AC&E November-December 2019 by American Consortium for Equity in Education

AC&E

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE &

EQUITY

Every Student, Every School, Every Day

FEATURE:

Training and compassion drive special needs transportation

READ IT ON PAGE 24

NEW IN THIS ISSUE:

Association Leadership columns written exclusively for AC&E readers

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INSIDE:

Leverage project-based learning as a force for equity Use STEM education to activate dyslexic learners

See how extracurriculars can provide enrichment for all

...and so much more

ACE-ED.ORG | November/December 2019

Behind every letter is a story of trust. That story starts with a commitment to care. A commitment First Student makes by hiring the most dedicated drivers. Ones who pay just as much attention to the lives theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re transporting as the bus itself. From logistics and maintenance, to forward-thinking technology, everything we do is rooted in the belief that children deserve our best. Caring for Students: Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our First Priority.

FirstStudentInc.com 2

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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CONTENTS PROJECT BASED LEARNING IS A FORCE FOR EQUITY, AND ALL STUDENTS DESERVE IT John Larmer

DYSLEXIC STUDENTS AND STEM: A HIGHER EDUCATION FOUNDATION Barbara Wirostko (Morelli)

EXTRACURRICULARS OPEN THE DOOR TO ENRICHMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS Stephen Murley

TRAINING AND COMPASSION DRIVE FIRST STUDENTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S APPROACH TO TRANSPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Feature Article

CULTIVATING BELONGING Carey Borkoski

SIX WAYS EDUCATORS CAN BEGIN TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY TODAY Lance Rougeux

NAVIGATING THE SEA Lori Koerner

EQUITY AND DIVERSITY IN NORTH DAKOTA Kirsten Baesler

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

ASSOCIATION VIEWPOINTS C.A.S.E................................14 AASL...................................35 AESA...................................48 NAGC..................................52 EdMarket/EdSpaces.........68 INDUSTRY VOICES Dea Paoletta Auray..........10 Rob Waldron.....................20 Ronn Nozoe......................40 Kristin Barbour..................56 Marc Zimmerman.............62 Kate Eberle Walker..........76 INDEX OF OUR WONDERFUL ADVERTISERS

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PROJECT BASED LEARNING IS A FORCE FOR EQUITY, AND ALL STUDENTS DESERVE IT By John Larmer

ne of the hottest trends in education today is Project Based Learning (PBL), the teaching method in which students investigate an open-ended question or tackle a real-world problem, and make their work public. In recent years, my organization, PBLWorks (the new brand name for the Buck Institute for Education) has provided professional development and ongoing support for PBL to over 25,000 teachers and school leaders annually. More and more K-12 schools, not just charters but also magnet schools, career academies, and a small but growing number of “regular” schools in districts around the country are rethinking traditional ideas about what and how to teach 21st century students.

student learning in many important ways, and increases students’ sense of agency and engagement in their education.

However, Project Based Learning is not yet widely viewed as a force for educational equity— but it should be. We have seen PBL work for all students, including those who are historically underserved: English Language Learners, special needs students, low-income students, and students of color. We don’t oversell PBL; it’s not a panacea, and unlike the promises of many commercial purveyors of curriculum materials and instructional tools, we don’t say it will raise test scores overnight. But our experience and a growing number of research studies (see pblworks.org/research) show that PBL improves

In an 11th grade chemistry project, students in Brooklyn, NY learned about the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and considered the effects of “environmental racism” on other low-income communities, including their own. They designed experiments to find out which corrosive inhibitors work best on lead pipes, got feedback and coaching from local experts, and sent their report to graduate students at Virginia Tech University and to officials in Flint.

First, let’s clarify what PBL is and is not. You probably remember doing “projects” when you were in school, or perhaps you’ve seen your own child assigned a “project” as homework. Maybe it was building a model of the pyramids of Egypt, or researching and making a presentation about a famous inventor, or a making a poster about a novel. We draw a distinction between these “dessert projects” and the much more rigorous and in-depth “main course” projects we help teachers design and implement, like the following examples:

In a middle school project, students present compelling stories about community issues

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

that need attention as part of a local, TED-style “Ideas Summit.” Students interview community members and gather both quantitative and qualitative data, then present their stories as a means of inspiring others to take action. To help guarantee the quality of “main course” Project Based Learning, we developed a model we call “Gold Standard PBL.” It has two parts: first are the Essential Project Design Elements. We also describe seven Project Based Teaching Practices to counter the stereotype that teachers are only “facilitators” in PBL and don’t actually “teach” students or actively guide them. Here are three reasons why PBL should be provided to historically underserved students: 1. Project Based Learning promotes deeper learning and builds 21st century success skills. Students need to know more than superficial factual knowledge. In a world where information is readily accessible, they need to know how to evaluate it and apply it. To be able to think about the complex issues we face today, students need to understand the key concepts that underlie academic disciplines, not simply memorize facts and regurgitate them on a test. And in the modern workplace, employees need skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, communication, project management, and creativity—all of which are gained through PBL. These should be goals for all students, not just some. 2. Project Based Learning makes school more meaningful and engaging. Most students, especially at the secondary level, are bored at school, at least some of the time. Many are bored most of the time. This can lead to disengagement from learning, behavior and attendance issues, and even dropping out. Not that schoolwork always has to be “fun,” but when students’ hearts are engaged by a good project, their minds will follow.

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Students who have been historically underserved by our education system are especially in need of the authentic engagement that comes with PBL when teachers design projects that speak to students’ lives, cultures, and identities. Just telling these students to work hard on assignments that seem irrelevant to their lives “because you’ll need this later” is not going to cut it. Schoolwork should be meaningful to them now. 3. Project Based Learning can be transformative for students. PBL projects that focus on real-world issues or problems, or bring students into contact with people in local communities or more distant experts and stakeholders, like the two examples above, can give students experiences they rarely have in traditional classrooms. When students make an impact on their community or the wider world, they gain a sense of their own agency, which is especially important for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. They show, to adults and to themselves, that they can take responsibility and are ready to contribute to solutions. In projects that expose students to the adult world of work, career interests can be awakened. Why isn’t PBL provided to all students? There are many answers to this question, ranging from beliefs about historically underserved students, to our test-based accountability system, to structural constraints in schools. Since PBL is still only beginning to make inroads into mainstream classrooms and schools, it’s not like the majority of students from advantaged backgrounds are currently experiencing PBL either. But we see these four challenges that especially impact access to PBL for students who are furthest from educational opportunity: •

PBL is often reserved for gifted programs, or special add-ons like genius hours or maker spaces, which are more often seen in wealthier schools. We advocate for PBL to be a regular (if not necessarily the only) form of instruction throughout a school’s program. 7

•

The importance of standardized tests makes teachers and school leaders hesitant to shift to PBL. However, schools that have high test scores might feel more freedom to try PBL; those with low test scores often stick to literacy and math programs that focus solely on raising them. Some educators believe their students are not “ready” for PBL and need to build skills first. All too often, this results in students who are “below grade level” being given stacks of worksheets and low-level tasks. Needless to say, this usually disengages them further from school. With well-designed projects and appropriate scaffolding, all students can handle PBL. Too many teachers, particularly some white teachers of students of color, have low expectations for their students. “Main course” PBL strikes them as far out of reach

for “their kids.” It’s not; PBL teachers tell us they’re often pleasantly surprised by what their students can accomplish. We can overcome these challenges. In our work with schools and districts, we’re seeing it happen; no matter what their background or where they live, more and more students are being engaged by their teachers in high-quality PBL, and seeing the results. Let’s get to it—because all students deserve the benefits PBL delivers!

John is editor in chief at PBLWorks, having also served as director of product development and associate director since joining the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) in 2001. Previously, John was a senior program associate at WestEd, where he was a consultant to middle schools and high schools in the use of standards and assessments.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

LITTLE BIG HORN WAS CUSTER’S BRASS BAND. What they hear isn’t always clear. That’s why we not only improve classroom sound quality, we empower kids and inspire participation. So there’s more room for discussion. And less room for confusion.

FrontRow wants to help you overcome the invisible barriers to learning with the Juno classroom audio system for your classroom. To get you started, FrontRow will donate the first 20% of material costs on any Juno project. We’ll also promote your project to help you get the most exposure possible with your community.

www.gofrontrow.com/donorschoose

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INDUSTRY VOICE Dea Paoletta Auray CEO/CoFounder, Empowering Writers

What does your company do?

