortage with special education leading the way.

“I started to see that many of the struggles that organizations face exist simply because their leaders were playing in an infinite game with a finite mindset.” - Simon Sinek

My poster sparked some exciting discussions at the DCDT Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas this week. I stood there in the midst of displays of graduate research and data about transition practices and programs improving post-school outcomes for students with disabilities.

Do you have high hopes for improving the effectiveness of inclusive practices in your school or district? Whether you are a school leader, a teacher, a parent, or some other stakeholder, you want to be sure your school board is on board with you.

There’s a bright future ahead!

When I started my Inclusion Coaching business ten years ago, I was determined to find the answer to this riddle:

What would it take to create a simplified, sequential approach to updating inclusive special education practices that would empower school leaders, inspire teachers, engage families, and promote student success?

When it comes right down to it, who is education for? And who should have the most say in the design of learning opportunities?

Is it radical to answer -- the STUDENTS??

Last week, I participated in the CAST Virtual Symposium on Student Voice. I have always thought that I stand for empowerment of youth voice, but this conference was a wake-up call. We have so much more we could do! And what a difference it would make!

I started my last blog with “Data are like stars. They appear as separate points until there’s a story to connect them.”

So what’s our story?

Data are like stars.
They appear as separate points until there’s a story.

I loved teaching the unit on Greek myths when I was an English teacher, especially the stories behind the constellations. Students were always fascinated, and I was able to integrate a variety of reading, thinking, and writing skills when they were looking at the stars.

“Never let a good crisis go to waste” - Winston Churchill

We are at a turning point right now with provision of special education services. This blog is written for school leaders, especially special education directors, and for all those who would like to have an impact on renovating* their systems for students with disabilities.

We’re expanding our Joyful Inclusion Team with Inclusion Coaches.

Want to know more?

Imagine the player dashing down the field, football tucked under his arm. He’s jumping over downed opponents and pivoting to avoid hulking linebackers. He is breathing hard, intent on making a touchdown. The cheerleaders are chanting… The crowd is on their feet!!

But wait - the goal posts have been moved! That’s not the end zone -- he’s only at the 50 yard line. What the heck???

“Do you know the difference between percentage and percentile? If not, you’re probably writing ineffective IEPs and perpetuating the achievement gap.” -Jon Paul Burden, Wyoming Department of Education, Feb 2022

That quotation launched Jon Paul Burden’s morning keynote at the Nebraska Transition Conference last month. I can’t stop thinking about it. His question was followed by explanations and examples. I’d like to share my takeaways with you:

3 different school leaders told me, “We need coaching, but we can’t hire coaches!”

For more than a decade, I’ve been providing professional development related to inclusive practices in school districts. In partnership with some amazing visionary school leaders, we’ve tried three different approaches:

“If a student has an IEP, the graduation decision is made by the IEP team,” - Jordan Johnson, KSB School Law

I thought I was up to date with the legalities of transition planning, so this was a new dimension for me. Johnson, the keynote presenter at the Nebraska Transition Conference last week, provided clear guidelines, backed up by recent case law. I thought I should pass this along to you.

“You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.” - Mother Teresa

In the spirit of Mother Teresa, I’m excited to tell you that I’m forming the Joyful Inclusion Action Network!

According to Kelly Clarkson’s song, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’ve been pondering whether that’s always true.

Think about what we’ve been through in the last two years, as individuals, as families, as communities. Are we stronger? Are you? For so many of us, this has been a stressful time of loss and uncertainty.