Success for All Students: Supporting Parents & Teachers

A Project Evaluation

Acknowledgements

With heartfelt appreciation to:

The SFAS Consultants: Candee Basford, Marge Barnheiser, Nancy Colegrove, Jenny Jackson, and Betty Wilson

The Core Team Members: Sue Beck (Miami Valley SERRC), Connie Ericson (North Central Ohio SERRC), Lee Ketcham and Marty Oppenheimer (Southwestern Ohio SERRC) and Cathy Heizman (Memorial, Inc.-Child Advocacy Center)

The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council: Dave Zwyer, Executive Director and Kay Treanor, Childrens’ Issues policy analyst

Evaluation Team Members: Candee Basford, grant consultant, Mary Janson, Lee Ketcham & Marty Oppenheimer (Southwestern Ohio SERRC), Cathy Heizman (Memorial, Inc.) and Missy Jones, Northern Kentucky University

And especially to all the teachers, administrators, support staff, families, and students who opened their doors, and their hearts, to us; who had the courage to try something new and who saw the gifts and capacities that every child brings to the community.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Overview and Background

Chapter 2 - Quantitative Evaluation: Looking at the Numbers

Chapter 3 - Qualitative Evaluation: Learning From the Experiences of Participants

Chapter 4 - Accomplishments of Success for All Students
Renewed Courage to Act in the Face of Uncertainty
New Appreciation for the Gifts and Capacities of All Students
Increased Confidence: We Can Do This
A Renewed Sense of Belonging and Respect..for Everyone
Increased Parent Participation and Voice
More Inclusive Practices for More Students
More Diverse Instructional Approaches
More Collaboration Among Staff and Families
More Teachers Working Together
More Flexible Services and Flexible Scheduling

Chapter 5 - Taking Root: The Impact of these Accomplishments for Students

Chapter 6 - Critical Factors of Success
Supportive Leadership - Principals
SFAS Consultants
Cultivating Conversations and Creating Space for Sharing and Learning
Communicating Ideas and Programs that Promote Collaborative Relationships
Increasing Access to Meaningful Information and Knowledge
Growing a Network
Nurturning Parent Leaders
It’s the Little Things that Have the Biggest Impact

Chapter 7 - How SFAS Worked for Schools and Families
Consultants Create a Cohesive Link
Empowerment
Becoming Believers
A Word of Thanks

Chapter 8 - Barriers that Continue to Slow Progress
Standardized Assessment
Segregated Schooling: A Universal Problem
Uncertainties

Chapter 9 - Seeds of Hope: Planning for Spring

Chapter 10 - Great Ideas to Grow from the Ground Up

Words of Wisdom

References

Appendices

Believe in the capacity of people. Bottom line. . . everyone wants to do what is best for kids. (high school science teacher)

Introduction

This publication represents the culmination of six years of concentrated effort to change the culture of school communities in Ohio; to make them places where every child is valued and recognized for the gifts and talents he brings; where every child is expected to learn and where every child is welcome.

This evaluation of the work is designed to show readers what we tried to do, why we did the things we did, and what the results of six years of work have been.

We hope you will learn from our journey - that you will take the lessons we learned and embrace them as you walk this path with us, and with others, who share our dream of inclusive communities.

Chapter 1 - Project Overview and Background

Success For All Students: Supporting Parents and Teachers, which began in January of 1998, was the third in a series of grant opportunities provided by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (ODDC). The first, The Integration Task Force, was funded during the 1980s and provided stakeholders across Ohio with the chance to visit sites throughout the country where inclusive practices were working and to develop a position paper promoting those practices which appeared most promising for Ohio.

The second, The Education Systems Change Project, was managed by the University of Dayton and provided mini-grants to selected schools in order to enable them to implement inclusive practices. Meeting with some success, this project concentrated on learners with mild disabilities.

The goal of this third project was to promote inclusion of students with significant disabilities into general education classrooms. The ODDC laid out the following activities for the grant:

1. Create a collaborative among professional development providers
2. Develop and implement a plan to identify and connect fifteen schools who had successfully provided inclusive services with fifteen schools who were struggling to do the same
3. The Children’s Issues Committee staff were to assist the grantee with implementation activities as needed
4. Site visits to potential schools were to be made
5. Selected schools had to represent a mix of urban, rural, and suburban settings as well as elementary, middle, and high school settings across Ohio
6. Mini-grants were to be awarded to selected schools to accomplish the following: develop and begin to implement individualized and innovative training and technical assistance plans designed to support parents and teachers; at least 50% of the plans had to increase the time spent in regular classrooms for learners with more significant disabilities (mental retardation, serious emotional disturbance, and multiple disabilities); identify student success measures for all students in regular classrooms.

Success For All Students: Supporting Parents and Teachers (SFAS) was implemented by a consortium of agencies including four Special Education Regional Resource Centers (SERRCs) funded by the Ohio Department of Education and the Child Advocacy Center, a parent center. Each of those agencies provided an individual as a liaison to the project. This group became known as "The Core Group." Grant activities began in January, 1998.

It was determined, early on, that the grant would not provide money to schools in the form of mini-grants. Rather, five consultants, parents and professionals, were hired to work individually with selected schools on the precepts that:

• Relationships matter in promoting change
• Inclusive practices don’t necessarily require additional financial resources
• In order to sustain change after the completion of grant activities, inclusive practices had to become part of each school’s culture

Our work was focused on seven basic components of change in schools which we envisioned as a wheel:

• Collaboration
• Systems change
• Problem-solving
• Parent/community involvement
• Instructional strategies
• Common vision/mission
• Valuing diversity

A broad collaborative of diverse stakeholders was formed and met monthly during 1998 to develop tools including: a rubric designed to measure inclusive practices across the seven basic components of change, an instrument to gather demographic data,interview tools, and selection criteria for schools. Schools were suggested for participation in the grant by individuals, SERRCs, the Ohio Department of Education and members of the Children’s Issues Committee of ODDC. Site visits were made and twenty-six schools were chosen for participation. (Unfortunately, the grant team was unable to locate fifteen schools who were successfully including students with significant disabilities to mentor fifteen new schools. Therefore, with Council’s approval, the focus was changed to work individually with twenty-six schools who voiced an interest in and showed some promise toward increasing and improving their inclusive practices for children who had traditionally been in segregated environments.)

A consultant was assigned to each school and, together, they developed an Action Plan which examined each change component and chose one on which to concentrate. The consultants met regularly with each school team and provided, through the grant, the resources the schools requested in order to meet the goals on their plans. Consultants and the Core Group met monthly throughout the six years of grant activities to plan and evaluate project activities

In 2001, the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, using guidelines from the federal government, determined appropriate "performance targets" for each funded grant. Success For All Students began to collect data related to each of these target areas. The performance targets set for each year of this project were:

• 1,951 students will have the education and support they need to reach their educational goals through a Council demonstration.
• $40,000 will be leveraged to expand/replicate short-term Council demonstrations of inclusive education.
• 45 public education programs/policies will be created/improved.
• 10 schools will improve IEP practices.
• 80 people will facilitate inclusive education.
• 40 parents will be trained regarding their child’s educational rights
• 120 public policymakers will be educated about inclusive education

Every performance goal was met or exceeded during the course of the project.

Don’t ever prejudge a child. Each one is an individual with hopes and dreams. (middle school teacher)

Chapter 2 - Indicators of Academic Results

The Ohio Department of Education collects multiple data sets in order to evaluate and measure the progress of each public school in Ohio. Proficiency scores make up the bulk of the information collected but attendance and graduation rates are also measured. Data is disaggregated among various subgroups, children with disabilities being one. Using twelve indicators, each school is rated using the following designations:

• Excellent (94% to 100% indicators met)
• Effective (75% to 93%)
• Continuous improvement (50% to 74%)
• Academic watch (31% to 49%)
• Academic emergency (0% to 30%)

The data collected for each school is published and disseminated annually in a document known as the school "report card." This description of each school’s progress has gained credibility across the state and is used to measure the effectiveness of individual schools and school districts.

The twenty-six schools that participated in the Success for all Students project included one pre-school, 21 elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools and one joint vocational school. During the entire course of grant activities, no school fell below the "continuous improving" designation. In fact, 65% of participating schools were rated "continuous improving." 20% were designated as "effective," and 15% were "excellent." Each school, except for the two high schools, met the Adequate Yearly Progress standard set by the No Child Left Behind Act..

Performance Index Scores are measured over a three year period. The schools that were part of the Success for all Students grant rose an average of 10 percentage points during the last three school years. Two schools made over a 20% improvement and three more improved by 11%-18.2%. Not one school suffered a decline. (This data is not collected for high schools, vocational schools, or pre-schools.)

The state standard for average daily attendance is set at 93%. Again, except for the high schools, each participating school exceeded that target with an average of 95.5% daily attendance.

Many parents, educators, and community members express concern that including students with significant disabilities into general education environments will interfere with the learning of other students and potentially have a detrimental effect on the success of the school. These data, collected by the Ohio Department of Education over the past three years, strongly indicate that this fear is entirely unfounded. Not only did Success for all Students schools not suffer any negative academic consequences as a result of their inclusive practices, but indeed, each school for which the state collects data, made noteworthy improvement. Children came to school at an above-average rate and made significant academic progress.

I don’t think you can ever just kick back. You are never finished getting better. (elementary principal)

Chapter 3 - Narrative Evaluation: Learning from the Experiences of Participants

What is inclusive education? The underlying assumption is that it is an attitude or belief system, not an action or set of actions. It is a way of life, a way of living together, based upon the belief that each individual is valued and does belong (Thousand & Villa, 1995).

People just started to become believers and this is the way life is and should be! (Elementary School Principal)

To learn how attitudes, beliefs and practices had been impacted by the SFAS initiative, we asked individuals who are closely connected in some way to participating schools. We interviewed over 50 participants from 26 schools and collected hours of tape recorded stories and narratives, taking a qualitative approach to analyzing the interviews. Four people representing various experiences and backgrounds read and reread the transcribed interviews to discern themes and key insights. Our findings represent a range of ideas and insights expressed by participants as being important to their change effort and to their personal transformation. We have grouped these findings into these categories:

• Accomplishments
• The Impact of SFAS on Students
• Critical Factors that Contributed to Success
• How SFAS Worked for Schools and Families
• Barriers that Slow Progress
• Seeds of Hope
• Great Ideas
• Words of Wisdom

We have included a number of excerpts from interviews, probably more than is necessary. We do not apologize for this. We feel strongly that the voices present in this document represent what is possible given the will, determination and belief that inclusive education is worth doing. We suspect that most, if not all, of the individuals interviewed for this document are continuing to work to include children with disabilities, continuing to influence, lead and teach others about the hope of inclusive education.

We ask that as you read for evidence of the grant’s success you also pay attention to the powerful messages of these change agents. It is in their voices that we find hope for the future of inclusive school communities, communities that welcome and support all students, including those with labels of significant disabilities.

