Inclusive Schools Week News
Volume 4, No. 1, January 2008
Inclusive Schools Week™ highlights and celebrates the progress our schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to all students, particularly those who have disabilities and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It also provides an important opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools cont inue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children and youth. ISW News is your source for updates and information about the Week--and other resources and events related to building more welcoming and supportive schools and communities.
In this issue
- Inclusive Schools Week 2007: A Great Success
- Tell Us What You Think: ISW 2007 Survey
- New Film: Including Samuel premiers during Inclusive Schools Week
- Event: Inclusion Conference: Designing Classrooms for Success!
- Tip of the Month: Independent Study Projects
- Inclusive Practices Around the World: Including Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments in Afghanistan
- Support the Week: You can make a difference!
Inclusive Schools Week 2007: A Great Success!
Schools and communities across the U.S. and around the world participated in the 7th annual Inclusive Schools Week celebrated December 2-7, 2007. The Week was a great success thanks to the hundreds of school districts and organizations who took the time to plan events and activities to highlight inclusive education.
To mark the occasion, there were official Inclusive Schools Week proclamations from the state governments of Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and New Jersey. The cities of Boston, Newark, Montclair, NJ, Philadelphia and Roswell, GA also issued proclamations. The White House acknowledged ISW in a supportive message from President George W. Bush.
Inclusive Schools Week has been celebrated in several countries around the world including Canada, the UK, the Philippines and the Netherlands. This year the Inclusive Schools Week website, inclusiveschools.org, had visitors from over 45 countries including Australia, Ireland, India, Thailand, South Korea and Afghanistan.
For stories about how schools and communities celebrated ISW 2007 and resources about inclusive schools, visit www.inclusiveschools.org.
Tell Us What You Think: Inclusive Schools Week Survey
The sponsors of ISW are already thinking about Inclusive Schools Week December 1-5, 2008. In order to improve and build upon the success of ISW 2007, we need feedback from you. We will use the results of this survey to guide our future planning and development efforts and bring you the most relevant products and resources.
Survey has completed. Thanks to all who participated.
New Film Focuses on Inclusion
Including Samuel Premieres during Inclusive Schools Week!
Including Samuel is a new film by photojournalist, Dan Habib, examining the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities as a civil rights issue. The film documents the efforts of Habib and his family to include Samuel, 7, in all facets of school and community. It also features other families who are navigating the world of inclusion. To see a trailer and find out more about this new film, visit http://www.includingsamuel.com/
Event: Inclusion Conference: Designing Classrooms for Success!
The Peak Parent Center will host a 2008 Conference on Inclusive Education: Designing Classrooms for Success, February 14 - 16, 2008 in Denver, CO. The conference will focus on planning and teaching using principles of Universal Design. There will be an in-depth pre-conference session, a series of keynote presentations by leading voices in inclusive education and more than 20 concurrent sessions throughout the conference. Visit http://www.peakparent.org/pdf/2008brochure.pdf to download a brochure.
Tip of the Month
Independent Study Projects
At the heart of inclusive practices is the goal of meeting the needs of every child. In a classroom of diverse learners, this can be a challenging task.
Planning is a skill that teachers use every day. It is also a valuable skill for students to learn. As planning for a vacation can make us even more excited about going on the trip, involving students in the planning process can motivate them to become more active learners. Having input into the planning and implementation of a lesson creates a sense of ownership of the content and improves the chances of student success.
Inclusive Schooling Around the World
Including Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments in Afghanistan
As part of the USAID-funded Partnership for Advancing Community-based Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A), the International Rescue Committee is currently working in six provinces to bolster Afghanistan’s education system. Among their accomplishments, the education program enrolled over 5,000 students (including nearly 4,000 girls) in community-based schools, integrated over 3,500 students into government schools, conducted literacy training with 1,445 adults, and trained over 800 teachers.
The IRC’s child protection program conducts community education, health, and advocacy activities designed to raise awareness of the rights and needs of children, with particular attention to the needs of children with disabilities. These activities were implemented in 24 remote rural communities in Western Afghanistan, and through a pilot initiative 49 children with hearing and visual impairments were successfully integrated into the formal school system. To find out more about this program and other IRC sponsored programs, visit http://www.theirc.org/where/asia_afghanistan_programs.html.
Support the Week
Here’s how YOU can make a difference
Your purchase of products or tax-deductible contribution supports the work we are doing to support families, schools, and communities around the world to create awareness, build knowledge, and encourage systems change toward more inclusive educational opportunities for all children. We are a nonprofit, 501 (c) (3) organization, and we would be extremely grateful for your support! Celebration Kits, posters, pencils, and much more are available for purchase—and are useable anytime of year. Order now to distribute these materials at your upcoming workshops and professional meetings: https://www.inclusiveschools.org/order.cfm. Download and return your contribution form today.