E As co-founder/ author and CEO of Empowering Writers, Dea Paoletta Auray is, first and foremost, an educator. A seasoned presenter and author of more than 20 books on writing, Dea is an educator, trainer, coach, creator of professional development and resources, and entrepreneur. She has presented to thousands of teachers across North America.

mpowering Writers is an educational company that focuses on professional development and developing comprehensive resources for educators that teach the practical skills necessary for students to become proficient writers and strategic readers. We have been in business for 22 years and work with schools across the country. Empowering Writers was born out of a need in our own classrooms. Teaching the writing process to a classroom full of students was challenging at best. To be able to meet the range of needs of our students and maximize instructional time we developed an innovative approach and methodology that allowed us to deliver lessons in a meaningful and manageable way. Too often students are asked to write whole pieces without understanding the foundational work that goes into creating that whole piece. With our approach, writing is broken down into discrete skills and students are taught these skills in isolation, making the writing process something everyone of all abilities can successfully engage in. And as students learn the writing skills, seamless connections are made to reading. These connections make text accessible for all. What do you think is one of the greatest challenges in education today? In terms of challenges in education, if we turn our focus toward curriculum and instruction I think one of the greatest

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

challenges teachers have is how to meet all the demands of the curriculum. There is no question our teachers are pressed for time. One of the ways we support our educators is to instruct and reinforce the idea that the traditional “writing block” has changed. The best way to make the most of our limited instructional time is to show teachers how the foundational work we do in writing is related to reading and the work we do in all content areas. Understanding author’s craft is critical work for comprehension, analyzing and synthesizing text. This recursive nature of instruction reinforces learning and makes valuable connections for students of all abilities. What are you most proud of about your company in today’s educational world? We know that you can’t be good at everything so in our company we work to be great at what we know best. We can take a subject that is challenging to teach and make it both manageable and doable for all teachers. We create high quality content that is effective and standards aligned. Through fidelity and consistency of instruction our methodology makes it possible for all students to succeed. We partner with our districts, listen to what they need, understand their challenges, and develop a plan that will deliver the results they are hoping to see. The fact that we do all of this really well makes me proud to be part of a company that has changed instructional practices for the better.

Who teaches teachers how to teach writing? We do.

From teacher prep to professional development, most teachers never receive formal training in delivering effective writing instruction. Empowering Writers is here to help. We provide teachers with professional development focused on effective writing instruction through reading and text experiences. We help teachers overcome apprehensions about writing instruction, maximize writing time through reading connections, learn to accurately assess student progress and success, and develop a common language across the curriculum to create a community of writers in your school. Click here to check out our free checklist of 5 Keys to Improving Writing Instruction and Student Achievement today!

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â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mr. Brian Delaney, Principal Douglas Public Schools, MA after realizing a 30% increase in ELA scores for their 6th-8th-grade students. Get EVERYONE on the same page. Take the bold approach; this is what we are doing and it will work if we are consistent! Train every teacher, in every class. Use the same language in every grade in every class. Use the same graphic organizers. Do the little things every time to build discipline.

www.empoweringwriters.com

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4 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED WITH MUSIC INCLUSION BY DEBORAH NELSON

Deborah Nelson is a music teacher at the Royal Palm School in Florida.

MUSIC Group music making projects are an easy place to start. Naturally social and multisensory. The extensive array of digital interfaces for music making helps to include special needs students in more meaningful and beneďŹ cial activities.

AAC Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices (AAC). AAC has really come a long way in the last few years with some great apps that are much easier to use, offering lots of choice in format and complexity. These platforms provide students with the opportunity to be part of the group, taking part in decisions and choices. To be heard and included. 12

MULTISENSORY There are a range of teaching techniques that involve realia, concrete objects, videos, pictures, proprietary icons, along with supports for students with low vision, no vision, low hearing, no hearing, and sensory issues all help to link the new declarative knowledge or the procedural knowledge to prior knowledge. The specialists at your school would love to help with integration projects. Multisensory work is naturally inclusive and can enable students to engage with peers on a variety of levels.

SONGS Going back to music there is so much you can do with a simple song. By examining the framework of early childhood songs one can naturally incorporate developmentally appropriate and age appropriate musical experiences in a social format. Think about call and response songs, verse and refrain songs, cumulative songs, action song, dance songs, game songs, and story songs to name a few. These forms all can be modiďŹ ed and creatively applied to learning with new lyrics that pertain to content areas.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Get started with creating social inclusion in your classroom with Skoogmusic and TippyTalk. Skoogmusic and TippyTalk are changing the classroom environment for the better. Watch the video below to see for yourself.

FREE WEBINAR Creating social inclusion in your classroom is just a click away! Sign up for a FREE WEBINAR where you will learn how to make the classroom inclusive for everyone.

C.A.S.E. VIEWPOINT (COUNCIL OF ADMINISTRATORS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION)

Adam Leckie Assistant Superintendent Florence Unified School District, AZ

Adam Leckie has worked with individuals with disabilities for over 16 years and in public education for the past 10 years. He has worked as a Special Education Teacher, Special Education Department Chair, Special Education Instructional Specialist, Special Education Director, and most recently the Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services. In that time Adam has improved the outcomes for students in the Florence Unified School District with disabilities through a focus on inclusive practices, high quality instruction, and effective behavioral supports. In addition to his work in the public school system, Adam taught university courses on applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and autism to master’s students. He was named the Early Career Special Education Director of the Year in 2015 and Arizona Administrator of the Year in 2019.

The CASE for Change

ver since the landmark passage of public law 94-142 which guaranteed the rights of those with disabilities to be educated in public schools, educators have been focused on providing an equitable education to those with special needs. This law and subsequent revisions better known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), provides the promise of an education for students with exceptionalities that is commensurate with those of their non-disabled peers. So far it has been a promise “yet” to be fulfilled. Over 40 years have passed and still we struggle to provide access and equity for our students whose learning needs differ from “typical” students. As an organization, the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) has been vigilant in its efforts to support those who have the responsibility of implementing programs designed to fulfill the mandate of the IDEA. It is the goal of all special education administrators to move the system towards the goal of equity for those with exceptionalities. Our country has always held equity, fairness, and justice as guiding principles, often falling short of these ideals, but with a recognition that striving ever forward means improving ourselves as a people and as a country. Administrators of special education have a unique responsibility in shaping practices, policies, and perspectives in advancement towards true educational equity. Many of our public schools have yet to close the achievement gap and this continually drives special education administrators

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

to seek answers and to advocate for change. The relentless pursuit of equity on behalf of special educators demonstrates a passion and moral determination giving us hope that we will someday reach the point where all students in our country can receive the same level of educational opportunity. Often education becomes a political lever to be pulled in the advancement of ideological agendas, but special education is one issue that bridges the divide. A common obstacle often unifies all individuals towards a common goal and purpose. The recognition that special education can be that unifying force for change to improve the lives of students, staff, and communities should be leveraged in the discourse about public schools. CASE continues to make this a priority as its core mission; to educate lawmakers, to support educators, and to continue to push us ever closer to a system that ensures all students receive the education they deserve.

See Them Stretch i-Ready helps you set ambitious, yet attainable, goals for each student and put them on the path toward proficiency and beyond.

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DYSLEXIC STUDENTS AND STEM; A HIGHER EDUCATION FOUNDATION By Barbara Wirostko (Morelli)

he Joseph James Morelli Legacy Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization and our mission is to honor Joseph’s spirit. Joseph James Morelli was severely dyslexic but missed being detected and diagnosed until he was successfully failing in 9th grade. With accommodations and an Individual Education Plan (IEP), Joseph excelled, receiving an award in science and math from the State of Utah on his ACTs. His self-confidence grew, and the depression and low self-esteem improved, even though he was at a 6th grade reading level when he graduated from Park City High School in 2012. He started at Montana State University (MSU), focusing on mechanical engineering and excelled socially and academically because in his words “he now felt good about himself”. He loved Bozeman and the outdoors: camping, skiing, and fishing. Joseph was 20 years old and a junior at MSU in Bozeman, MT, when he was tragically killed in a car accident while camping in West Yellowstone with friends in the fall of 2014. Although Joseph was severely dyslexic and diagnosed late in high school, he found his strength, self-esteem, and identity: loving life, studying mechanical engineering, making the Dean’s list, skiing, and being in the great outdoors.

As Joseph’s family, we realized that without the financial and emotional support, Joseph’s academic and social story could have been very different. When he was diagnosed, he was despondent, had low self-esteem and was depressed. The ability to give a student the accommodations they so desperately need can be life changing! We clearly saw that with Joseph. When Joseph died we wanted to help students like Joseph, who perhaps where struggling in school, feeling less than adequate and who did not have the resources and or information to get the testing and the accommodations that transformed Joseph’ academic life. The scholarship was started in Joseph’s memory to help other young adults with learning differences like Joseph who are pursuing a STEM field after high school. To help them get the recognition, support, and some financial help that can so drastically impact their lives. The financial support that we provide may be used towards tuition, books, testing, tutoring, assistive technology, or any other resource that students require to obtain accommodations and or support to assist in navigating an often highly stressful and challenging learning environment. But even greater than the financial support, our scholarship awardees over the years tell us that

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

See the Vision i-Ready helps teams strive toward shared goals through a common language around data, supportive action plans, and tools to stay on track. Uncover your districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path to growth for all students.