Chapter 4 - Accomplishments of Success for All Students: Supporting Parents and Teachers

The perception of many of the educators and parents involved in the SFAS grant was that the experience brought success in their school communities related to increasing and improving inclusive practices. One teacher summed it up the best when he said, "I think your work with us has been successful and a valuable thing in our building... It has been a positive, good thing in the long run." A principal from another building exclaimed, "Our school was quite proud of the fact that we had received the grant. I saw it as one of the few things the district and building had that they could be really proud of... The grant supported what they believed in, and it’s even taken them a little bit farther and made them look at [inclusion] a little more deeply."

Parents of students with disabilities had similar reactions. As one parent reported, "You can see something going in the right direction." One powerful example of success was when a parent described her son’s experience as "like a normal kid." When asked what words they would use to describe their experiences working with schools two years ago versus their experiences now, one pair of parents said "exasperated" versus "peaceful" and "chaotic" versus "manageable."

When describing how they felt about the progress their school had made toward inclusive practices, two teachers exclaimed, "We’ve come a long way!" These same two teachers stated that if inclusion did not continue in their school, they would both walk out. "I can’t imagine going back to the other way. Every child has something to share and they need to have everybody at a stage to share that..."

I think when we first started this it was like, ‘Those are Mr. K’s kids, those are Mrs. S’s kids.’ Now there are no Mr. K’s kids, there are no Mrs. S’s kids. So I think it’s been slow but [the teachers] have totally accepted it and they don’t even realize that it happened.

From what grant participants told us, it seems that as a result of the grant, teachers and administrators reflected more deeply on their attitudes about including students with disabilities in the general education curriculum and classrooms. This change in attitude about educating all students took on many faces as individuals struggled with previously held notions about teaching and learning, particularly for students with disabilities. The accomplishments listed in this section reflect this change in attitudes and practices. We have grouped them into ten themes:

Courage to Act in the Face of Fear

New Appreciation for the Gifts and Capacities of All Students

Increased Confidence: We Can Do This

A Renewed Sense of Belonging and Respect....for Everyone

Increased Parent Participation and Voice

More Inclusive Practices for More Students

More Diverse Instructional Approaches

More Collaboration Among Staff and Families

More Teachers Working Together

More Flexible Services and Flexible Scheduling

Accomplishment
Renewed Courage to Act in the Face of Uncertainty

...people interested in initiating school reform must acknowledge just how much courage they will need to muster to engage in challenging long-held assumptions, negotiating compromises, being decisive about what is truly important, and attempting the unknown."
(Sizer cited in Villa & Thousand)

The activities and opportunities provided by SFAS, in combination with successful experiences including students with disabilities helped teachers be less fearful and more confident in their ability to teach students with disabilities. However, getting started was often difficult. Participants in the SFAS project that we interviewed recall their sense of fear and uncertainty stemming, in part, from not feeling qualified to teach students with disabilities and from not knowing what to expect. As one teacher expressed, “I think the biggest thing was that teachers were afraid to do it because they didn’t know how to do it.” One of the accomplishments of Success for All Students was to support teachers and others in ways that helped them find their courage and take the next steps.

I think in the beginning when the word ‘inclusion’ was introduced, people thought ‘I can’t do this. I don’t know how’.

I was afraid I wasn’t going to do what they needed. That’s what I was afraid of. And last year I felt like those kids weren’t getting it. I really didn’t have anybody to watch and help because what I was absorbing was exactly what I shouldn’t have. I felt like I was starting out a first year teacher again.

I have to be honest with you that as a teacher I might still be fighting this inclusion thing. Because in the beginning when I first heard this I thought, ‘I’m not trained to work with special ed. kids. Don’t tell me I am going to do that.’ But then slowly I was shown that I could do it, and I do do it!

Part of the fear and uncertainty came from having so few chances to really get to know students with disabilities. One teacher recalled those early steps: "The one thing that comes to mind of the regular education teacher is the unknown of students with special needs...the how will I react?"

One building administrator reflected, "I can remember when I was a teacher, and we did not have special ed kids in the building. When they were identified, they not only had to leave the classroom, but also had to leave the building."

I just think that we’ve had opportunities where normally we may not have without the SFAS grant providing us with those opportunities. So I just want to say thank you for that. Some of my vision would not have happened without SFAS. So that helped make some things happen. I really feel the things we’ve done have been successful and that is very important.

As one can see from the above quotes, those involved in the SFAS grant learned to recognized the value of creating a safe environment in which chances can be taken, creating experiences which, in turn, result in a change in assumptions, attitudes and beliefs.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment

"It just makes you feel safer to try something new when you know that you’ve got people supporting you..."

Several of the interview respondents cited specific instances where the resources provided by the grant afforded them what they needed to learn about and embrace inclusive practices.

I think definitely the support of our SFAS consultant It just makes you feel safer to try something new when you know that you’ve got people supporting you and coming and backing you and pepping you and just that kind of stuff. It’s been wonderful, its just lovely.

I think the support that we had last year from our consultant was what brought us through. I know that Mr. T. had experience with inclusion and that was helpful. But we would not have been able to do it without the support from [our consultant]. Being here in the building and meeting with the teachers, it was great. It would be nice if something like that was available to other school districts.

Without this consistent and reliable support, these school communities would not have made the progress they did toward inclusive environments.

Accomplishment
New Appreciations for the Gifts and Capacities of all Students

Over time, the teachers participating in the SFAS project began to notice that students with disabilities have many gifts and strengths to bring to the classroom community, and that educating students with disabilities would mean recognizing and building on these gifts and capacities.

One teacher expressed her transition from fear and resistance to discovery and insight:

I wanted no part of it!.. I was really worried.. I would not know how to teach these children. And then I always thought they might be a disruptive problem in the classroom.. I’ve turned 180 degrees.. I worked with the kids and the kids were fun.. I think my children who are on IEPs try harder than the other children.

Other educators echoed this response:

I just think of the number of times we have just been blown away by what children are capable of. The fact that we really look at the kids as being children first, and children that might have a need second. Giving everyone the opportunity to be capable of what they do without a support or crutch until absolutely necessary. They constantly amaze us with what they can do.

Initially I felt like I wanted to protect the students with special needs. I have found that there has been a gradual feeling of ‘I want to encourage kids with special needs to have that sense of belonging’. They are going to have to learn to navigate that with their typically learning peers. When we grow up and are adults, no one asks us what our IQ is. No one asks what we got on our ACT or SAT. The most important thing is that we have good social skills and get along with each other. I think the best thing that inclusion does is to help provide the opportunity for those things.

I think all the teachers realizing that these students do benefit. We see growth. They use the language and with just a little bit of extra, they’re right in there.

I think the big surprise about inclusion is to realize what a blessing these kids bring to a classroom. I think a teacher might initially look, and say oh man this is gonna be extra work, instead of, man this kid is really gonna bring some cool stuff to my room. It’s a whole reversal of our way of thinking, and it identifies the kid and the environment as, wow this is gonna be a positive thing.

I think the most surprising thing for me is the effect that it has had on the kids when I see how they operate in an inclusive classroom and in an inclusive environment. I wasn’t expecting what I saw and witnessed, I didn’t expect to see those behaviors disappear. That surprised me. I didn’t expect to see kids open up and be more creative, I expected them to clam up and say I am not speaking a word in this room!’ Which was not true! These kids want to talk and they have something to share. The neatest thing is to see these kids raise their hand and say, ‘I know that one, you know.’

As one teacher explained, "I really don’t believe in inclusion, because - they are there. They are human beings. It’s not including anybody, everybody IS included.. It’s just a class!" This quote depicts a sophisticated level of understanding about inclusive practices. Whenever we use the term inclusion, we are acknowledging the binary to inclusion, which is exclusion. This teacher wasn’t willing to accept the possibility of excluding some children.

I think in terms of perception we’re a lot further along than we were at the beginning. I think there is a real belief that these kids are a part of the school. They are not just that separate little classroom that the district had envisioned setting up. We have a really unusual community and unusual staff in terms of it’s not like I have to sell it. Everyone is willing to try.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment

Throughout the life of the project, the value and worth of every student, regardless of ability or disability, was expressed consistently both explicitly and implicitly. Every speaker, video, workshop, printed material, and conversation was framed by the understanding that every child brings something good to the classroom and that every child belongs.

This change in perception was not lost on the parents of students attending these schools. They too experienced a transformation of sorts as parents also began to recognize the gifts and strengths their children bring to the school community. Below are several quotes from parents acknowledging the support provided by the SFAS grant and the changes in attitudes that occurred as a result.

What I found when I got there [to the Portfolio Session], were approximately eleven other moms (some of them popular, some not) who in their own ways, felt similar to me. We all thought we were alone in our feelings. Some of us had kids with learning disabilities, behavior problems, shyness, or just average kids. The Portfolio Session helped all of us, taught all of us to find the bright, happy, positive aspects and characteristics of our children and it helped us celebrate those things. Our ideas and out-loud brainstorming, our expressed feelings, were also illustrated beautifully on a banner by one of our teachers, Mr. F.

In addition to assisting us in finding, celebrating and documenting our children’s lives, we, as moms, gained friendships and bonds with each other, some of which will never be lost. That evening we cried and laughed for ourselves and for each other. We have since met a second time and plan to meet again to update what we’ve done and celebrate those milestones. Next, we need to bring others into the fold, so they too can learn to celebrate their children.

This growing community of collaborators and supporters was created and fostered by the SFAS grant.

Accomplishment
Increased Confidence: We CAN Do This

One teacher reported that the thing that surprised her about inclusive education is "That I would like it!" Another teacher described a similar realization. "I think that I’m much more patient. I think and I don’t know if I so much do it for just inclusion but I have so much more fun in the classroom than I did maybe my first five years." Several teachers reported that inclusive education helped them to actually enjoy teaching more.

It does take extra work and planning, but I think the teachers have been shown that they CAN do this.

The other thing that I have seen is a tremendous growth in that general education teachers are much more accepting and very willing to make modifications to help our students succeed in the class.

I think the best...the most wonderful positive thing I’ve seen is the growth. It has taken time but a building our size does take time and seeing how many people who are on board doing a variety of different things for all kids in some teachers I never thought would.

The growth that occurred in the participating school communities is a direct response to experiences created by the SFAS grant through individual support from the building consultant, workshops and retreats, videos and reading materials.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment

In essence, what the SFAS grant offered to schools was the opportunity to build capacity - capacity that has the potential for furture expansion. While the grant itself might be officially over, many of the school communities anticipated continued growth toward more inclusive communitieis.

I think over the years, with the success of the SFAS grant, we’ve been able to communicate our vision to a greater nuimber of people. Many of the people used d to think, ‘I can’t teach this kind of child, I don’t have the background.’ What we’ve been trying to do is empower the teachers so they know that they CAN do it. Just give it a try. With the SFAS grant we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of training for teachers. The trainings we’ve done have been good training with quality people. The more the regular ed staff is exposed to that kind of mindset and thinking, the more comfortable they are going to become and the more effective teachers we will all become for all students.

