Although I have not had much experience with babies, I know that when they cry, it is typically related to them being hungry, tired, or in some sort of discomfort. Similarly, behavior, and misbehavior, is often a cry or request for something that an individual needs or wants, but does not state directly. Consider a teething toddler. While they might not verbally request a teething ring or ice cube to soothe their sore gums, adults can infer their need based on the tears, irritability, gesturing, and sensitivity to the area. Similarly, in order to unlock the mysteries of recurring and worsening student behavior, we must read in between the lines.

Special Education spans beyond just teaching students within classrooms, but often includes additional services and supports to ensure that students are successful during the school day. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) defines related services as a way to provide, “transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services” to allow students to have access to general education and activities. IDEA explicitly lists and defines 12 possible related services that students can receive, however, schools have the discretion to provide additional services based on the unique needs of the student.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) ensures students throughout the country have access to a free appropriate public education with special education and related services support. IDEA is the renaming of the original 1975 All Handicapped Children Act which served to support districts that meet the needs of students with disabilities to ensure that all students were getting the education that they deserved. Before this, some students with disabilities were often not prioritized or considered unable to learn. IDEA also works to ensure that students can receive education and services within their own community schools instead of needing to attend separate and more restrictive schools.

Unpopular opinion … co-teaching should be leveraged in classrooms across all grades. Not only are teachers able to rely on one another for planning and classroom responsibilities, it also enables educators to provide more tailored and differentiated support to students based on their learning needs. There are several co-teaching models that classroom teachers can leverage depending on the flexibility needed for the age of students, content, learning goals, and preferred activities. As you read the co-teaching models and explanations, reflect on how utilizing these different teaching structures could push your student learning and performance to the next level!

According to the 2017-2018 school data, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found that while Black boys only accounted for 51.4% of enrollment in K-12 schools throughout the country, they accounted for more than 70% of out-of school suspensions and expulsions. When we look specifically at rates for students with disabilities, we see that when looking at students that were suspended more than once, Black boys are being affected disproportionately. Coupled with the fact that Black girls are suspended at higher rates than their peers, speaks to the amount of instructional days that students are missing in a given year.

Inclusive Practices is an all encompassing term that includes teaching strategies, relationship-building techniques, and more. While some practices might be a habit to you, I hope to share additional practices to increase your inclusiveness in your school and community. Read below for 8 easy inclusive practices that you can put into practice tomorrow!

Understanding the type of learning disability your student has can help you begin to identify ways to differentiate content to assist with proficiency in instruction. Remember, differentiating is the process of adjusting how we deliver instruction, not changing or lessening the rigor of content for students. While this is not an exhaustive list of strategies, it is something that could assist with you getting started. Increasing your strategy tool kit as a SPEDucator can increase your ability to make your school and classroom more inclusive for all learners.

Last week, I presented my first Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) training to staff. I was initially concerned about their reception to the idea, partially due to the many changes at our school this year, but mainly because MTSS is also new to me. Building the plane as we are flying is undoubtedly the most challenging part of this implementation journey. So, designing and facilitating the training had me on edge. I felt nervous about my presentation, especially since I had to present it in front of my coach. I would have preferred to facilitate it and then tell her how it went; as Erykah Badu says, "I'm sensitive about my [work]." I couldn't help but keep glancing over at her at the end of every couple of slides, trying to read her reactions and thoughts. I say all that to say it was a great success!

I genuinely believe that all teachers are special education teachers … but we will get to that later. However, my move to New York and transition into leadership truly began my journey into understanding special education and how it plays out in charter spaces, specifically for Black and Brown kids. I wouldn’t say I was completely miserable in that position, but one of my closest friends sat in bars with me for the first month of school as I cried hysterically about how stressed, confused, and overworked I was. Regardless, I appreciate the opportunity as it showed me how special education should not be in schools.