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the scholarship offers recognition, provides confidence, and validates their struggles; emotionally, socially and academically. In the words of a recent 2019 awardee Aja Capel, Urbana, IL “Charles Schwab, a famous dyslexic, once said, “The only thing that interfered with my education was the limits others kept trying to put on me. Passion is the great slayer of adversity.” Many times I can see a solution to something differently and quicker than other people. I see the end zone and say, “This is where I want to go.” Robotics and bridging the STEM gap are my passions. Getting my mechanical engineering degree is my college end zone. This generous scholarship will help me get there. Thank you very much for seeing beyond the limits the world tries to put on me. “ Through the awarding of scholarships, we RECOGNIZE students who like Joseph who struggle with dyslexia and EMPOWER them to BELIEVE in themselves. Recently I was asked to give a TedX talk in Bozeman on the challenges of dyslexia and Joseph’s story. We are one of only a few scholarships in the US for young adults with dyslexia and since 2014 we have supported 77 students with $150,000! Since 2015 we have received a total of 600+ scholarship applications and in 2019 alone we have been able to award $66,000 to 41 students in 28 states. However, what the biggest learning has been through this process is that these students as they move to post-secondary educations are STILL fighting and struggling to get their accommodations! IEPs do not transfer after high school and the 504 system is processed differently. These young adults are now fighting for themselves in large institutions where there are great disparities across the country. Some institutions do a great job with visible and welcoming disability centers. They have adapted processes that set students up for success. Yet many of our large state 18

institutions have been failing our awardees the “processes” are onerous, implementation is a struggle, faculty have no concept on the need for accommodations, and the centers for disabilities are understaffed and hidden in remote basements. Whether or not a student gets “time and a half” could mean the difference between passing and failing. I have witnessed it. It is such a loss, such a shame – trying to learn and wanting a degree should not be so hard to achieve. We need to do better for these students. One does not just suddenly graduate from high school and be “cured” of a learning challenge. The disability centers do not belong hidden in the basement so that even the college tour guides fail to know they exit. These offices need to be visible, in the Student Centers, enabling students who learn differently to be proud, empowered and to have access to the help they need. We would not think of putting a deaf student in a lecture hall without sign language and or hearing aids. Why do we make it so difficult for students who learn differently to get access to what they need. This is about Accessibility, Compliance & EQUITY. How can you participate? If you are a high school and or college student with a learning challenge like dyslexia and are pursuing a career in STEM, we invite you to apply for one of our scholarships. If you would like to learn more, volunteer, or donation to help us continue to recognize these students and empower them to believe in themselves, check out our website morelli.foundation A fun fact – Joseph loved tie-dye and the Grateful Dead. To learn more, visit our new website: www.Morelli.Foundation

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Barbara Wirostko (Morelli) MD is the mother of the late Joseph James Morelli and the founder of the Joseph James Morelli Legacy Foundation. Barb received her BA from Cornell University and her MD from Columbia University.

See Your Impact Teachers play the most important role in student success. See how i-Ready helps you show progress and celebrate every studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gains.

i-Ready.com/Discover ACE-ED.ORG

INDUSTRY VOICE Rob Waldron CEO, Curriculum Associates

What does your company do?

Rob Waldron joined Curriculum Associates as Chief Executive Officer in 2008, bringing leadership experience from both for-profit and nonprofit education worlds. He runs the company with a longterm focus, upholding the founding mission to improve classrooms everywhere. Under his leadership, revenues have increased more than seven-fold, making Curriculum Associates the nation’s fastestgrowing K–12 education publishing company.

his year we’re celebrating a milestone at Curriculum Associates—50 years partnering with schools across the U.S. Over the years, we’ve introduced a variety of innovative products to support learning in a number of ways, but our purpose has always remained constant: we want to make classrooms better places for teachers and students. We serve over 8 million students and educators in districts across the country, providing both print and digital tools along with award-winning ongoing implementation support and professional development to help all learners meet and exceed relevant standards. Our online diagnostic and instruction tool, i-Ready, is a resource with which many of your readers may be familiar. For almost a decade now, i-Ready has helped teachers deliver personalized instruction that pinpoints students’ needs in reading and math. What does the term educational equity mean to you? We believe that equity in education means raising the bar and making it reachable for all. Put another way, we want to increase expectations for all students, because we understand how talented and capable our learners are, and then provide the necessary supports to make these equitable outcomes achievable.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

One of the ways we keep equity topof-mind is through our understanding that there is no such thing as a “typical” student. It’s why we support teachers’ ability to personalize and differentiate instruction as a prominent part of our programs, especially i-Ready, and why we have teams that specifically account for the needs of diverse learners, including special education students, students of all different socioeconomic backgrounds, and linguistically diverse students as we develop our products and instructional strategies. It’s not just about having the right tools, no matter how good a curriculum product or edtech tool may be. Professional development matters. How do you encourage and train educators to use and work with your products? You’re right on target with this observation: we know that tools alone can’t help students… the key ingredient is the educator. For that reason, we place enormous focus and resources on equipping teachers for success, providing rich implementation and ongoing support. Our commitment to service is reflected in our makeup, with over 40 percent of our employees in a service-oriented role. Our service team includes tech support, customer service, a professional development staff that helps teachers in the classroom, and account managers who are looking at usage and providing support.

Seeing Is Believing When students can see their own growth, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re inspired to reach even higher. Discover how i-Ready helps all students succeed.

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EXTRACURRICULARS OPEN THE DOOR TO ENRICHMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS By Stephen Murley

he benefits of extracurriculars are clear. Research indicates that participation in extracurricular activities can lead to higher self-esteem and academic success in students. Participating in activities outside of school offers important academic, social and emotional benefits to all students, but can be especially impactful to students of low-income or minority families. Our experience in the Iowa City Community School District has solidified my belief in the value of extracurriculars and reinforced the importance of ensuring access to all programs for all students. Whether an extracurricular is managed by one of our schools or is offered by a local partner, our community has banded together to foster equity and remove barriers to participation in programs. As a result, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to extend and ensure access to extracurriculars for every student.

Communicating value The first step in getting students involved is to raise awareness about the importance and value of extracurriculars. Districts must be advocates for programs, helping families understand the benefits that extracurricular activities can bring to their student.

The first step in getting students involved is to raise awareness about the importance and value of extracurriculars. To help in this mission, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve implemented a full-time student and family advocate position in every school in our district. These professionals create and nurture relationships among students, their families and our schools, while also helping families to navigate the sometimesoverwhelming education system.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Students and their families may not actively seek out extracurricular opportunities for financial reasons. We’re fortunate to have a Community Education Fund that provides scholarships covering the cost of participation in after-school and summer activities for students in need. In addition to this support, our student and family advocates also connect families to resources outside of our district that offer financial assistance, such as the United Way. We also understand that transportation and home responsibilities can pose a challenge for students. Our sponsorship fund helps to pay for transportation to and from activities, and our teachers, administration and advocates collaborate in communicating the value of programs to parents and guardians. This multistrategy approach can be a make or break in encouraging a student to participate in a program. Serving every student Approximately 45 percent of our 14,000-plus students are minorities, and 39 percent come from low-income households. Seven percent of our students are the children of immigrants, and altogether there are 94 languages spoken in our schools. We’re proud to be a diverse district, and we realize the importance of serving every student’s unique needs. To overcome potential lingual and cultural barriers, we’re incredibly proactive in ensuring that students and their families are aware of the opportunities and resources available to them. We use multiple forms of communication to get in touch with families, including our website, inperson and through Peachjar, which streamlines school-to-home communication in the form of digital flyers. With these resources, we’re able to offer information in multiple languages and share materials that are written in students’ home language. All of our digital flyers are WCAG 2.0 A & AA compliant, so they can be read by those who are visually impaired with the help of a screen reader. ACE-ED.ORG

We’ve found that a combination of face-to-face and digital communication, offering translation services and being vigilant in ADA compliance is critical in getting information to students. But, consistency in communication is the next big step. Consistency is key Perhaps most important is to ensure consistency in outreach and support. Families may not immediately enroll their students in programs, but if information is being shared regularly through multiple mediums, you can at least ensure that they have access to it. Participation in after-school or summer programs, whether they are academic, athletic or something else entirely, is an invaluable opportunity for underserved student populations to boost their skillset and self-confidence. Extracurriculars contribute to students’ academic and socialemotional development, giving an opportunity to become a member of a community, and to feel involved. All of these factors can contribute in helping students to feel more connected to their school, to find a sense of belonging and to experience success. If more districts can take on the task of helping families to understand the value of extracurriculars and prioritize communication, it’s possible to remove barriers to participation and close the achievement gap.

Stephen F. Murley has served as Superintendent of the Iowa City Community School District since July 2010. Prior to arriving in Iowa, he served three school districts in Wisconsin as a teacher, coach, building administrator, human resources director, and superintendent.

COVER STORY

HOW TRAINING AND COMPASSION DRIVE

FIRST STUDENT’S

APPROACH TO TRANSPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

hen it comes to transporting students with disabilities, First Student drivers and attendants are in a class of their own. These individuals are specifically chosen for their compassion and their dedication to caring for all students, no matter their abilities. Once they’re carefully selected, they undergo a comprehensive training program that encompasses many facets of transporting students with disabilities. It’s a First Student training program thoughtfully and deliberately implemented to address a large and growing demographic. The population of students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has grown at a rate significantly higher than the general education population. Students served under IDEA currently account for approximately 13 percent of the total education population. First Student drivers, who transport 12,000 students with disabilities each day, are prepared for this, bringing a wealth of knowledge and highly tuned skills to the job. The training program includes cross-disability training, which readies driving teams for potential accommodations that current or future students may need. The training equips these teams with more tools to aid them in properly and safely caring for students with developmental disabilities, as well as with constantly updated safety strategies for transporting children with physical disabilities.