Accomplishment
A Renewed sense of Belonging and Respect...for Everyone

"Before, I did not feel In (Special education teacher)

One unanticapted result of the grant was the realization that it was not just the students who had been segregated and treated as less valued members of the community, but also the teachers. In traditional models of special education resource rooms, intervention specialists supporting students with disabilities had also often been relegated to a position of inferiority and segregation. However, as a result of the SFAS grant, these teachers began to feel appreciated and supported.

I’m glad to have had the opportunity to be out, to be included. Because inclusion means me being included too, and for years in a self contained classroom, there were many reasons why I did not feel included. I felt stigmatized, I would hear the cracks about being a special ed teacher, you know?

Before, I was much more secluded. I didn’t feel like part of the team, and I do now. People made attempts to include us before, but I was still employed by someone else and that was difficult. Now I feel like more of a team member, and I have the same contract...everything is the same.

I think the thing that I brought was a desire. A desire to be a part of, and not to be separated from. A desire to have a sense of belonging. I wanted to be included as a teacher, and be respected. I feel like it takes a while to prove yourself with the regular teachers, and prove that you are capable of teaching and managing an entire class.

I think for me it’s been a nice change to be thought of as a "real teacher" because I think sometimes there is a stigma that special ed teachers are not "real teachers."

Recognizing the gifts and strengths of all students did not come easy for everyone at first. As mentioned before, it takes a shift in thinking away from previously learned prejudices about students with unique abilities, as these interview respondents describe:

Just what you did. Someone to call and come in. Just to have time to reflect and sit down with questions and tell stories. That is so reinforcing. S. sat next to me at a workshop and I am not sure what all of her disabilities were. But she had a difficult time taking notes, she was in a wheelchair. And she was at the (PEAK) conference, and for all I know she got there on her own. The teenager that was there that had autism and then [your daughter]. Just hearing about [your daughter] has opened up so much; just her story changed us so much.

Listening to a young man speak about listening and asking a child what’s best for them and how they learn and just those couple sentences made me come back and take a whole new look on things, rather than just reading their MFE, reading their IEP. I started grabbing the kids and asking them... for my reading group one day all we did was do like an interest inventory to find out what they liked and the kids were wondering what in the world I was doing, wondering why I wanted to know what they like to do and I said well, I would like to know what your interests are so that maybe we can find some books and do activities along with our stories. They were very pleased, they said thank you. For their IEP’s, instead of just writing present levels of reading and math and what they’re doing, I interviewed each child before I did their IEP to ask them interests in school and outside of school, what they’re involved with, what helps them do homework, what don’t they like about this.

This shift in thinking came as epiphanies to many participants as a result of some experience directly related to the grant.

Whether talking about the teachers, or talking about the students, there seemed to be a newfound understanding about what inclusion really means for all involved.

I’ve seen two youngsters, one in third grade and one in fourth grade, that when I was initially introduced to them, I didn’t think they’d be able to be in a public school or regular classrooms. I just thought it wouldn’t happen. Those kids are still here, they are thriving. I’m amazed at what’s been done. Even when things were tough, the teachers said ‘We’ll make it work.’ It’s rewarding for teachers, showing them and others what can happen.

I’ve had teachers say ‘I was leery about having young Johnny in my class. I don’t know about autism and knew that he couldn’t do that work. But he did.’ And the teacher celebrated getting to know the child, and getting to be part of his social group and success.

But that was when she was in the resource room. She would bring her kids over for social studies. Then you look back on that and think ‘Oh my gosh! What were we doing?’ Yeah, that was so wrong. It was so wrong.

I don’t think they look at them as the "specialist’s kids" anymore. I think they look at them as part of everything... I think for the most part they look at them as children

One teacher was asked what caused her shift in thinking about inclusive education. She responded, "Honestly, I think it was an experience I had last year... I had a pair of twins who I knew needed extra help and the only vehicle for that was for them to go through the testing. I had them tested and they turned out to be lower than I had thought, and that was going to cause them to be pulled out of my regular classroom. I was adamant that I didn’t want them out of my regular classroom. My goal for testing them was to get them extra help, not to exclude them, I knew that socially it was going to be really tough on these boys if they all of a sudden had to make this change and be pulled out of the regular classroom. It really started to make me think about the vision I had for where I wanted things to be. When we were offered the opportunity to get involved in this grant I was gung-ho to go. It really forced me to think out of the box a little bit."

At first it was like anything else when you try to start something new. There was a lot of "why are we doing this?" The staff was confused and felt it would be a lot of extra work, and that they didn’t know how to do it. Some felt they hadn’t been trained to do it. There were a lot of questions. As we got to the point where we were allowed to take off for professional development opportunities provided by SFAS, that started making huge differences in the staff. We had a core of teachers who really got involved and decided as a team that they were going to dive into this whole-heartedly. I saw a huge change in the philosophy of the 8th grade staff... Probably one of the most adversarial people in our building was part of that 8th grade team. It didn’t take long before that person seemed to start changing the way they did things in the classroom. It was really a good thing.

I think the greater the disability, the more difficult it is for regular education teachers to accept and to think "How can we make the content accessible to this student?" I think what is beginning to happen by my making modifications is that they are beginning to see that the content can still be accessible to every student. They don’t have to be doing the same page.

While the intent of the project was to help students become equal members of a community, it appears that the effects of the grant were more far reaching than originally anticipated. Inclusive communities do not just look at "including" some individuals. Truly inclusive communities make efforts to include everyone.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment

When communities become inclusive, members of the community become committed to that community. It seems that schools that participated in the SFAS grant generated such a sense of belonging for all, that the school community members, for the most part, became commited to a common vision. They, in turn, can drive the work of the community. SFAS provided resources for each school to enable them to move their vision forward. Many schools chose workshops and summer retreats where everyone learned and grew together. Often, those staffs became inclusive for the first time.

Accomplishment
Increased Parent Participation and Voice

"Hey! I want in on this" (6th grade parent)

As a result of the SFAS grant, there has been an increase in the number of parents who are involved in making educational decisions for their children. In addition, the quality of their involvement has been enhanced. As one school psychologist explained about their intervention planning process, "We are getting more parent participation this year then ever before, which truly is what makes the process work." Another educator noted that parents were now beginning to say "Hey, I want in on this," requesting intervention assistance for their children themselves without waiting for a teacher to do it.

Several interview informants shared that because of the SFAS grant, their school had created parent resource centers to help parents learn how to work with their children at home. As a result, many parents became more directly involved in their child’s education. "In January I think we had 35 parents come visit [the parent resource center] and in February it doubled. It was so exciting just to see that the room was starting to be used by parents. It’s been a great thing."

One participant shared this about the change she saw in one particular parent accessing the parent center. "She has come to the parent center and she comes in and talks for hours. I’ve shared ideas with her on ADHD... She’s taken out tapes and books, and she’s just so - such a neat person and wants to be involved in her kids’ lives... She just can’t wait to do things now, with the school..."

Another teacher described the transformation she saw occur with one of her students’ parents. "Confidence - she is like a wallflower exposed! When I first met her she was so quiet.. It’s just the way people looked at her too. I bet that she has been judged because of her kids, I know she has. But look at what she has become since this. She worked with me through the summer for the Ohio READS thing and she just became more powerful the more I got to know her... Look what she has done with her part in this work. She’s inspired me.."

As one parent noted, "As long as I had a voice, that was fine."

Parents are constantly coming in and observing or talking with us. There is a lot of parent participation... The district supports the technology so that teachers can make newsletters and can do email so that they communicate with families.

We found out from the very beginning that we have the most incredible parent support. People will do all kinds of things, and that has been ongoing every year. We have a network of parents that support the teachers, the children and the staff. They have made a huge difference to us.

I think that our school has greeted parents with open arms. I think at the same time that parents are incredibly involved in the education of their children. We’ve seen that with a parent that has been in our IBA [Intervention Based Assessment]. We have a parent on our team. We have invited parents to be part of the grant writing process. We have parents that want to be involved in such things. I’ve had parents that happen to know me and ask, "I have a grant that I really want to write. Will you help me?" We have parents that are writing grants on their own to get materials for learners. The parent is incredibly important.

The potential for accessing parents as resources had not been previously tapped by many of the SFAS participating schools. However, the experiences provided by the grant seems to have changed this significantly in many school communities.

SFAS's Contribution to this Accomplishment

"A thousand light bulbs went off..."

The opportunities provided by the grant helped participants to engage in dialogue and experiences that fostered new learnings and opened up possibilities for what could be.

One principal, when asked if the grant had empowered staff stated: "I think it has. And not just teachers. There are two parents I can think of. They have been involved and been very powerful about their own personal children. And then, one, who is an employee here, seeing other children that she can offer information about. I like that. I like the parents having input in this particular area, because it doesn’t happen a lot. We’ve had two that have been particularly active with their children. Especially since we’ve been together and you brought us together for our first few meetings. They seem to be very encouraged by what we were trying to do. And that was a perk for me to see that."

[Parents] have had a lot of opportunities open to them as far as what they see for their child’s future. When they were hit with their child’s diagnosis, I’m sure that was a very difficult thing. But because of the opportunities the grant brought to this family... We have a parent who happens to work here (actually two parents that occasionally work here) and a child/children in the school district in that same family. Just think how far reaching that is. That family also happens to be very prominent in the community. Think how far reaching that is.

And then we went to that conference. It was like a thousand light bulbs went off. We met people that were doctors who had sons with asperger syndrome. We had other people there who knew about it. We had [met] other teachers who have students with asperger syndrome and found out the long hard way. We received an education - validation of our feelings and validation of what we kind of suspected. That was a big point.

Family members were invited to and welcomed at each grant event. Several opportunities were provided specifically for families to help them grow in their own understanding of and appreciation for inclusive practices. The conversations and open dialogue provided by the SFAS grant provided a key turning point for many, inspiring revelations of the mind and the spirit.

Accomplisment
More Inclusive Classroom Practices for More Students

An important contribution of the SFAS grant was the forwarding of inclusive classroom practices, which is what the grant was specifically set up to do. In numerous instances, parents and teachers described learning communities at various grade levels, which had become inclusive environments as a result of participation in this grant process. As one teacher explained, inclusion "is not the exception to the norm now." Instead, most children in the school environment were included in the general education curriculum, and the general education classroom. Another teacher described, "There’s not a subject that the three special education children are pulled out. They are with us on all of the subjects." The following excerpts from parent and teacher interviews further support that this was the case for many of the school communities that participated in the grant.

Eventually it moved from where we had a Resource Room where the special ed. teacher stayed, to where the special ed. teacher had a desk in the regular classroom.

When Jeremiah goes in grades 3-6, I feel ‘Hooray!’ I know he is going to be totally included.

Our first option is that they will be fully included in the regular education classroom. In some circumstances, and it’s usually pretty rare, they might be pulled out for a small portion of the day to work on a very specific skill that cannot be met in the classroom. I really think in this building we think of inclusion as the norm. That is what we typically do.

