School Site Team Collaboration for Inclusive Education

Who Should Participate

School site teams committed to developing or enhancing effective inclusive educational practices appropriate to all students.

Goals of the Institute

In support of IDEA and NCLB legislation, this institute aims to help schools and districts analyze and strengthen their practices for inclusive education by facilitating a self-assessment process and providing strategies for both administrators and classroom teachers.

Format of the Institute

During this annual three-day institute, participating teams work with facilitators to examine their school site practices using the California Least Restrictive Environment Self-Assessment Tool.

What You Learn

Using the self-assessment tool, team members examine their own practices related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and research-based practices in inclusive education and determine areas for support and change. Participants also acquire essential critical skills to differentiate for the individual needs of students within the general education core curriculum. Each team develops a site action plan based on their community’s needs.

Who Facilitates Your Learning

Dona Meinders, Project Director in WestEd’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, joins a team of presenters that includes a program specialist and content specialist from a county office of education and school district, as well as higher education faculty.

What Resources Support Your Learning

Participants receive the Inclusive Education Starter Kit, a two-volume manual that includes case studies of inclusive education classrooms from preschool to high school, explanations of statutes and regulations governing inclusive education, and strategies that have been implemented statewide and illustrate the benefits and possibilities that inclusive education brings to teachers, students, and communities. The Inclusive Education Starter Kit addresses all students with disabilities, with specific emphasis on students with moderate-severe disabilities, since it is this population that historically has been the most likely to be excluded from general education classrooms.

What the Research Says

Even students with severe disabilities achieve important positive learning and social outcomes in inclusive settings. Students without disabilities also experience positive social outcomes, without losing ground academically. However, collaborative efforts among school personnel are essential to achieving successful inclusive schools, as are curricular adaptations (Hunt & Goetz,1997).

What Is the Cost

The three-day institute for 10 to 20 teams is $1,200 per team, inclusive. Teams have a minimum of three members.

Contact Information

Dona Meinders
916.492.4013
dmeinde@wested.org