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ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE &

EQUITY

Every Student, Every School, Every Day

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Inspiring association leadership columns written exclusively for Thanks to continual AC&E readers

FEATURE:

Training and compassion drive special needs transportation

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Leverage project-based learning as a force for equity Ready your school for the increase in deaf and hard of hearing students in mainstream classrooms Use STEM education to activate dyslexic learners

professional development ...and so much more such as workshops, on-the-job training, and ACE-ED.ORG 2019 hands-on exercises, First| November/December Student drivers and attendants are equipped with knowledge and skills in a variety of areas. They’re able to manage behavioral challenges, provide for individual needs relating to verbal and nonverbal communication styles, secure wheelchairs and other needed equipment properly, and communicate effectively with parents. Due to First Student’s compassionate approach, these professionals build bonds with students that can last far beyond the school year.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Learn how mindfulness is emerging as a tool for equity

A successful model for special needs transportation in Milwaukee For more than 30 years, First Student has partnered with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Each day in Milwaukee, First Student transports between 1,200 and 1,500 students with physical and developmental disabilities across 159 of the more than 500 routes the company operates. First Student drivers and attendants spend extra time in training and on the job to give children with disabilities the attention, time, and care they need to ensure their ride is safe, comfortable, and stress-free. Willis, First Student’s Milwaukee David location manager, has been in the industry transporting individuals with physical and developmental disabilities for 37 years. “What keeps me interested in this work is the same thing I most enjoyed when I first started: the children’s excitement from the moment they see you at their doorstep until you put them onto the bus. It’s the best part of your day,” he says. The relationships between drivers, students, and parents are extremely important to David. It’s why he so thoughtfully chooses his driving team, because he knows the roles the team members play in children’s lives are so significant. Some MPS bus drivers maintain the same route for several years, proudly watching their student riders grow up into high school graduates. They show patience, courtesy, and understanding to student riders and their parents. And they constantly work at enhancing their skills and care. During open sessions at monthly safety meetings, they share testimonials and request support from others if a behavioral issue emerges. According to David, “We learn so much from sitting down with our drivers and attendants and listening to the unique situations on their buses. Some may have discovered what works well for them and will share their thoughts with another individual in their position who needs advice. First Student will also reach out to the district for expertise to identify solutions with bus personnel.” ACE-ED.ORG

First Student remains diligent about ensuring compliance with new state standards and developing new best practices. The resources used to carefully select and expertly train bus staff show First Student’s partners that they have an unsurpassed network of support. Because of this, David and his team can concentrate on the children. “We focus on our passengers,” David observes. “Our drivers and attendants have such a compassionate attitude toward the children they transport. No matter what happens, they go the extra mile to take care of them as their own.” Success in the field This compassionate attitude is found in First Student’s bus staff in communities throughout North America, and it’s exemplified by a driver for Oregon’s Central Point School District. She’s built a close relationship with one of her students with a disability, earning the trust of the student and her family. “I’m appreciative of the fact that my daughter is transported by a driver I trust, who has become a friend to our family,” says the student’s mother. “She keeps me informed of my daughter’s daily activities or events coming up at school. She has good interactions with her teachers, and she relays that information to our family. My daughter has limited communication skills, so it’s important to have the driver relay information to us on a daily basis.” This compassionate attitude has also earned First Student drivers and attendants much-deserved accolades. In 2012, Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota recognized First Student driver Ford Thompson with its Charlie Parnell Memorial Award. The award honors a school professional who goes above and beyond to enhance the lives of students with disabilities. It’s this respect and compassion, coupled with comprehensive training, that helps define First Student drivers and attendants and, in turn, strengthen the entire student transportation industry.

FirstStudentInc.com 26

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Amplify learning from the front row to the last

MimioClarity Classroom Audio System: The First Step to Learning Is Hearing. MimioClarity™ is a new type of classroom audio system consisting of a 60-watt amplifier, speakers (ceiling and wall-mounted versions), a teacher microphone, and student microphone. The lesson and teacher’s voice are not just made louder, but evenly distributed throughout the room via strategically placed speakers. Teachers can use a quieter, more natural tone instead of straining to project their voice to the back of the room—all with simplified one-button linking. Now every student will have the acoustical advantage associated with sitting in the front row, allowing them to hear and engage with the lesson and content.

Hear about the difference at boxlight.com/mimioclarity

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MimioClarity is a networked device allowing for easy management and updates, and even connecting with existing school audio systems.

CULTIVATING BELONGING By Carey Borkoski

ow many times have you heard “we are all in this together” or “we are a team” or any form of this idea of being in something together? I suspect all of us, at one time or another have heard these words or some expression evoking similar ideas. While the individual expressing this sentiment may believe in the notion, it is not enough to say that a group is together in something. We cannot assume that by saying these words out loud that this will happen. Being “together” requires more than an inspirational speech. It requires that the individual saying the words knows the followers AND the followers trust the leader/individual. In my view, it requires belonging. Define belonging “Do I belong here?” is one of the questions Walton and Brady (2017) explore in their chapter, “The Many Questions of Belonging”, in The Handbook of Competence and Motivation. Walton and Brady explain that the question suggests two important aspects of belonging: who ‘I’ am and what the setting allows. This concept of belonging requires us to focus on individual development as well

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WriQ was awarded Tech & Learning’s Best of Show at ISTE

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as development of the environment in order to cultivate belonging. In an educational setting this might mean we are working with individuals such as leaders, administrators, teachers, and students on their own sense of self and belonging. It also means that attention is required with respect to the setting itself – schools, classrooms, offices, playgrounds, or virtual communities. We often confuse belonging with fitting in. Authentic community building and cultivating a sense of belonging is not about figuring out how to blend into your environment OR augmenting the environment to align with any one individual. When there is belonging, the individuals in the community believe and trust that they are valued as people within the community. This is not about assimilation or congruence. Instead, it’s about creating feelings of social connectedness, support, and respect. Brené Brown (2015) suggests that human beings are wired for connection and as educators, our ability to support personal development and create an environment of belonging leads to stronger student-to-student, teacher-to-teacher, and student-teacher connections. James Comer (2001) also notes that significant learning does not happen without significant relationship. Significant relationships and authentic connections require attending to individual belonging as well as the identity and messages inherent in our learning environments. We do not want our students to blend into our classrooms. Instead, students should feel valued and appreciated for contributing to, rather than merely aligning with, the environment. Why should we care about belonging? Who does it benefit? There is consensus in the literature about the benefits of a student’s sense of belonging. Researchers suggest that higher levels of belonging lead to increases in GPA, academic achievement, and motivation (Layous, Nelson, Kurtz, & Lyubomirsky, 2017; Walton & Carr, 2012). Cook, Purdie-Vaughns, Garcia, and Cohen (2012) also found that a sense of belonging may even act as a protective factor for lower achievement 30

in middle school students. In other words, building belonging acts as a way to reduce the risk of lower achievement for middle school students. As educators, integrating belonging into our strategies may offer a way to prevent future academic challenges for our students. And, although there is a dearth of literature related to belonging in higher education settings, there is some evidence to suggest that belonging in college students reduces feelings of isolation and may contribute to higher rates of persistence, retention, and graduation (Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, Hooper, & Cohen, 2017). It is also important to note that creating and cultivating a sense of belonging with and for students in classrooms might represent the only opportunity or setting in the day where they experience belonging. A strong sense of belonging is connected to improved outcomes including academics, happiness, relationships with peers and teachers, motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy, along with a reduction in behavior issues. While it is evident that students benefit from cultivating individual and place-based belonging, it is also reasonable to suggest that attention to this element of learning contributes to teacher sense of efficacy and connection to their classrooms and schools, which may contribute to higher levels of productivity and longer tenure in their professional context. This is important because there is also consensus that teachers represent the most important in-school factor to student achievement (Coleman et. al, 1966; Gamoran & Long, 2006). What can we do to cultivate belonging? Cultivating a sense of belonging may conjure a little eyerolling and “here we go again with education reform.” I would, however, posit that belonging and community building are fundamental to learning. Moreover, implementing the decisions, actions, and strategies related to community building and belonging is not meant as an additive element to anyone’s already heavy workload, but rather

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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as an integrative way to enhance and strengthen existing strategies and ways of doing and learning. I think the good news is that many teachers are already doing this work in their classrooms with their students. We need to leverage those experiences and individuals and expand the reach of cultivating belonging. While there are many proven interventions in the literature, such as culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2002), equity pedagogy (Banks & Banks, 1995), and appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2001), these strategies often require significant professional learning and changes to current practices. On the other hand, cultivating belonging may be more practical. For example, teachers may use interest interviews (Walkington, Sherman, & Howell, 2014) to cultivate belonging. In this kind of an activity, teachers assign homework where students respond to a series of interview questions, and in a later session or class, peers exchange responses and introduce each other to the class. In this way, teachers provide an opportunity for everyone in the community to start to hear from each other and learn about their own experiences and context. Additionally, the data in the interviews and insights gained provide content for later lessons, activities, and homework assignments. Drawing from studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences and contexts as part of teaching and learning can assist teachers with augmenting the setting so that it allows and accounts for more individual experiences and creates opportunities for integrating representation and role models into the course content (Covarrubias & Fryberg, 2015). This is just one example of how educators and students can work together to cultivate belonging through attention to the individual (i.e. asking questions and listening to student interviews) and the environment or, in this case, the classroom. Students working on the assignments and activities will see themselves (i.e., individual work) in the assignments and start to build trust that the teacher knows and cares about the students in the classroom space (i.e., environment work). This is cultivating belonging. 32