Several grant participants expressed that inclusive environments are communities in which learning and support of all could occur. "The atmosphere in my room is one of cooperation and acceptance, no matter where you’re at, and so I try and instill that in the other kids so we all are kind of a community."

We learned that we were overloading and that our inclusion was not as inclusionary as we thought it was...We think this environment [the neighborhood concept] will make this much more productive. More people will be responsible for all kids, rather than having a few people be responsible for certain kids.

One student interviewed was asked whether he liked being in the smaller resource room or the larger general education classroom, and he said "The big classrooms." When asked why, he responded, "Because they are bigger and you can fit more kids. There are more seats."

The scenarios above provide evidence that, as a result of the SFAS grant, more students with disabilities were meaningfully included in the general education classrooms and curriculum.

SFAS's Contribution to this Accomplishment

One way that change was nurtured by the grant was through the numerous opportunities for professional and personal development. Teachers, administrators, and parents learned together how inclusive practices can become a reality, and about the social significance of inclusion on the larger society.

One thing, because of the grant we have used that to really educate ourselves, especially in the area of autism. We have learned so much. To look at where we were. I think everyone now knows so much more about how to best serve these kids. We really did a lot to help promote our knowledge. It was money very well spent.

I think that I’m very fortunate that I’ve been able to go to a lot the trainings and hear people like Norm Kunc, Carol Tashie and Dan Wilkins. I got to be around other people that feel as strongly about inclusion as I do. I don’t think a lot of times that the administration in buildings get the opportunity to hear success stories about what inclusion can bring. I think they feel the old way of doing things with the "pull out" is much easier than broadening the horizons.

Throughout the course of the grant, students with significant behavior issues, mental retardation, autism, brain injury, and multiple disabilities were included in general education classrooms to a far greater degree than they had been, or would have been, without the encouragement from SFAS. Every day, the grant worked from the assumption that every child can be successfully included with the appropriate supports. Without these learning opportunities, many school participants feel that they would not have been able to make the sort of progress they did toward more inclusive environments.

Accomplishment
More Diverse Instructional Approaches

"I teach a lot differently than I used to"

One of the strategies most often touted by educators involved in the SFAS grant as being an important asset to inclusive education was the use of differentiated instruction. Differentiation, described as "being able to understand that kids are coming from all different elements and have different needs. What might work for one kid may not work for another" was viewed as the primary means for meeting the diverse needs of all students, including those who receive special education services.

[Inclusion] not only reaches the IEP kids, but it reaches the kids that might fall through the cracks if we don’t find a way to reach them. I think as a whole our staff is much more comfortable and they feel like they can differentiate and work with all kids. Which is something we didn’t feel in the beginning.

I know that teaching the same way is not going to reach all of the students. I have to find different ways to reach them. I have to plan different processes.

I’ve learned that it’s possible, but it’s not easy. But I’ve learned that education isn’t easy... To me, inclusive education is just education. You get your job, you’re given a group of kids and you’re supposed to educate them. You need to do that to best serve the child, whatever the way it is to best serve the child.

We’re doing a better job at when you go into a classroom you’re not necessarily seeing one size fits all lessons... We’re seeing where we have different lessons or different objectives being asked of the kids within one lesson.

It has caused me to look at my classroom differently from day one. I look at the levels of where the kids are. I know that I have to reach all of their needs. So when I do my planning I plan things that will help me to reach every single child. Sometimes I have to break them into groups because of their different learning styles and needs. I have found that I can do that, and at first I didn’t think I could. It’s a definite plus.

I’ve been able to use things I have learned to differentiate and reach those kids and hopefully keep them from falling through the cracks. I teach a lot differently than I used to... I do a lot more grouping and hands on. I do a lot more visuals, although many times if I’m doing visual things I also try to do auditory things in here so I am reaching all the different learning styles. I have become a much more interactive teacher, as opposed to me doing all the teaching and the kids sitting there. I have a very active classroom now.

As one principal explained "I think we are still looking philosophically if we are kid centered or curriculum centered. I think in defense of all of us in education, the proficiencies and the accountability systems have gotten in the way, but it doesn’t need to. We can work around those; we can still meet the needs of kids in that same environment... We can pull this in and still differentiate and meet needs of kids this way. We’re still meeting the outcomes, just doing it in different ways. We can still work on more creative ways of helping."

One teacher described an incident when a student with disabilities asked for an adaptation to his work that she was able to integrate into the instruction for the entire class, improving the learning and motivation of all of her students. "He would say, ‘Do you think you could drop those 10 questions to 5 because I know how to do those.’ ... I told him that if he did them and got them right, he could go for it. I told the rest of the class to circle 5 of them and we’d see what we could do. So they did, and they ended up doing all of them!"

We got to the point that last year we were writing lesson plans together because they [the students] knew exactly what they wanted to know, and what they needed to know. And this year we were beginning to do that. Then you have the kids learning what they need to learn and they WANT to learn." This teacher went on to explain further examples of student led instruction. She explained that students would say, "I’m really having trouble with my writing and quotations. Can you teach us that?" The other kids agreed and said they thought that was hard too. Or maybe someone suggested multiplication facts and everyone worked with Holden to get him to know his multiplication facts.

The two magic words "high expectations."

One teacher repeated a quote she had heard at an inservice, "It’s not how smart the kids are, it’s how the kids are smart."

One thing that I have noticed is that students who have been included benefit from being included, but also students that are typical learners benefit as well. They benefit through different teaching strategies that we use, especially when we co-teach. They benefit from hands-on, the use of manipulatives, visual teaching methods. At the same time it’s developing a sense of community. They are realizing that someone may learn at a different pace or maybe learns better in a different way, not just in the traditional way of pencil and paper.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment.

"We would not be where we are without this grant."

Members of various school communities involved in the grant give the grant and the resources provided by the grant credit for helping them to achieve the transformation to a more inclusive school community.

We would not have moved forward without this grant. Giving people the chance to leave their classrooms and see other people in action, being able to pay for subs, professional development opportunities - all of it. It was great having [our consultant] to actually bring forth those opportunities. We may not have known they were out there if she hadn’t done so. We would not be where we are without this grant.

In particular, opportunities for growth are cited as important components to change. SFAS provided direct assistance to every school in improving their capacity to differentiate their instructional practices through statewide retreats and building specific professional development opportunities.

Accomplishment
More Collaboration Among Staff and Families

Many of the changes that occurred as a result of the grant were gradual changes occurring over time. The increase of voluntary collaboration is a perfect example of one of the changes that happened to a variety of school communities. One principal described this scenario as an example. "I think the key moment was when two years ago we had a retreat and my attitude was that no one would do anything without getting paid and that they wouldn’t extend themselves. And when members of the grant team said they wanted to have a retreat, my initial reaction was ‘No, because we can’t pay them.’ They told me to trust them. They set up a retreat and nearly the entire staff came. To me, that was a very big step in our staff pulling together and growing."

One school psychologist reported that since being involved in the SFAS grant, the school’s Intervention Assistance Teams (IAT) have run more smoothly and collaboratively. "I think when... the grant came into place a few years ago, things really started moving forward... So much has happened over the last couple of years. You can just see the growth from those first meetings. Now the process is so much smoother, and everyone seems to know what their roles are. They are more comfortable with it. We are getting more parent participation this year then ever before, which truly is what makes the process work."

There has been a lot more of exchanging of ideas.

...the biggest change has been what I expect of myself. I used to expect myself to have all the answers... to be able to meet all their needs...Now... If I see that a student has a need, I expect myself to find the support and find the resource.

I go to them [special education teachers] and say, ‘How can I best handle this. What works for this child?’ The communication helps a lot.

I’ve kind of learned from her [the special education teacher]. It’s been a gift to me - what she does.

I knew I could go to her and ask how do I need to adapt what I am going to teach when you’re not in there? So even when she’s not there, in my heart and mind, she’s there." This teacher reiterated that what is most important to support collaboration is being open and cooperating.

It originally started with teachers wanting this, and the administration was very supportive of letting the teachers have some planning time so they could work as a team effectively.

She said this is what needs to be done. She made sure we had copies of the IEPs so would know what to do.

This school works well because there are mini-teams, bigger teams, and then one BIG team. They are all on the same page. So they are always talking to one another, they don’t just come in and teach their class and then head home.

I think another reason inclusion is so successful here is that there is a lot of time allocated to the teaming process. If there is a need, there is time to sit down with the team that works with the child and invite the parent in if the concern is relevant. We can brainstorm some ideas about how to work at home and at school. I think there are opportunities all the time to do that... There is a group of people that meet every week to try and come up with strategies and ideas to help teachers.

Collaboration did not just occur within the school walls, however. One of the successes of the SFAS grant was to break down barriers between the schools and the surrounding community, opening up the dialogue with community members and discovering natural resources to support the schools’ efforts. "We are asking people to adopt a classroom, or adopt a grade level. The thought is that we will then do a plaque for them, which will say that they volunteered in our school.. On anything that they purchase there will be a notation."

Whether occuring inside the school, or between the school and the community, collaboration was seen as an important component to forwarding inclusive practices.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment

The SFAS grant became available when I first entered this building basically when Mrs. K. got the information about it. She and I sat down and talked about it and how it seemed like something the building could use. Obviously, not all students were being considered as "our" students. They had had a venture grant, and it was over when I got here. They were used to having lots of money to deal with and all of a sudden the money was not there. It appeared that our vision kind of needed to be reworked. So that is how we started. SFAS has really helped us do that, and has helped us include not only students, but teachers as well. The special education did not feel like they were included. And now we all feel that we are one building of educators. There is no differentiation. We are all teachers of students. I know how that feels, having been a special education teacher. So that was very meaningful.

The other piece was the parents. I had always felt that parents of students with special needs were not given a voice or not asked to use their voice. Those pieces were concerns for me. This grant has encouraged us to include parents. Parents now feel very comfortable and feel they can be a part of their child’s education. Just that fact that the parents are willing to call or come in, and tell us what they need.

SFAS encouraged each school to find innovative ways to reach out to and embrace families. Each school’s action plan had to include strategies for increased parental involvement. The grant provided resources for parent centers, parent retreats, portfolio sessions, and other family learning opportunities. Each of these helped parents build their capacity to work in collaboration with school personnel. School staffs were provided comparable opportunities to improve their skills in working collaboratively with families.

Accomplishment
More Teachers Working Together

One of the ways that collaboration has been manifested is in how teachers work together in the general education classroom to support all learner needs. Through co-teaching practices, teachers have become more aware of all their students’ strengths and needs and have been better able to provide the diverse instruction that students needs. One teacher enjoyed co-teaching so much that when asked what she would wish for in the future, she said, "I wish for more help in the classroom... We could just team teach all the time." This is a far cry from the closed classroom doors of the past. As a result of the SFAS grant, teachers’ roles have changed, as they learn how to use each other as valuable resources.

For the most part I teach just as much as the regular classroom teacher. Or we’d say things like ‘I’ll get this graph together, you get this book together’ and we’d just divide it up... We might divide up the groups and we’ll each take one. Or we’ll just assign kids in groups to work and we’ll mingle around... We all wanted to make sure we were looked upon as teachers and not the aide.

