By Sheri Willrodt

Director of Special Services, Austin Public Schools

Inclusive Schools Week is celebrated annually the first week in December by families, schools and organizations around the world. The week highlights and celebrates the progress that schools have made in implementing inclusive practices to ensure a quality education for an increasingly diverse student population.

Inclusive Schools Week provides an important opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. It is an occasion to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of teachers, administrators, students, and parents in making their schools more inclusive, and, thereby, significantly contributing to the development of a more inclusive society. Now in its 15th year, Inclusive Schools Week is celebrated by thousands of school districts in every state in the U.S. and internationally. In addition, more than 50 educational and cultural associations and media outlets support the Inclusive Schools Week.

Stories appear daily about the state of our schools and their failure to meet the educational needs of our children. While there is much to be done, we have made progress toward including more children into the nation’s academic agenda. Not that long ago, many of our children were excluded from our classrooms, with children left out due to race, language, economic status, or mental or physical challenges. In the past 25 years, our schools have worked toward access for ALL to public education. Children who were once isolated and marginalized are now thriving, productive members of a larger school community. Children who were routinely denied educational opportunities are now discovering, exploring, and most importantly, achieving. Schools that were once homogeneous are servicing a rich array of students, and while these inclusive practices have been at times difficult to implement, their positive impact is clearly demonstrated through each individual success. These successes will be celebrated during Inclusive Schools Week, Dec. 7 through 11. During this week, school districts across the country are working to educate their staff, students, and parents about what it means to be inclusive. Inclusive is not about being politically correct. It is about making sure that our country’s educational system works for all students including students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, students of low socio-economic status, and students with disabilities. Research has consistently demonstrated that inclusive teaching practices are not about teaching to the lowest common denominator but rather ensuring that the classroom offers opportunities for ALL children to succeed. Inclusive teaching means presenting information in ways that are relevant and meaningful to each and every student. Discussion, hands-on learning experiences, and inquiry-based projects are all examples of inclusive teaching practices that have, again and again, been shown to improve academic achievement for all students. While noting that there is so much more to be done, let’s applaud the progress being made every day toward building more inclusive schools and communities.

At their November meeting, the Austin Public Schools Board of Education proclaimed Dec. 7 through 11 to be Inclusive Schools Week at Austin Public Schools. In celebration of this week, the Austin Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council is sponsoring an Inclusive Schools Poster Contest for elementary students (grades first through fourth) and an Inclusive Schools Poetry Contest for middle level students (grades fifth through eighth). Winners will be recognized at the January 2016 School Board Meeting. Additionally, the Special Education Advisory Council has requested some testimonials be documented by staff of success stories or impact statements from students impacted by inclusion, as part of their Inclusive Schools week celebration. Although Inclusive Schools Week is in December, stories will be displayed in March at conferences at the respective schools. SEAC is working with classroom teachers to make a template or graphic for students to guide them in the process of documenting their experience. We look forward to sharing these celebration stories with parents at conferences!