There are a number of ways to build community and cultivate belonging, including the use of bridging media, which refers to the integration of low-stakes shared referents to promote discourse and deep learning (Ke, 2010). These can take many forms, such as videos from YouTube, podcasts, stories or narratives from articles, books or magazines, and other artifacts. The idea behind the shared referents is that the tools offer a means to shift the learning environment from a new and potentially unfamiliar setting into one that is more familiar and, perhaps comfortable as a result of the familiar artifact. Moreover, effective facilitation and discussion prompts draw the learnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention to ways in which the content may align with their own familiar experiences. For example, when watching a science or math video, consider asking students for examples in their daily lives that are similar or related to the topic at hand. Instead of taking responsibility for identifying examples, shift the focus to the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lived experiences and invite students to share and compare. Again, working with the individual and the environment helps to cultivate a sense of belonging. As a community of learners, we should be aware of how we speak to our students and describe experiences. Avoiding deficit language and promoting an appreciative or strengthsbased approach also contributes to feelings of belonging and garners trust and connection among individuals. It is also important that as educators, we are doing our own reflective work. This might include reflecting or debriefing individually or in a group to check for bias, strengthening our ability to empathize, and raising our own awareness about our individual students and the environment in which they/we are learning. Finally, I think it is critical to remember that as educators, we are also students. We need to give ourselves and our colleagues permission to learn, explore, make mistakes, and progress, just

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

as we would with students in our classrooms. Our capacity to cultivate belonging with our students and our colleagues is, in part, a function of our own feelings about our own belonging. Being intentional about supporting the individuals (student and teacher) and the environment where we work and teach (i.e. schools, classrooms, meeting rooms), will positively contribute to cultivating belonging in ourselves and our students.

thought from Brene Brown, who suggests that to truly belong, we must “belong thoroughly to ourselves and believe thoroughly in ourselves.” That is, our ability to reflect our individual and collective contributions and to create environments that invite us to participate in the community leads to authentic interactions where individuals in our communities experience true belonging and a desire to be part of something larger then themselves.

So, “Do I Belong Here?” I hope that in the end, when our educator-learners and student-learners walk into any setting that they/we will be able to respond “yes” to that question. If we attend to the individual as well as the environments in which we work, learn, and play, it is possible to cultivate this sense of belonging so that when our students leave our schools and enter new settings, they will feel a sense of belonging within themselves. Cultivating belonging in our schools and classrooms contributes to student preparedness for their journeys and courage to stand alone. I will leave you with one last

Carey Borkoski’s graduate research, Ph.D. dissertation and early publications focused on human capital accumulation and the relationship between different levels of education and earned wages. Her current role as an Assistant Professor in the School of Education remains focused on human capital accumulation but from the standpoint of understanding and improving the learning experiences and outcomes of all learners.

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Attend edWebinars Live or on demand CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION Make Learning Visible in Your Classroom Presented by Cari Wilson, Innovation and Technology Lead Teacher, West Vancouver School District, BC

___________________________________________________________________________ Name The requirements for this certificate have been completed. Number of clock hours: 1 Original Airdate: Thursday, January 24, 2019

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WHAT DISTRICT LEADERS CAN DO TO SUPPORT EQUITABLE CLASSROOMS IN THEIR SCHOOLS By Lanette Trowery

t McGraw-Hill, we believe that all students deserve the opportunity to thrive in a learning environment that suits their needs — that nurtures their strengths, acknowledges their individuality, and is dedicated to their success. In my work as a teacher educator and classroom coach, one of my greatest joys was seeing teachers grow their classrooms into true learning communities. It’s never easy or seamless work; the time and support needed to create a classroom that puts students’ needs front and center requires dedication to your craft, support from your team members and administration, and a continual desire to learn about your students. I want to share some of the lessons I learned from those teachers who worked tirelessly to create equitable classrooms that supported all learners. Driving a district toward equity begins with the classroom environment Why classroom environment? An equitable classroom is one where all students are supported to learn rigorous academics at their level, examine and critique the content and skills they are learning, and engage in critical inquiry of how what they are learning interacts

with the world around them. Doing high-level learning through critical analysis with your peers, taking risks and making mistakes, or engaging in discussions that draw on different, and sometimes uncomfortable, methods or worldviews requires students to be in a space where they feel safe and cared for. Taking time to develop a classroom environment that supports that work becomes the structure upon which equitable teaching and learning can find a foothold. Creating an equitable classroom environment that supports all learners As part of their equitable classroom environment, the teachers I worked with spent time developing a positive classroom community, which encompass the interactions between classroom members and the supportive learning relationship that can be developed among those members. Another aspect of the environment that the teachers built was the classroom climate - the degree to which their students felt safe and supported in the classroom and how that safety allowed students to critically consider their world. Finally, the teachers focused on the learning environment, which encompassed the structures and procedures that supported student learning and the academic attitudes

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developed in the classroom (1)(2). Utilizing students’ cultural competence to build a classroom community Equitable classroom communities designed to enhance cultural competence encourage students to be self-reflective about their multiple identities and how those identities can be used to create a positive life path. Teachers utilize students’ cultural competence as a vehicle for learning which allows students to maintain their cultural integrity as they strive for academic excellence. Knowing each student academically, socially, and personally supports a teacher’s ability to further understand student behaviors and how to address them. It is also important for teachers to critique their own responses to behaviors and determine the detriment and/ or benefit to learning each behavior represents and then respond accordingly (3). Creating a classroom climate that supports risk taking and critical analysis To engage in a critical stance about learning, students first need to feel safe in the classroom climate. Developing a safe classroom means teachers readily address issues and events that can potentially make students fearful and hesitant in their interactions with others. Then, teachers and students can develop a critical or problematic stance about both school and life through interrogation and dialogue. From analyzing why algorithms were developed and are used in math to considering multiple perspectives on why wars happen, developing a problematic stance in relation to everyday school learning is important. It develops the skill of critical inquiry in students that includes querying issues and ideas both in and out of school. Developing an academically focused learning environment In a learning environment that is focused on the academic achievement of all students, teachers encourage, reinforce, and produce ACE-ED.ORG

academic excellence in their students; students’ skills and abilities are valued and channeled in academically important ways (5). Providing structures, templates and academic protocols for students allows them to have a base upon which to build their learning and in turn, will scaffold students to tackle higher-level problems and tasks. Scaffolding opportunities to learn new material and grapple with challenging ideas encourages students to develop perseverance and dedication for their academic endeavors. Teachers also know that in order for students to be successful in the work that is expected of them, additional work may be needed on a regular basis – in and out of the classroom. This additional focused time allows teachers to attend to students’ academic identities and explore the ways those identities are tied together with their personal and cultural identities (5). We are invested in creating equitable schools Having well-crafted practices that reflect the deep consideration of equity in classrooms help teachers reflect on their habits, beliefs, and cultural vision. The development of a classroom designed to support critical inquiry of academic and social goals is grounded in the teacher’s awareness of the different forces coming to bear on their classroom practices. It is the teacher’s work to build a classroom environment that supports the high-level knowledge to be taught, the cultures students bring, and the practices that acknowledge, examine, and support student growth as learners. However, as an education community, it is up to all of us to provide all teachers with the tools, support, care, and guidance they need to do the difficult work of creating learning spaces that allow all students to flourish. To learn more on how we are invested in supporting districts in this effort, review our set of Equity Principles which can be used as guideposts for district leaders in their journey toward equitable schools.

INDUSTRY VOICE Ronn Nozoe CEO & Executive Director, ASCD

What does your company do?

Ronn Nozoe is Interim CEO and Executive Director of ASCD. Ronn is a lifelong educator with more than 20 years of experience successfully leading transformational change at the classroom, school, district, state, and national level. He is a child-focused and people-oriented leader passionate about bringing people together to work toward common goals.

e were originally founded as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development in 1943 and I’m proud to say that ASCD has spent 76 years embracing a unique and compelling set of core principles. We have focused not just on the academic goals of curriculum, but also on education’s broader social dimensions, including the development of students’ moral and creative capacities and an understanding of their diverse needs. Through our publications, books, conferences, advocacy work, digital resources, professional development services, and—perhaps most of all—our membership, ASCD has fostered a robust and ceaselessly questioning community of professional learners. Through all of these products, services, and events, our goal is consistent: to empower all educators and to ensure that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Ed tech makes a big difference out there in terms of Accessibility. How does your company make a difference? While we have never been focused on the ed-tech realm, our editors and content managers have made sure to elevate the people who are changing the ed tech world and share their voices with educators across the world. We have worked with the likes of Eric Sheninger, Monica Burns, and Jonathan Bergmann to

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create resources, guides, and presentations to get these innovation solutions into the hands of every educator. In 2017 we also launched the ASCD Activate Professional Learning Library, a collaborative learning community that provides schools and school districts with anytime access to digital materials that are evidence- and research-based, developed by educators for educators. Not all school districts can afford the time and dollars to provide professional learning for their faculty. Professional development matters. How do you encourage and train educators to use and work with your product? We focus on giving educators a lot of options for professional development. We understand that school districts don’t have unlimited budgets and we always want to deliver quality PD opportunities that are worth the investment and worth the time. We have a lot of tools that educators can use to get there, including conferences like Empower, Conference on Teaching Excellence, and Conferences on Educational Leadership and products like our books and QRGs. ASCD Activate also allows teachers and administrators to access our entire library of professional learning resources whenever it’s convenient for them. Our professional learning team is there to help school districts, administrators, and educators figure out the best options for them based on price point and need.