They are extraordinary teachers in that they, when you walk in and you see them helping, no matter who, they do not wait for me to come in and help.

I would love to be in the classroom all day, but this is how I try to set it up... I’m not somebody who just floats in and out of your life. I am really working with you.

I try to go in mainly with language arts and math, to get involved in those classes. Then if things worked out I would go in for science and social studies.

The regular education teachers are a lot more lenient now and a lot more open to letting me come in and maybe co-teach or just take over, take turns teaching lessons. We’ve grown a lot in just one year.

One teacher described a particular form of co-teaching called parallel teaching (Friend & Bursuck, 2001). I’ll say for instance the reading, for two of the fourth grade teachers, we split the classes in half with a group here and a group here, not leveling or any of that sort. Just to make the class smaller so we can do more one-on-one work with them." Going into more detail, this teacher explained, "Three days a week with the different classrooms we get together. They do Language Arts every day, but we split them up half and half three days a week in two different classrooms. I’ll take half the class and go to one side of the classroom and another [teacher] takes the other class to the other side. Sometimes we do the same book or sometimes we do the same theme like a mystery, but we’re doing two different books. They’re talking about it as a whole class about mysteries... we’re both doing mystery books."

When a student was asked why he liked having two teachers in that classroom, he said, "Because, if one teacher is helping some other kid, the other teacher can help you." More examples of co-teaching and collaboration follow:

The special educator is perceived as someone who facilitates and he co-teaches with me. In the 8th grade I think it’s the same thing.

I can say that I have co-taught with several teachers and it’s very different with the different teachers. What co-teaching is, is building a relationship with that teacher... I work with one teacher who will begin a concept and it will be primarily pencil and paper and she’ll work on the board. I might say, ‘Show me parallel lines with your body.’ They’ll then put their arms up like a field goal. So we are reinforcing the concept, and at the same time I think they are grasping body example.

SFAS's Contributions to Accomplishment

Co-teaching and collaboration became a reality for these school communities because the SFAS grant provided the space for conversation, promoting learning across discipline boundaries and a sharing of experiences.

Well, I think a huge part was the grant. I think that was a huge part because we had started down the path of moving kids into regular environments with support service. But the Success for all Students grant provided us with a forum to be able to talk about it; to be able to create visions; to be able to problem solve; to be able to address needs. Do you know what I mean? It opened a lot of doors and allowed us a vehicle for communications. Or maybe even gave us the framework at times. The framework to be able to problem solve, look ahead make decisions. That I think provided our means to improve otherwise I think we’d be way behind where we are now [without the grant]. I think a great deal of staff development. That’s been huge both to go out and listen to people and get new ideas as well as bringing in people. To create our own experiences with our group that we could serve and share with each other. Those have been the key points.

I think that SFAS has helped provide that piece that I felt was necessary, that the expectation was there. When we had that expectation and became familiar with the faces coming into the building, teachers would say, "Who is that?" There was also the opportunity to go to the PEAK Conference and bring back those experiences. You can’t create that. I think that experience was a catalyst for me, and some of the other teachers. I know one regular ed teacher who went with me and I know it was a catalyst for her. She is working beautifully with co-teaching alongside a special ed teacher.

Without opportunities for dialogue and communication, many of these schools may have struggled to change. SFAS provided opportunities and resources to enable staff to increase their skill level in this arena.

Accomplishment
More Flexible Services and Flexible Scheduling

Prior to engaging in the SFAS grant, many of the schools reported having fairly rigidly designed service delivery options for students. Learners were either included in the general education classroom, or they received services in a special education resource room environment. There did not appear to be anything offered in between these two extremes. However, as a result of this grant, schools are now reporting a more flexible service delivery system, offering a full continuum of services to students.

If they don’t fit in the program as we thought it would be, we expand the program so that it fits the kid. And that is the thing that makes it work.

We no longer look at students and pull them into service. I think our services are broader. It’s not just either going to a resource room or going to general education. There is a lot more spectrum here.

I think we are making progress because we do creative scheduling so we can get the special ed. teacher in there for the core subjects, but not all subjects.

In several instances, teachers reported a change in roles, as special education teachers were perceived as helpful supports for all students, with students without disabilities requesting to go to the resource room for help. For example, one special education teacher said that when she came into the general education room to get a student, other students would say "me, me, I want to go." In fact, many teachers noted this change in perception about their role as a teacher. One special education teacher commented that she helps "anyone that has their hand up or has that look on their face that they don’t know what they are doing."

But on the other hand neither does she just work with the special ed. kids either... They raise their hand or grab her as she goes by knowing she’s going to help... I think its just the way the whole feel of the class is.

I don’t want any child to see me just as a teacher that comes in to help ‘these’ kids. I make it a point to go around to help everybody.

The kids see me as a teacher and not just someone that comes in to work with those three kids in the corner.

I’ve shown them if we work together and we’re both here for the good of that child - all children, not that child but all children - that if flows back and forth, once you start cooperating... Those kids are just all the same kids. She treats it that way when I’m in there or not in there.

I was shocked when she came in and said, ‘give me those papers. I’ll grade those papers.

We’ve also now got a team of intervention specialists that come into the classes and work with the teachers, and that is a plus.

Especially with our special education teachers, we’re still in the process of defining their roles and I think they’re still in the process of becoming comfortable with their roles. The teachers are in the process of accepting those roles too, their roles and the special education teachers’ roles.

Aside from teachers becoming more flexible in their roles, challenging traditional notions about the separation between general and special educators, school teams also learned the value of creating flexible schedules.

If I need to get down to first grade that’s okay. We’ll change the schedule if we’re doing assessment and I need her in there.

They know when I walk into the classroom that I have been working late. That I’ve been working on something in the classroom before. So they never ever say anything but they’ve also had to learn scheduling around me.

I’m working with very flexible people and that helps out, because you need to be flexible to be running around and to try to do the team teaching with someone that has to be in six different classrooms. So the people I’ve been with, I’ve been lucky they’ve been very flexible and willing to change. Well, if you can’t be here at 9:30 then how about 11:15 and do it for a half hour then?

Whether talking about teaching, roles, or schedules, participants in the grant learned that having flexibility is a key ingrediant to success in inclusive schools.

SFAS's Contributions to this Accomplishment

Communication between the different staff, that’s where [the SFAS consultant] came in. She was the voice and was able to communicate and share. You would have two teachers who don’t share with each other, and have her come in and they would share. She could very subtly bring in things that will help and get the feedback from frustrations. She was a support. On top of that there was the support she gave to the administration. Also there was the relationship with the students. A good consultant gets to know the kids, and the kids see her there. That does two things. One, there is the relationship. But also it made the kids feel important to see a consultant at the school. That helps their self-esteem.

I think I have learned even more compassion. You have to listen to the kids. I’ve come to realize that most children who have problems are reaching for a lifeline. I can be that lifeline. (high school English teacher)

Chapter 5 - Taking Root: The Impact of these Accomplishments for Students

Beyond the changes in teacher attitudes and practices, improved quality of parent involvement, and increases in the number of students being included, SFAS grant participants recognized another phenomenon fostered by the grant. Students themselves began to change. According to the educators and parents interviewed, students began to see themselves as just that .. students. Not students with or without disabilities, but students.

They’re realizing it too. Because they’re not afraid to raise their hand, they’re not afraid to make mistakes because other mistakes are made.

Speaking about a student who had experienced significant difficulties with managing his behavior, one teacher shared this story: "He got up and told me, "Mrs. P. I want to run for student council." I told him that anyone could run for student council. He told me he didn’t make up a speech but I told him it was okay, that he would probably make up a good one off the top of his head. He told me he didn’t think anyone would vote for him and that he’d tried before and no one voted for him. I told him to just get up and say what he wanted to say.. So, he got up and told the children he didn’t make up a speech, but he told them he would try his best to take anything they had to student council and make sure they knew everything that happened at student council. He told them he knew that he had treated some of them badly in the past. He also told them that he pitched fits and sometimes did things out of anger that he shouldn’t do because he doesn’t think about it. He told them he’d really like to do this. He got nominated by, let’s see there were 29 there that day, and he got 20 votes."

When describing another student she had in her classroom, the teacher said, "He’s just doing so well. J. is working with him and the kids are there for him. They explain, they get more happiness out of reading to him and listening to him read to them. They bought books for him when they found out he didn’t have books at home... We had a class meeting and I told them it wasn’t that he CAN’T read, it’s that he was never given the opportunity."

Others interviewed recognized similar transformations in their students as well.

Probably the most inspiring thing is hearing kids say they feel liked. Kids who have been in special education... who say they feel like they’re normal. That’s probably the most inspiring thing... Its less now than it was when if first started because they’re getting used to the inclusion thing and they don’t know, they don’t think to themselves, I was abnormal before and now I’m normal. It’s ‘I’m just normal, I’ve always been.

To hear the parents come in and say, ‘You know, my kid hated school and my kid doesn’t hate it anymore. They actually like it, they feel they belong.’

I think something I’ve noticed is when we had resource rooms, the behaviors of those children were different. It was definitely different. Usually it was misbehaving and at recess they were walking down the hall or in the bathroom, and something would happen. They didn’t hardly know each other. So now you don’t see that. My behavior problems have nothing to do with anybody’s IQ. It has nothing to do with that. I hated to make that judgment... but... now I don’t see it at all.

E. is on the student council, he is accepted by his peers now, he is not feared by his peers now, he is liked by his peers and he is functioning as a regular education student, as a normal student that they wanted to kick out of school less than 6 months ago.

One parent shared her perceptions of her daughter’s successes in an inclusive school environment. "With R. we have an abundance of things kind of going on. She likes coming to school and riding the bus. She has been here two years and it’s been great watching her interact with other children and starting to communicate with words. She has learned to pay attention to the task at hand. She has come a long way with that."

Another parent shared about her child, "We have seen C. go from a sullen child, and being so uninterested in everything. She just wanted to sit there. Now, she is a bright, happy child.

One teacher described a time when a student with a disability cheered on the efforts of another student with a disability. "The two kids that she works with kept saying, ‘She’s doing a good job. Look at her. She’s quite a reader.’ It was cracking me up but she knows what a good reader is. She has seen it. She knows what this girl’s goals are and she found joy in someone else’s success. I thought ‘that is fantastic. The metamorphis teachers and parents witnessed in students with disabilities is inspiring.

On the IEP it said that he couldn’t even read and this kid was supposedly functioning at ... less than a first grade level... [In the general education classroom], I guess in the beginning of the class, they started to kind of tease him. [The teacher] laid the law down and she said "You need to be his family." He was a foster kid, and had been through a lot of hard stuff. And this kid is doing math at a 3rd grade level now. That is what I call inclusion. It wasn’t just for the academics... It was partnering him with other students and they love him now... They love to be with him. They love to support him. They’re constantly putting their arms around him... And this family, this community, this classroom took this child and read to him. They brought him up, and he is not embarrassed by that fact that he’s not at a level with everybody else. Because everybody is there to help him and each other.