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SIX WAYS EDUCATORS CAN BEGIN TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY TODAY by Lance Rougeux

n the course of developing the recently launched Discovery Education Experience, I had the opportunity to connect with educators and learn not only what features and enhancements they wanted to see in our newly launched digital service, but also new strategies for improving equity in the classroom. Here are six of the best strategies I learned over the last eighteen months: Create a Diversified Content Policy

When a new concept is introduced in your classroom, make it policy to provide your students multiple types of content that explain the concept. Your learners will have choice in how they consume and process the information (e.g., video, images, audio). Make sure you provide different ways to deliver new concepts 42

to your students, as this will support a more cognitively engaging and equitable learning environment. Be Intentional with Your Strategies Simply using a video in place of a reading passage will not necessarily yield different results in terms of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding. Be intentional about the instructional strategies you use with the content. Videos are very effective as advance organizers. Have students practice citing evidence as they explore a series of images. Audio files can be used to help students create non-linguistic representations through mental imagery. Being intentional with the instructional strategy used alongside the content not only helps you provide greater access to the curriculum for diverse learners, it is

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

an opportunity to reinforce a range of additional literacy and critical thinking skills. Open Your Classroom to the World Many of our students have limited exposure to the world outside of their immediate neighborhoods. Tap into the array of opportunities to open the doors of your classroom. Have your class participate in a virtual field trip that connects your students to people and places they might not otherwise experience -- be it polar bear researchers in the Arctic or professional basketball executives in New York City. Seeking out these incredible learning experiences makes the curriculum even more relevant and equitable by exposing students to a broader range of possibilities that exist for their futures. Give Students Different Ways to Demonstrate Understanding In addition to differentiating the content your students consume and the process through which you introduce a topic, provide multiple ways for students to show what they know. Have learners create a digital project that enables them to demonstrate their understanding in different ways. By incorporating content you provide, along with resources they discover and create, their product will be more personal and representative of what they know. Differentiating how we evaluate our students’ mastery of concepts provides us with a more holistic view of their performance and offers more equitable opportunities for students to be successful. Provide Opportunities to Practice Collaboration When your students are working on a project, give them the opportunity to use digital platforms to learn how to collaborate and communicate in a positive and productive manner. Find a digital resource you trust that supports small group or classroom collaboration. Define and share your expectations with your students. Your rubric for assessing their performance should focus on content knowledge as well as how their group ACE-ED.ORG

worked together and communicated with each other. Have a daily class debrief to showcase groups who are modeling what you expect. Some students might not have support outside of school to learn these essential skills so don’t shy away from making this a core part of your learning environment. Make Professional Learning Personal Tap into on-demand resources that help you grow every day, and personalize your professional learning plan. Take a self-paced interactive course, join a Twitter chat, or pose a question in your social networks about something you are trying to implement in your classroom. As you lean on peers from all over the world for instructional inspiration, you’ll not only find new strategies, you’ll be introduced to a wealth of other learning opportunities for your students. The more you grow professionally, the more equitable your learning environment will be for your students. These are just a few of the best strategies I learned from educators I had the good fortune to meet and interact with over the last eighteen months. There are many more available in many places across the web, including in Discovery Education Experience. But where you get your strategies is not important. What is important is that you begin to reassess equity within your classroom today....because your students are depending on it.

Lance Rougeux currently serves as Vice President of Learning Communities and Educational Consultants at Discovery Education where he leads the Discovery Educator Network professional learning community, supports successful implementation of the Discovery Education TECHBOOK, oversees the Discovery Education Wilkes University Instructional Media Program, and plays a vital role in ensuring the success of Discovery Education’s STEM initiatives.

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EARLY EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS: THE KEY TO STUDENT SUCCESS Millions of children in the U.S. lack access to early education options, but partnerships between organizations and families can help fill the gap. By LaTasha Hadley

ver the last several years, 3rd grade has become a make-or-break milestone for early literacy. And with good reason! Research shows that one in six children who don’t read proficiently by the time they reach 3rd grade will not graduate from high school on schedule. That rate is four times higher than their peers. Students who also experience at least one year of poverty see an increased dropout rate of a jaw-dropping 26%. One common solution to this issue is to hold students back if they aren’t proficient readers

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by 3rd grade. In fact, 28 states have passed laws that require or allow schools to retain children in 3rd grade if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hit literacy benchmarks. Retaining students comes with its own challenges, however. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expensive and may result in academic and other consequences for students. I believe thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a better approach. We need to provide families more access to early education. We need to reach these most vulnerable learners before they begin school so they can start at the same level as their peers. Part of that is simply giving children and their parents the tools they need to develop early literacy skills. It also takes community organizations working together to support these families.

We need to reach these most vulnerable learners before they begin school so they can start at the same level as their peers.

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Recently, my nonprofit organization, Waterford UPSTART, had the opportunity to partner with the Mississippi Head Start Association (MHSA). Our pilot partnership helped prepare nearly 700 children for their first day of kindergarten. It also showed the power of partnership. By working together, our organizations provided equity and access to young learners in some of the most rural communities in the state. Access to Early Learning Is Not Equitable Early education can be a great equalizer. Research demonstrates that students who gain the foundation of literacy before school see benefits throughout their academic and personal lives. For example, they are less likely to be held back in elementary school or to be identified as having special needs. Unfortunately, millions of children lack access to any form of early education. Some rural areas

are so sparsely populated that they can’t support a preschool program. Many economically disadvantaged students in urban areas can’t afford preschool, while the low- and no-cost options fill up long before everyone has a seat. Regardless of where students live, their parents may lack transportation or the scheduling flexibility to get them to preschool. According to Nita Thompson, executive director of MHSA, “Abilities may be equal but opportunities are not, so Head Start provides opportunity and access to families that might not have the resources to access high-quality education and care for their children or might not even be in an area where it’s available.” Waterford UPSTART offers a solution for cases where families have no other access; that is why MHSA decided to partner with our organization. We provide personalized early learning in the home and engage parents in the process. Our online program focuses on literacy, numeracy, and STEM concepts in just 15-20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. If the family can’t afford a computer or internet access, we provide them at no cost. The program has a 98% approval rating from parents. The only issue we run into regularly is parents who think Waterford UPSTART sounds too good to be true! That’s why partnering with MHSA was so important. Parents know and trust Head Start, so when they learn about us through this well-respected organization, they realize there’s no catch. Early Education Is a Whole-Family Project Waterford UPSTART and MHSA know early education is a whole family project. “Head Start is an early childhood education program that really focuses on family development,” according to Thompson. “We are getting children ready to go to school, but we’re also about helping families set goals for their children and themselves so they can really improve the quality of their lives.” 46

Every loving parent wants to support their child’s academic development, but that doesn’t mean they know how. Some parents may feel ill-equipped to support their child because they feel they weren’t successful in school. Immigrant parents may worry that they can’t help their children learn to read because they don’t speak English well or at all. Some parents are working two or three jobs and don’t know how to find the time to work with their child on early literacy. The challenges families face in supporting their young learners are as varied as the families themselves, so we place a great deal of emphasis on getting to know their unique circumstances. Through Waterford UPSTART, every family is assigned a family education liaison (FEL) who checks in regularly throughout the program. The FEL addresses each parent’s concerns and helps them develop a routine that fits into their schedules. They can show parents what early literacy development looks like and how they can continue their child’s learning offline. “The opportunity to have this home-based literacy support program—it’s just wonderful,” said Thompson. “Our parents have given us wonderful feedback, and it’s not only promoted literacy and language, but it’s also improved relationships so families have the time to sit down and talk, to sort of relax and really bond. And that, I think, is one of the added benefits to this whole piece.”

Currently, Dr. Hadley serves as the Director of National UPSTART Program Implementations at Waterford Institute, Inc. where she coordinates pilot programs in different geographical areas of the United States. She has served as the Director of the Lottie W. Thornton Early Childhood Center and Adjunct Professor at Jackson State University Department of Elementary & Early Childhood Education.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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AESA VIEWPOINT Joan H. Wade Executive Director, AESA (Association of Educational Service Agencies)

Education Service Agencies (ESAs): America’s Best Kept Secret in Education!

Joan Wade, Ed.D. is a life-long educator with over 30 years of service in public education. She began serving as the Executive Director for the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA), on July 1, 2016.Dr. Wade began her career as a library media specialist in Montello, Wisconsin. After attending graduate school, she served in various administrative capacities in Wisconsin school districts including as Technology Coordinator for Portage Community School District, and Distance Learning Director for CESA 5.

here is a well-kept secret within America’s education system, regional education service agencies (ESAs) are perhaps the least known and yet they are a big player in supporting school districts in their particular region and state! ESAs have different names depending on the state that they are located in. You may recognize them as BOCES, CESAs, AEAs, IUs, RESAs etc., but when we talk about them nationally, we refer to them as educational service agencies (ESAs).

ESAs come in many sizes and shapes, with a variety of funding and governance structures. They all share a similar mission, to improve teaching and learning in the school districts they serve. The Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) is the national professional organization serving ESAs. AESA does three things for their members: Thought Leadership, Networking and Federal Advocacy. AESA, and their members, have is focused on Equity and Opportunity for ALL learners. The leadership of AESA has selected Courageous Leadership for Collective Impact for the 20192020 organizational theme. We must have

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

courageous leaders willing to stand up for ALL learners throughout country. We need to provide equitable opportunities and resources to every student regardless of their zip code. It is within the mission of ESAs to lead collaboration efforts with diverse organizations in order to solve challenging problems that impact education. It is what they do every day. A good example of this type of collective impact is the work of ESSDACK, an AESA member in Hutchinson, Kansas. ESSDACK’s mission is to prepare learners for their future. They set a very high standard to eradicate poverty in their region and beyond! You read that right, they are going to eliminate poverty for ALL learners and their families, not just lower it for some! How are they doing that? By going into communities, one by one and training community leaders on poverty and trauma informed care. ESSDACK knows that how we talk about the challenges many of our students and families face every day makes a difference. They can demonstrate how to move the needle on poverty. They don’t just talk about it, they do it! It takes communities, schools, public and mental health organizations coming to the table with people who are experiencing poverty. You have the answers on how to solve poverty right in your community. Community leaders must discover what people in poverty need in order to be successful and truly

listen then implement the plan that is developed. There is no silver bullet, but it isn’t impossible either. ESSDACK changes the conversation from poverty alleviation to poverty resolution. They will be happy to share their data with you to demonstrate their success! One thing that AESA members are well known is supporting rural school districts. Small, rural school districts are the heartbeat of America. And yet, they are often poorly funded and challenging to staff. Mid-Dakota Education Cooperative is an AESA member that creates bold, breakthrough solutions for rural northwest North Dakota school districts that have limited financial resources and access to training and support services. Rural school districts throughout the United States, depend on the ESA in their region to bring them

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solutions to their most challenging issues. Here is a video from the Mid-Dakota Education Cooperative to demonstrate how they have become the solutions provider for the school districts in their region! While their titles may be different, the work of ESAs is quite simple. ESAs are efficient, cost effective, and extremely impactful in meeting the needs of students and teachers throughout the country. ESAs work along-side school districts and communities every day and to have a collective impact improving the lives of students and their families.

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NAGC VIEWPOINT Jonathan A. Plucker President, NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children)

Addressing Excellence Gaps: An Intervention Model

n my previous column, I shared my observations on a unique characteristic of American K-12 education: The pursuit of educational equity and educational excellence as separate, distinct goals. This unnecessary dichotomy has resulted in large excellence gaps, those achievement gaps at advanced levels of learning.

Jonathan A. Plucker is the Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University, where he is also a Professor of Education. He currently serves as President of the National Association for Gifted Children board of directors. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Johns Hopkins, CTY, or NAGC.

Indeed, the U.S. is now experiencing low levels of advanced performance compared to our international peers (as measured by TIMSS, PISA, and other high-quality testing programs) and huge disparities among U.S. students based on race/ ethnicity and socioeconomic status (as measured by just about every possible assessment). So we have a big problem. What to do about it? Up until a few years ago, it was understandable (but never justifiable!) to see district leaders through up their hands in frustration at excellence gaps and lack of representation in advanced programs (e.g., gifted education, honors, AP classes). But over the past decade, researchers had identified a number of promising practices for reducing disproportionality and closing excellence gaps. When Scott Peters and I (2016) did a comprehensive review of these interventions, we found substantial evidence of these strategies, and the research based has grown significantly since that time (e.g., Peters et al., 2019; Rambo-Hernandez, Peters, & Plucker, 2019).

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

This is an important development for several obvious reasons, but let me stress an important, torn-from-the-headlines reason: The growing movement in the U.S. to, indeed, throw up one’s hands in frustration and take the easy way out – eliminating advanced programs. We’ve seen this equity-means-equal, lack-of-opportunity approach in several districts recently, and it has recently been proposed for New York City. That is certainly an easier path forward than addressing racial and socioeconomic differences in advanced achievement … but it’s also an approach that will almost certainly increase the size of excellence gaps. For this reason, I often call the service-elimination strategy “feel-good equity” – you can say you’ve tackled representation issues, but you pay for it in the long term with worsening excellence gaps. Scott Peters and I have proposed a model for shrinking and eventually eliminating excellence gaps. An overview is provided below, and in future columns I will unpack the various components and provide examples of districts, schools, and programs that are using these strategies to provide opportunities for talent development to all students: •

Opportunity: Ensuring all students have access to opportunities for advanced learning, barriers to access and participation are low-tononexistent, and attention is paid to the fact that some families may be nervous about these opportunities if they have little experience with them.

•

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Universal Screening Using Local Norms: Screening all students in a school or district when identifying talented children, removing nomination and application strategies as initial gateways into such systems, and using both building-level and national norms during the process. Ability Grouping: Narrowing the range of student ability and performance within each classroom to facilitate differentiation for teachers. K-12 Accountability Systems: Refocusing each state’s accountability system to use adaptive testing and reward schools and districts that find ways to close excellence gaps. Educator Preparation and Support: Providing educators with strategies for promoting advanced learning and closing excellence gaps, and raising awareness of the unique needs of highly talented students. Psychosocial Interventions in College: Noting that psychosocial interventions (e.g., those dealing with mindset, grit, stereotype threat reduction) are not convincingly associated with improvements in K-12 student learning

but are associated with evidence of shrinking excellence gaps when used at the college level. The model rests on the foundation of a seventh component, frontloading, the process of preparing students for advanced opportunities by raising the rigor and challenge level of early childhood and early elementary experiences. A quick example would be providing more rigorous preparation in middle and elementary school for low-income students, so that they are ready to thrive when they are provided with challenging, Advanced Placement courses in high school. Without that frontloaded preparation, expecting those students to succeed when they receive those AP opportunities is unrealistic. Again, in future columns we will unpack each of these seven interventions and provide further examples of how they work in schools and districts around the country. We have talented students in every school, in every zip code, and we have the research-based strategies to find and support them as they strive for advanced achievement.

National Institute for Learning Development

12%

Did you know approximately 12% of all students struggle with some form of learning difficulty? Schools often lack the financial resources and human capital to identify and support these students. Once identified, many educators lack the training and knowledge to effectively transform the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning experience.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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INDUSTRY VOICE Kristin Barbour Executive Director, National Institute for Learning Development

What does your company do?

Kristin Barbour is the Executive Director for the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD), a U.S. based non-profit educator training organization. Since 1973, NILD has built the competence and confidence of those who struggle to learn by training educators and implementing research-based, best practice interventions to bring lasting change for struggling learners (www.nild. org)

ILD’s mission is to train educators to be a transformational influence on students’ thinking and learning processes to develop their cognitive and academic abilities. Over the past 40 years, NILD has trained over 15,000 educators world-wide and has globally impacted over 100,000 students through our brain-based teaching programs. Currently, NILD is serving 2,000 educators throughout the U.S. and internationally. NILD also supports seven international partner countries implementing the NILD program in schools and communities. Tell us why Pre-K-12 educators should be aware of what you are doing regarding Educational Equity and Accessibility. Historically, society believed that intelligence was a fixed trait (e.g., think eye color) that remained stable over the life span. NILD believes that intelligence resembles a state that can be modified and that students can increase their capacity to learn. Recent NILD program efficacy studies have shown that 62% of students who utilized NILD’s educational therapy® over a three year period showed statistically significant gains in their fullscale IQ. Growth in the academic domains

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

of Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Math was also demonstrated across elementary, middle, and high-school students. NILD not only believes that everyone can learn, but also that focused effort with a student can unlock a lifetime of potential. What do you think is the greatest challenge in education today? One of the most pressing issues today for educators is how to work with all learners effectively. Many veteran educators, as well as newly trained educators, have not been exposed to the scientific support for neuroplasticity, the belief that intelligence is not fixed. Not fully grasping this concept seems to impede students from reaching their full potential. NILD acknowledges the recent advances in research that show there is a direct relationship between using the brain and changing the brain. Neuroplasticity is meaningfully affected by the learning process. Stated another way, cognitive development and skill acquisition change brain structure. The neurophysiological structures in the brain are modifiable, demonstrating both flexibility and adaptability. Educators using brain-based instruction strategies infused with a student-centered mediational approach develop critical and creative thinking processes facilitating students’ growth into independent and confident learners.

FINDING “CAN DOS” FOR EVERY LEVEL When Albert H. Brigance began his career as a school psychologist in the 1970s, he noticed that assessment tools undervalued his students’ unique development trajectories and instead emphasized what they didn’t know and couldn’t do. Al wanted to change the conversation. From Al’s vision BRIGANCE evolved into an industry-leading publisher of screeners, assessment tools, and instructional materials, spanning from the earliest developmental skills through transition skills.

Trusted by Special Educators for more than four decades, see how BRIGANCE can help you and your students at Brigance.com/ SPECIALEDUCATION.