I’ve seen some students who had absolutely no sense of responsibility and at the end of the year they feel good about themselves.

I think they feel more part of a classroom. There is no separation of kids.

I’ve seen a lot of progress in reading. They have models of the higher level readers in the regular classroom and so when they’re involved and included in the regular classroom... their reading levels have improved.

When describing a student’s progress, one teacher said, "She always had the desire to read these chapter books. We have a computer program that allows her to take tests on some different books. She was getting maybe five out of ten, just not really there yet. She didn’t really get discouraged; always had a positive attitude. In working continually with parents and intervention specialists, she’s now consistently passing those books and is able to pick the ones she likes to read off the cart. She just beams at being able to do that." This same teacher went on to describe a data collection system they were now using to help the student understand her own progress. Again, the importance of involving students in their own learning surfaced as an important component of inclusive practices. "She’s aware of where she is... I say, ‘You know where you are and you see these examples and is this where you want to be. Do you know how you can get to move to this other place and what you are going to work on?"

They’re [student receiving special education services] not in the same room with the same people that have the same social lacks or problems, so... they learn a lot just from the environment and the other students.

Another way that involvement in this grant had an impact on students is that some students were empowered to participate more actively in the development of their IEPs.

For their IEPs, instead of just writing present levels of reading and math... I interviewed each child before I did their IEP to ask them about their interests in school and outside of school, what they’re involved with, what helps them do homework, what don’t they like about this and that... I included all that on their IEPs for their present levels.

My son goes to all the IEP meetings. He needs to understand what is expected of him, and then the teachers know what is expected of them.

I know this year [the special education teacher] had most of her students at the IEP conference with her and the parents.

Several individuals interviewed noted a change in the amount and types of meaningful relationships that were fostered through inclusive practices. It appears that simply providing students with an opportunity to interact and be participating members of a classroom community was enough to promote friendships among students both with and without disabilities.

I’ve seen a lot more progress with the inclusion... I can’t guarantee that it was just because they were included, but it’s a big difference in the success that I’ve seen and friendships being made that I’ve seen.

I would say 80-90% of the kids that would have been just in a resource room here and that are involved in inclusion [now], are friends with people without noticeable disabilities.

They’re playing together. They’re reading together. They’re doing everything together.

[Students] are laughing together, they are talking together, they are coming up to the different kids and you know, let’s play this or what’s your phone number, let’s get together, talking about cub scouts, talking about karate or different sports that they’re involved with. It’s nice to see that, rather than looking out the window at the cliques. The special ed kids playing with the same kids.

These children have established roots and relationships with peers that they need to keep on growing.

That very first year, right off the bat, I had a little boy that was so excited because he got an invitation to a birthday party. My students generally were never invited. We lived in our little special ed. one room schoolhouse - And it wasn’t just a run of the mill birthday party at the next door neighbor’s. It was one of the most popular boys in the school, in his classroom. It was an overnight birthday party and he was invited... That made me think, ‘Yes, this is going the right direction and we need to continue with this.’

As noted in the quotes in this section, the direct impact of the SFAS grant on students is amazing and encompasses all aspects of a quality life including independence, altruism, success, and a sense of belonging. Each of these factors are key components to a person’s resiliency, or ability to overcome life’s obstacles, negotiating the community as a contributing member of society (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 1992)

Chapter 6 - Critical Factors of Success

After participating in the SFAS grant, those engaging in this endeavor offer their thoughts and suggestions on what made their work toward creating more inclusive environments successful. Several key components were identified by those individuals as not simply important, but actually necessary for promoting inclusive communities in schools. These include strong, yet facilitative leadership and guidance; creating opportunities for people to talk about their experiences and share ideas; open communication between schools, families, and communities, creating a collaborative atmosphere; publicizing successes and programs developed to support students; plenty of opportunities to learn and grow; and perhaps most important, promoting and recognizing parents as leaders.

Supportive Leadership - Principals

Building principals seem to have an integral role in the development of an inclusive school environment. As one parent explained about her child’s principal, "She was walking that tight rope - trying to satisfy her teachers and trying to have faith in us and in him [her son]. She really went out on a limb." This concept of going out on a limb, daring to try something new and to ask teachers to explore new avenues for educating children appeared in several of the interviews. Inclusive education was perceived as risky business, requiring educators to put their professional careers on the line. For example, one teacher stated "It’s kind of risky with something you’re not really used to. That’s scary..." This fear of creating inclusive communities may warrant further investigation.

Supportive administration was considered an asset to school communities looking for change, creating a safe environment in which teachers, parents, and students felt supported to take risks. For example, one teacher noted how "the administration was very supportive of letting the teachers have some planning time so they could work as a team effectively." Another teacher noted the importance of new leadership versus having someone from within taking the reins. "It’s hard enough for a principal who’s been here for seven to eight years then to say okay, this is the new thing we’re going to do... So you have experience with that other person not doing it and now you just kind of not go with the flow. So the new person coming in has their own new ideas sometimes, and so this I think is a good thing for the program. She [the new principal] came in and embraced [inclusion]."

One teacher even went so far as to suggest that friendship, along with a shared history, could possibly be barriers to systemic change. Using his words, a teacher might resist change being imposed or supported by an administrator who used to teach in the building. "Don’t tell me how to do this. We’ve taught together for twenty years, we’ve been buddies."

In general, having leadership empower people seems to be a key component for change. As one principal described, "When I came in, what I sensed was that we had to tell them what to do, to give them direction. I’m not comfortable with that and knew we couldn’t go very far with that. Particularly this year as much as anything, I’ve seen people grow with their leadership skills. I’ve seen them taking over sessions, etc. Grade level chairs will now have lunch sessions on their own and come up with creative ways of doing it... It’s all taken a great deal of people having to make decisions."

Another principal described having to actually give teachers permission to do what is right for students. He described this scenario in this way. "Do I have permission to differentiate? Can I help this kid? Can I cut the homework in half? I tell them yes, we don’t need permission because that is what we’re about... helping kids."

As one principal explained, "The staff doesn’t care so much about what you know; it’s about what you do. You’ve got to take some time to get to know them, step back and watch what’s going on. So, if you talk with them you are knowledgeable about what’s going on. You need to have that trust. You can build a sort of consensus on where to go as a staff. You’ve got to get into the heart and soul of the people. You have to work through that process and be supportive, find the things that are moving in that direction, encourage those and try to lead people and support them. It takes a little longer, but it’s more successful.

Another important point made by a leader in inclusive buildings is that teachers need to be shown that moving to an inclusive community is "not just a whimsical decision. I tried to make it a decision that would show people that here is the research that backs this up, other people have done this, this is what people are saying... it was an idea that has been proven."

Having high expectations that are clearly articulated by administrators to the staff and community was also deemed an important component of leadership toward inclusive practices. "The expectation that M. and P. place on staff is definitely higher than I have encountered. They expect children to be included and that is a key difference in how successful inclusion can be. When you have that administration support that inclusion is going to happen, I think it’s much more likely to happen... It’s more than talk -they do it. They provide the training, they provide the supports and they constantly have the expectation that this is the way it’s going to be."

I think it just is an expectation. Our administrators expect top notch. I think everyone that’s here just does a really good job. I think there is also a lot of recognition. Emails will go out acknowledging things. Even the superintendent will say that staff is what makes it work. It’s very true and very critical here... I think that our administration is very visionary... The people that are here support each other emotionally and personally. We get each other excited, we brainstorm, we share our troubles. If you need help, you can ask and it’s not looked at as a failure.

I think it’s expectation. I think if somebody puts spinach on our plate and says ‘try this, it’s really good,’ I think the option of trying it or not is good. We like that option as adults, and professionals. At the same time, if we are encouraged greatly through standards, through expectation of administration, through reading materials and in-services, we might find that with a little bit of butter and salt and pepper that the spinach may not be so bad after all. We might even develop a taste for it. I think it’s a developed taste after there has been an expectation set.

SFAS Consultants

Aside from leadership coming from the building administration, participants also credited the work of the consultants for facilitating their growth toward change. As one participant explained to a consultant, "It’s unreal, how you’ve made me think. In my work, you are the one that’s made me go deeper and see different things. I’ve never thought of community... I always thought I was part of it but I really wasn’t. I was an inactive part of an active community... I’ve got a community now. It’s engulfing me while I try to become a part of it, to be a quality part of it, not just a person who is living there. I am a person now that is visible."

One of the things that kept us moving forward was having some common person to focus us. She would talk to the teams and say, ‘I hear what you are saying, I think this is the next step.’ When you don’t know what’s out there, it’s nice to have someone come in to talk to you. It’s nice to have someone who has a broader perspective who can tie everything together. The "how" is always the question when you haven’t been out to see it.

Whether coming from an internal leader such as a building principal, or an external leader such as a consultant, the characteristics needed are the same for transformative leaders. It appears that in order to promote change, leaders need to have clearly articulated expectations for inclusive school communities, and challenge school community members to think and act in different ways, questioning traditional notions about teaching and learning.

Cultivating Conversations and Creating Space for Sharing and Learning

Many of the interview respondents declared the importance of on-going conversations as a key component to creating welcoming school environments for all children. Sharing personal and professional experiences appeared to have a great impact on the individuals involved in the change process. One team of teachers reported getting valuable ideas from other schools also engaged in the SFAS grant.

We got the idea at the ‘What is Your Vision’ conference. There was a school... who already had one [parent resource center] in place. Last April we went to look at that and it was amazing what they had done. We came back and tried to model that.

We went to PEAK. I’ve gone to the Clark County Resource Center... for different lessons, listen to different people speak... I’ve learned a lot just by working with the teachers here in the building that have been teaching and saying things that helped and saying things that don’t work so well or allow me to try different things to see what works. PEAK, the Action Research Group, getting together and talking with people that are dealing with the same situation and things, options they’ve tried and success stories are all ways that parents and educators learned from one another.

After attending the PEAK Conference, one teacher became more cognizant of the need to create opportunities for parents to share their stories and find support. "Seeing the families just needing to talk and be able to talk and share. You know, its got to be frustrating to them. I wish it could happen to more. There’s so many more families probably feeling that and you know we have ten or twelve this year. If it could happen to more of them that would be a great thing, but happening to any of them is a positive."

One principal suggested that to keep the school community moving in the right direction, that conversations need to be nurtured and continued. "I think we need to keep talking about it, keep putting things out in front of people... We need to keep encouraging those who do come forward so that they can be strengthened to take another step."

One participant described a life changing event she experienced as she participated in a child portfolio session. "I have to have ideas, I have to have visuals. And I went down there, I don’t even know what I was expecting, but I walked in and sat down with a group of strangers who proceeded to share their innermost thoughts and it was just such a, well - it changed my attitude and just the way of thinking because I had to think of gifts too, and I didn’t usually ever take time to think about my gifts or positive things... it was a mind opening experience, it was something that I am so glad I was able to be a part of and finally share with others... it changed my life." Others interviewed had similar experiences.

All of us had the opportunity to go see inclusionary classes in other districts. The grant allowed for that. As we were going out and seeing this, we would come back and talk about what we saw, and what we could adapt. I don’t think there is a perfect program out there, so when you go out and see things you bring ideas back and try to adapt it to your school, your needs, etc. It really started people thinking outside of the box.

I came as a resistant participant about inclusion. There were facets of it that I absolutely believed in, but I didn’t know that inclusive education was for every learner. When I heard Jonathan Mooney speak about how he was diagnosed and people tried to fix him so much that they nearly broke him, it was very emotionally touching for me.

I think that it’s very important to provide opportunities for regular education and special education teachers to do things in cooperation. When we learn things together, and can experiment together, we can hug each other and celebrate the successes we have. We can also console each other when we don’t have successes.

The personal epiphanies described by these grant participants all support the need for educational leaders encouraging change to create a space in which conversations and sharing can occur. Growing and changing can be stressful, and individuals under stress need to alleviate that stress periodically. Having the opportunity to talk with others experiencing similar challenges often helps to not only de-escalate stressful situations, but also fosters creativity and an awareness of possibilities.

Communicating Ideas and Programs that Promote Collaborative Relationships

As schools attempted to bring parents on board to support their movement toward inclusive communities, they found that a variety of communication techniques was necessary. Though the form of communication utilized by the schools involved varied, the outcomes were quite similar.

We’ve put together the brochure, we’ve tried to get the message out that it’s [the intervention planning process] not a threatening thing, that the process is collaborative and we are figuring out a way to make things better for these kids.

We sent bookmarks home with them. We put something in the newsletter about it.

It’s an open communication. It’s incredible, it works. And those teachers have not missed a day. I write what I see at home, or what is working at home... The other thing they do that is really neat is using a digital camera. Yesterday I got five pictures of my daughter throughout the day because she was making such incredible strides, and [the teacher] thought I wouldn’t believe her! So she took picturess of my child interacting with other children.

The building vision has also included that communication piece. So again, it’s not just communication for this group or that group. It’s that we can support good communication with all parents. Anyone, whether it be at the office level or teacher level, the parent communication is good.

It was imperative that the general community support the move toward inclusive practices. In order to be successful, this new way of doing business could not be perceived as simply a "special ed" initiative. Everyone in the school community needed to have a part in its success. As parents and community members became aware of what the school was trying to accomplish and why, support appeared to come more readily from families and the community in general.

Increasing Access to Meaningful Information and Knowledge

One of the resounding themes that came across through the interviews with grant participants was that teachers, administrators, and parents need knowledge in order to forward change. They require "a whole new look on things"

And they started looking it up on the internet and then started talking among themselves. So they felt educated by use of the internet, by having tools at the school that they could use. I think that was a lot of their problem - they never had the tools that were easy for them to use.

I went to the ‘What is Your Vision’ workshop and it was a wonderful experience... It was a great eye opener for me just to see how the pieces could fit together, seeing parents and schools and administrators working together.

We got the idea at the ‘What is Your Vision’ conference.

The first thing that I would wish for is unlimited training - knowledge and training.

Some of the ways that I’ve grown includes things I have learned in workshops. Some of the things I have done is use different graphs and try to get the kids to describe what they are hearing and talk about what they are listening to music-wise. I try to get then to enhance their language arts skills by being more descriptive"

"[Because of this grant] we had people that were able to come in and train the teachers.

[What I would suggest to other schools is] to get their teachers trained. All teachers are capable of working with all children... Once they have been shown that they can it’s like ‘Oh wow, this is great. This will work with all my kids... I think teacher training is the key to it all.

Attendance at the PEAK conference seemed to be a defining moment for many school team members. One teacher described her epiphany related to what she heard at this conference. "Jonathan Mooney, listening to him speak about listening and asking a child what’s best for them and how they learn and just those couple sentences made me come back and take a whole new look on things... Its just a basic message, well why don’t we ask the kids?... Why isn’t that the first thing that you think of?" This simple question begged response as schools were challenged by the SFAS grant to question the values inherent to our society and modeled by many school communities.

The learning engaged in by grant participants was always thought provoking in this way, as educators and families learned from one another, gaining a deeper respect for the resources each offered and the perspective each held.

I think the fact that we did our own after school workshop on differentiation run by staff helped us move.

Success For All Students... made us aware of other schools, other places, and other things that are going on. Other people and how they tackle certain problems and remedy their situations. It’s been great.

I didn’t know much but with her [another teacher’s] knowledge I kind of learned more about it. That’s when the inclusion thing really took off, at least for me. Learning more about it I thought, well, this is the only way to do it. To me, it just made sense and to me, there was no other way to do it.

With the support from SFAS, we spent an entire year visiting other schools, going to workshops, etc. Every time we would go to a workshop, or go to another school to visit, we invited a regular classroom teacher to go with us, a different one... The principal.. went to workshops with us also.

What individual schools chose to study was different from school to school, based on those skills and experiences prioritized by each school team. However, as one can see from the above narratives, sometimes what was learned was not planned at all, but rather a welcome outcome of a learning opportunity provided or conversation held.

Growing a Network

Not only has there been an increase in the number of inclusive environments in the schools participating in the grant, but participants also see the potential for growth in their districts toward inclusion. "It’s almost like osmosis. We’ve spread..."

Now that we’ve had this positive experience in the middle school, well, you always need someone to sell a new idea. So that piece of the puzzle is going to help us move the entire district forward. So it’s not going to be the single building. It will be the whole district.

The possibilities for growth are endless as more individuals recognize the strengths each student brings to the classroom, and embraces a community approach to educating all children. The likelihood that a push toward inclusive practices may continue, affecting the lives of more teachers, families, and students each year increases. In several of the the SFAS school was being supported and applauded for its efforts toward inclusion. Oftentimes, that knowledge was the catalyst for districtwide change.

Nurturing Families as Leaders

One very important component recognized by SFAS grant participants necessary for successful school change was to empower familiess, creating an atmosphere in which parents are received as equally valued members of the school community. While much of the responsibility lies with each school to foster such an environment, parents realized the role they needed to play in becoming recognized as a contributing member to school teams. For example, several parents indicated that it was important to "learn the language" of educators. Once educational professionals realized that parents were somewhat savvy about educational issues, their attitudes tended to change a bit. "They kind of put us on a more even field." Educating oneself was considered to be a parent’s "best defense" and "best offense." Parents who were working with schools to create inclusive environments also stated the importance of finding someone to talk with who will support what you are trying to accomplish, validating your feelings.

[Parents] ...have to be educated... We have a parent mentor and as much as I know and read, I still call T. [the district parent mentor].

One parent commented positively about the efforts his school made to connect with parents, again leveling the playing field to get the parents involved and to understand when you go into an IEP meeting what is all involved. "

One set of parents reported "We feel like pioneers" at their school as they continually worked with educators to include their son in the general education curriculum and the general classroom culture. As noted by those interviewed, it actually did not take much to inspire parents to adopt a leadership role when it came to providing input about the education of their own child. However, the effort had to be made by all parties involved to promote parents and other family members as equal partners in the quest for improved educational practices.

One parent described the inclusive services her child receives. When speaking about the intervention specialist assigned to her son, she explained that the special education teacher "involves himself with the curriculum so he can apply it when [our son] is in the regular classroom. He can absorb what [our son] is doing, then touch base with him later. He listens to what the teacher is teaching, then takes the student aside and really can talk to him about what the teacher was doing."

They have the general curriculum that everyone else has, and there are modifications in that curriculum to meet their needs. That means we rarely are not together. Most of the time we are all together.

It’s the Little Things that Have the Biggest Impact

As teachers began to interact with students with disabilities, they learned how gratifying teaching truly could be. "It just touched my heart that it meant so much for him." The transformation realized by many grant participants was more than a difference in structures or procedures for educating children. For some, it included a recognition of the larger, societal dilemma surrounding exclusion. As one teacher put it, it is "not just the ability to see injustice, but the ability to see injustice and be bothered by it."

While not perhaps empirically documented, in order for sustained change to occur, grant participants began to realize that the bottom line is you have to care, and you have to not be afraid to show that you care.

It’s much more impressive sometimes to look unemotional; to look driven; to look factual; to look like all those kinds of things as opposed to looking really human. That sounds really nurturing and you know not as strong. I think that has to come to a circle and I think it will in time.

And perhaps, if inclusion is to become a reality in more schools, it must. Defining what it means to care, what teachers are encouraged to do and provided opportunities to do, may have to change. In essence, this may mean that the primary focus may need to switch from raising test scores to building stronger relationships throughout the school community.

Only in schools where relationships matter do kids and teachers do their best. Working only for test scores doesn’t get you anywhere. One day school is over and nobody cares about the tests if they have friends in the community.

Chapter 7 - How SFAS Worked For Schools and Families

When asked specifically about what the SFAS grant brought to the change process, respondents were insistant that if not for the grant, their schools would not have moved forward at the pace they progressed, nor would they have realized the same level of inclusion as they had ultimately achieved.

I think that SFAS has helped provide that piece that I felt was necessary, that the expectation was there. When we had that expectation and became familiar with the faces coming into the building, teachers would say, "Who is that?" There was also the opportunity to go to the PEAK conference and bring back those experiences. You can’t create that. I think that experience was a catalyst for me, and some of the other teachers. I know one regular ed teacher who went with me and I know it was a catalyst for her. She is working beautifully with co-teaching alongside a special ed teacher.

When one teacher was asked what she thought made inclusive experiences possible in her school, she responded "The SFAS project absolutely. I think what’s so good about professional development like this is that it’s ongoing. You don’t just do it once. There is that contact person. So if there is a little or big problem, we have someone to call and you can help or hook us up with someone else. So I think that gradually our principal made these decisions, but she didn’t just tell us we had to do this on our own. There was that support all the way. People just started to become believers and this is the way life is and should be! Now no one on the outside knows who is on an IEP and who is not."

One participant confessed his initial reluctance to support the work of the grant. Yet, he attributes his change in attitude to the persistance of the SFAS grant consultant. "I have honestly been the devil’s advocate at times with the grant. I think the consistency of you not giving up and of constantly saying, ‘What can we do to help you? What do you need?’ has opened the door to us... I think if the grant had been one where it just said, ‘Here it is, take it’ it wouldn’t have gone very far. I think the fact that there was consistency was huge... I think that there has been a lot of growth and a lot of encouragement because of the patience and the consistency of the grant always being there. Doing it in a supportive way. It wasn’t shoved at us. "

Consultants Created A Cohesive Link

The way this particular grant was structured, providing personal assistance through on-going supportive relationships, appeared to be a very important aspect of how this grant was designed. Having individual consultants for each school appears to have had a positive impact on all of the schools involved.

One of the things keeping us moving forward was having some common person to focus us. She would talk to the teams and say, "I hear what you are saying, I think this is the next step". When you don’t know what’s out there, it’s nice to have someone come in to talk to you. It’s nice to have someone who has a broader perspective who can tie everything together. The "how" is always the question when you haven’t been out to see it.

[Our consultant] was the voice and was able to communicate and share. You would have two teachers who don’t share with each other, and have our consultant come in and they would share. She could very subtly bring in things that will help and get the feedback from frustrations. She was a support. On top of that there was the support she gave to the administration. Also there was the relationship with the students. A good consultant gets to know the kids, and the kids see her there. That does two things. One, there is the relationship. But also it made the kids feel important to see a consultant at the school. That helps their self-esteem.

I think the support that we had last year from [our consultant] was what brought us through. I know that the principal had experience with inclusion and that was helpful. But we would not have been able to do it without the support from [our consultant]. Being here in the building and meeting with the teachers, it was great. It would be nice if something like that was available to other school districts.

When you have a face, like [our SFAS consultant], when you have a face that you can depend upon for information and support, it just gives that human touch. We need human assistance and humans delivering information to help us move towards inclusive education. The printed page is great, but in order to come to the community, you need humans working with other humans to solve challenges.

When asked specifically what part the consultant played in the overall successes of the grant, one individual replied, "I talked to [our consultant] yesterday. I told her she was the first person to come into the school as an outsider who has been accepted, did not try to push her way in, gave support and advice and let us do what we thought was best. I could not have asked for a better person. I was real pleased at how she fit in. She was very comfortable and made it easy for us."

Others reiterated similar sentiments toward their SFAS grant consultant.

[The grant] added a continuity... Whether it be the inclusion group or the action learning group you were there, [and we] were presented with information that was valuable. That’s what the grant did. I don’t know if the high school can do that and maybe just say ‘oh the grant is behind us’ and just never show up. Maybe that motivator that [there is] someone to be reported to.

When the two of you guys came, when we did the inclusion meetings... you heard... when we did the differentiated instruction - having an outsider out of the district here, keeping the consistency together, keeping us glued, keeping us focused, showing someone else is out there - that’s the cohesive link. Sometimes having someone in the district is all well and good but having that outsider in puts a little bit more responsibility... that you have somebody coming in - you need to be there. But it’s not because you feel you have to. It’s because you feel you’re getting information that nobody else has or it’s sparking conversations.

You know you have been wonderful helping us out. We were so fortunate having you here and everything you’ve done for us. You’re an important part of this inclusion process. If you’d not been here ... you and S. both ... I think we would be falling over our feet a lot more. I think you paved the way for us and now we need to get there.

Perhaps, because of the resounding response from a variety of grant participants, the use of individual building consultants to support building level change should be considered a promising practice for promoting inclusion in schools. Although at times it was difficult for educators to listen to and accept the advice and guidance from their consultant, in the end, the consultants were viewed as highly effective and an integral part of the change process.

Often times, the school consultant helped to facilitate attendance at various professional and personal development opportunities. It is through this ongoing endeavor to bring information to the individuals emersed in a school cultural change that parents and professionals became empowered to act on their beliefs. This was due, in part, because they now had the confidence that they actually knew how to teach and support diverse learners.

We got the knowledge and the skills to become better teachers and the information to do so. We have been empowered by it [those skills.] We’ve heard a speaker , who is incredibly fabulous at speaking and the message he brought is very good. It’s not just for special ed kids, it’s for everybody. So I think now we are feeling good about what we are doing. We’ve gotten some perks for doing good things. We’ve gotten the grant, these opportunities to attend conferences and to hear that other schools might not be doing what we’re doing, and we’re held up as an example. So I think we’ve grown a lot in the period of the grant.

When asked to identify specific strategies that seemed to work best, several grant participants had this to say: "I would say people going to in-services. I didn’t get to go to many. But when people came back...the excitement they had was great. It was fun to watch the teachers grow."

Just teaching techniques. Learning about disabilities. I can’t remember. I just remember them talking about it. They did some stuff last summer. Then the whole school did something last spring that seemed to help ease people into the idea of what we were doing. Going to the in-services was the best thing that we could have gotten because there were some really unsure people. After the in-services they came back excited and wanting to try this stuff.

I do think that without the funding of the grant we wouldn’t be where we are. It’s made such a difference to be able to have some dollars behind our philosophy. We can implement things.

Empowerment

Aside from learning new skills, grant participants also recognized a change in the power hierarchy in the school, with parents and teacher taking on more ownership and providing leadership to promote change. When asked by a consultant if this grant helped anyone in particular become empowered, one respondent described this experience: "I’m thinking of one particular family as a matter a fact. Not necessarily so much in terms of that their child wasn’t being included prior to the grant, but that they have had a lot of opportunities open to them as far as what they see for their child’s future. When they were hit with their child’s diagnosis, I’m sure that was a very difficult thing. But because of the opportunities the grant brought to this family..."

While it is recognized that the SFAS grant provided families and educators with specific resources to promote change in their school buildings, there were quite a few broad statements made about the success of schools related to the overall grant.

I had always felt that parents of students with special needs were not given a voice or not asked to use their voice. Those pieces were concerns for me. This grant has encouraged us to include parents. Parents now feel very comfortable and feel they can be a part of their child’s education. Just that fact that the parents are willing to call or come in, and tell us what they need.

We had started down the path of moving kids into regular environments with support service. But the Success for all Students grant provided us with a forum to be able to talk about it; to be able to create visions; to be able to problem solve; to be able to address needs. Do you know what I mean? It opened a lot of doors and allowed us a vehicle for communications. Or maybe even gave us the framework at times. The framework to be able to problem solve, look ahead make decisions. That I think provided our means to improve otherwise I think we’d be way behind where we are now (without the grant). I think a great deal of staff development. That’s been huge both to go out and listen to people and get new ideas as well as bringing in people. To create our own experiences with our group that we could serve and share with each other. Those have been the key points.

I think this grant has been good. I think it’s made us take a step back and think about certain things we’ve done and not done... I think some of the parents appreciated being involved with the grant.

Becoming Believers

In each of the above examples, parents and educators alike recognize the powerful impact the SFAS grant had on their school communities. However, what has happened here in these schools may run a bit deeper than a changes in school culture identified. Perhaps what also occurred is something on a more personal level - a change within the individuals involved.

I’m a different person, honest to God I am. Ever since we just started...the way I think, it’s so weird now. And just about the community... realizing how I always thought I was this person in the community but I really, I was a warm body. And then just doing my job and being exposed to more people that, I don’t want to say they are in need...but just being out there talking to people. I think that’s the big thing. I mean, I’ll talk to anybody. Because I will, I talked to a man at the bank today and he was such a pleasant guy. When I first walked in there I said, " How are you doing today" and he said "I’m doing all right" That’s what you’ve got to do with the parents. That’s what I do. Just to let them know you care. Just let them know that you want to talk to them, know how their day is. I stop parents all the time after IATs. I see them in the hallway, they call me at home. I say, "I want to know how you’re doing. I want to know ‘did you get that doctor’s bill taken care of? How is your kid doing?’" That is the other community component that was missing before and I’m a part of it now. I was there before, but I wasn’t a part of it. I was just a warm body.

A Word of Thanks

In each case, no matter whether the school community engaged in professional development opportunities, regularly scheduled meetings, site visits, or action learning groups, each school made progress toward their goal of becoming a more inclusive community. Based on the interviews conducted and the personal reflections from the grant consultants, one can say with confidence that each school was thankful for the support they received as a result of the grant.

First of all [I want to] to thank Success For All Students for allowing us to be a part of the organization through the opportunities that we had. I think the Saturday retreat that we did was one of the most wonderful things to get the staff on board. I know they had concerns, and I think that as an administrator, to sit there and hear them talk about how they sometimes get the sense that our school is kind of a dumping ground because we have so many special ed classes. But on the other hand I see what we’ve done and I’m really proud that we have those students here in our building. As you know, we have another MH unit that is moving to an elementary school next year, which helps with the balance. And that has been the plan for a few years. I just think that we’ve had opportunities where normally we may not have without the SFAS grant providing us with those opportunities. So I just want to say thank you for that. Some of my vision would not have happened without SFAS. So that helped make some things happen. I really feel the things we’ve done throught this grant have been successful and that is very important.

It is not just the ability to see injustice, but the ability to be bothered by it. (4th grade teacher)

Chapter 8 - Barriers that Continue to Slow Our Progress

While there are have many successes documented as a result of the SFAS grant, there remain a few formidable barriers to forwarding inclusive practices. Even though many parents and professionals made great strides in their learning about and understanding of learner differences, their language did not always support their actions. For example, there are numerous examples of terms such as "inclusion rooms" and "handicapped students," demonstrating a lack of understanding about the impact language has on one’s practices.

While many schools and school teams embraced the transformation from segregated services to a more collaborative teaching style, some teachers continued to resist such practices.

Some teachers still think that I don’t work with them a whole lot, I’m still basically just going into the classroom and kind of more like a helper rather than a teacher. I don’t know that it’s anyone’s fault but there isn’t time to do something, to do any planning together. Some days I very much.

One of the barriers blamed for the limited use of co-teaching and collaboration was the age old complaint of time and sufficient numbers of people to support students.

Standardized Assessment

One of the most common barriers identified by grant participants was increased focus on proficiency tests. While many agreed with the importance of raising expectations for all students, including students with disabilities, encouraging teachers to teach to the test was seen as inhibiting creativity in instruction, which is a key component to inclusive learning environments.

That’s what we’re asking, is for children to conform... It comes down from the state to have children pass these tests to conform to right/wrong answers... And we’re going to standardize teaching... and we’re going to do that to our children. Somebody has to [speak up]. And it’s got to be soon before we waste a lot of kids.

The pressure has gotten greater. I was talking to [another educator] about that the other day. I said, "Whatever happened to that goal of 90% of everyone is going to pass?" She said, "Oh, that’s still our building goal." I said, "Do you think that’s obtainable?" and she said she really did. I’m thinking in my mind, is something like this obtainable to someone like [one of her students with a disability]? Is it the end number product that we’re so worried about" Or is it whether this kid is really getting something out of all of this? Like J.--, he was getting a family, he’s getting a community. And he was brought up from a kindergarten level to a third grade level in just one year, and he’s growing and learning. But that’s not considered enough unless he passes the proficiency tests.

This teacher is questioning if perhaps we are putting our emphasis on measurement and accountability on the wrong things. This continual focus on standardization and accountability is seen by most as a formidable barrier for realzing a philosophy of inclusion in schools.

Segregated Schooling: A Universal Problem

Parents noted that there are many schools that seem to struggle with the concept of inclusive education. One set of parents explained that they initially contemplated moving to another district to find a place where their son could receive a more inclusive and supportive education. However, after talking with other educators they discovered that "this is a universal problem. It is not just our school that is experiencing a lack of knowledge."

Even in so called inclusive schools, there remain students who are segregated based on a perceived lack of ability or particular disability label. As one teacher commented about students with more significant disabilities, "Where are they?... I saw a parent waiting out there to get her son off the bus, and he ran into her arms. I want to know why there aren’t any at our school?" She went on to explain, "We have brought a