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How

NORVA NIVEL

Transformed a Kansas City Elementary School into an Inclusive, Agile Learning Space that Helps All Learners SUCCEED

Educators, researchers, administrators and even students know that classrooms across our country are in dire need of an evolution, and in many cases, a revolution. Gordon Parks Elementary School, the oldest public charter school in Kansas City, Missouri, is one such school. They recently partnered with NorvaNivel®, US-based designers and manufacturers of educational furniture and future-forward learning spaces, and a local architectural firm, Gould Evans, to reinvent the 105-year old building that would cater to students’ individual learning styles, challenges, preferences and needs. Both organizations wanted to deepen the urban school’s commitment to providing children an individualized education that is balanced to develop character, intellect, creativity and physical well-being. The space had to be an environment where children would feel

welcome, comfortable and safe, as those who attend Gordon Parks have experienced some sort of trauma already in their short lives. NorvaNivel was founded on the belief that every student deserves a learning environment that caters to their individual needs, fostering engagement, collaboration and ownership – so this request was heard loud and clear by the company. To “reinvent” Gordon Parks, NorvaNivel and Gould Evans asked for input from the school’s educators and administrators. With that, they created a flexible and easy-to-use environment for students, educators, and administrators. This meant rethinking individual classrooms for second through fourth graders, as well as making the most of the large corridor space, which up to then was underutilized, and creating an environment that they dubbed the HIVE.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

The HIVE, which includes such NorvaNivel products as INCUPOD™ Nooks, COLLABANA™ Frames, CRASHPOD™ Cushions and GRASSYOTT™ Ottomans – each designed to engage and improve specific learning outcomes – allows students to work how they want, either individually or collaboratively in small groups. This gives students ownership and empowers them to work comfortably and productively, while building pride, which is critical to this student population. Many of the NorvaNivel components in the HIVE are vital for reflection and retreat, which

are fundamentals for equitable and accessible learning spaces. Sean Klippel, a third-grade teacher at Gordon Parks, said that providing private spaces and getaway zones for their students has made indepth individual learning and small group study possible. He continued by saying that the new learning space has changed the lives of the students because it gives them a safe space to learn and foster a sense of accomplishment and pride.

For more information, visit norvanivel.com. ACE-ED.ORG

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WHY DO WE HAVE TO SELL

SEL? A

By Joyce Whitby

t a recent parent teacher conference a passionate teacher found herself explaining why she dedicates daily instructional time for activities to address topics of social and emotional learning (SEL), with the goal of strengthening her students’ overall emotional health and ability to interact socially in positive ways. Surprisingly, her presentation was met by a stark remark from one of the parents who said, “I never had SEL lessons in school and I came out alright!” Somewhere over the past 50+ years we have finally figured out that education is not all ABCs and 123s. We have learned that separating

the learning from the learner just creates angst, it doesn’t create lifelong learners. The new wave of interest in SEL is promising, and provides options for educators. How do we as educators who believe in teaching the whole child (including social and emotional skills) help others to understand why this is important - that is, how do we “sell” SEL instruction to all stakeholders including administrators, teachers, students and parents? What is SEL? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (CASEL). In order for students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills described in SEL, students need to be competent, or have abilities, in five areas: selfawareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

The Importance of Social Learning

Introducing The Social Express

Our world is a social place, and we spend most of our time as members of social groups. We all use our social skills everywhere we go. Social skills are about sharing space with others and being able to get along with people in a variety of settings. An individual’s social success is based upon the quality of his or her social interactions. In order to have positive social interactions, an individual needs to be socially competent and have strong social learning skills.

In a safe and familiar learning environment, The Social Express animated interactive program provides students an opportunity to learn and practice skills needed to help them develop meaningful relationships and successfully navigate our social world. The Social Express was designed for students to use at school or home, and provides educators and parents with insightful data about students’ growth in key areas of social emotional learning.

Education in the United States has matured since the passing of Title I in 1965, we now look for researchbased instructional practices and data based decision making. Accountability is not a foreign concept, in fact it is right up front and center stage. When we look at building a case for justifying SEL instruction, we can include some amazing data. In fact, research shows that SEL not only improves achievement by an average of 11 percentile points, but it also increases prosocial behaviors (such as kindness, sharing, and empathy), improves student attitudes toward school, and reduces depression and stress among students (Durlak et al., 2011). The role of technology in reaching students who are socially ‘challenged’ In today’s world technology is a natural medium for just about any student to help them learn and engage in new concepts. Technology offers an opportunity to experiment in real life scenarios without any dangerous consequences. Simulated personal interactions afford students a safe haven to learn more about those nonintuitive things - like learning body language, picking up on sarcasm or other verbal nuances which are not very clear. ACE-ED.ORG

In over 80 animated interactive lessons, The Social Express aligns with basic tenets of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) by offering different types of learning methods including online and offline activities. In addition, The Social Express is both research-based and research-backed! A research study with over 350 students concluded there were statistically significant improvements for students when the implementation was part of a schoolwide initiative. Each “webisode” teaches foundational skills for social and emotional learning such as: • • • • • • •

Attentive Listening Conflict Resolution Conversations Critical Thinking Group Participation Non-Verbal Communication Relationship & Self Management

The best part about The Social Express is that even though you might have to “sell SEL” to other adults, you never have to sell it to the students themselves. The interactive lessons are engaging and fun. Countless testimonials concur that the application is awesome! Thousands of teachers worldwide are using The Social Express to help students feel less socially isolated, and learn how to interact in our very social world. 61

INDUSTRY VOICE Marc Zimmerman CEO, The Social Express

What does your company do?

Marc Zimmerman was a co-founder and President of Critical Digital Data, Inc. (CDIX, OTC:BB), an online data storage company; CEO of 1st Financial Home Loan Services, a high-end boutique mortgage brokerage that was sold in 2005; and CEOFounder of PineappleHut Real Estate, a multimillion dollar-producing real estate brokerage. Marc attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is a highly accomplished keyboardist, pianist, and composer with worldwide recording and touring credentials.

y wife Tina and I launched the company, The Social Express, back in 2010 with a single focused mission and vision statement which was “to help people live better lives”. The purpose of creating the company was very personal to us. In 2001, our identical twin boys were both diagnosed with autism. Tina and I quickly learned that social and emotional learning was going to become a top priority for our sons, if they were to live independent lives. Today, The Social Express includes 81 realistic scenarios which serve as simulations for exploring and understanding peer to peer interactions while maintaining a fun engaging environment with animation and lots of interactivity.

to provide students with special needs the least restrictive environment (LRE), general education teachers now have students in their classrooms who need special attention. Teachers are challenged on a daily basis with figuring out how to provide equitable time and attention for the special-needs students as well as their neuro-typical students. With all these demands on their time, teachers have very little time to prepare lesson plans that address social-emotional goals. Our platform of programs enables teachers to have turnkey lesson plans that align with IEP’s and transition plan goals. We utilize best practices of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to ensure that we can help students with all different types of learning challenges to benefit from our program. For example, we utilize subtitles and visual aids, and corrective feedback as UDL options across the platform. Our goal is to meet the needs of all students - general ed, or special ed, in order to ensure that our program embraces equity in schools.

Tell us why Pre-K-12 educators should be aware of what you are doing regarding Educational Equity and Accessibility

What do you think is the greatest challenge in education today?

Today’s teachers are inundated with so many things they have to manage rigorous curriculum standards, increased attention to assessments, and school safety, just to name a few. Practically speaking at the top of that list is managing behavioral problems which need to be dealt with first and foremost if any teaching and learning is ever going to happen. Now with the growth of the inclusion model

The biggest challenge schools face today is the incredibly high attrition rate of teachers, especially in the area of special education. Recently, I was told by a Special Education Director that in the next 10 years 50% of all special education teachers will be retiring. This concerns me greatly as I know that schools will face the problem of how to service their students and maintain compliance with IDEA.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY TO UNLEASH THE READER WITHIN By Joyce Whitby Sometimes educators need to be pretty creative in order to pave the way for struggling readers. One day a student was confused by language used on a flash card to define a new word. Suddenly it became clear that this otherwise very bright student was struggling with the method not the motivation. The aha moment was that the teacher had been using language to teach students with language challenges about language.

A student was presented with a new word - PRUDENT. The definition provided on the flash card was “Prudent [prood-nt] adjective. Wise or judicious in practical affairs; sagacious; discreet or circumspect sober.” When asked for the meaning of the word, the student guessed “not drunk”. The grim reality is that 65% of students in the United States struggle with vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension (NAEP, 2017). Thus the salient question is, “How can a learner adopt new vocabulary while building strategies for deducing each new word they encounter?” The overriding school of thought is that a struggling reader will not learn new

vocabulary without direct instruction - which, to date, has been inherently language based. That is where the conundrum lies.

Words are building blocks of language and, by extension, all learning. If a student has a strong command of language, and a schema for learning new words, she has the keys to the kingdom! However, if a student has missed steps along the way, or if she has struggled in silence while time lapsed, she is highly likely to fall behind. This is especially true of students who have not encountered language-rich experiences in early childhood, and for those who do not have English as their primary language, but are learning all courses in English. Of course, it also pertains to any students who have language disorders, and/ or specific learning disabilities (SLD) including dyslexia.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

How do you build up the capacity for language acquisition of a student with depleted vocabulary assets? Many educators were taught to use flashcards with students, despite research pointing out their limited effectiveness. When reaching an impasse like this, new pathways are needed. Clearly, rote memorization is not the answer for the 65% of students who struggle with vocabulary and reading comprehension. There has to be a better way. Research is now shedding light on the power of developing semantic reasoning skills (Kennedy et al, 2019). What Semantic Reasoning is NOT Semantic reasoning is NOT something done to a student. Rather, it is a situation that is set up for learners to explore, infer and deduce the deep meaning of a word by using clues. To build the “muscles” needed for semantic reasoning, a student needs to engage in exercises specifically designed to let them practice. With enough practice students begin to automatically look for clues they can use to infer and deduce an answer, hopefully with every problem they encounter!

Introducing InferCabulary What is really exciting is that semantic reasoning can be practiced! Thanks to the power of instructional technology and a new tool called InferCabulary, learners are presented with six

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high-quality color photographs that reflect a vocabulary word in a variety of contexts, and inferences are made about the word’s definition. In order to earn points and advance in the quiz mode, the student must analyze four pictures and select a single word from a choice that best represents represents the common thread among all the images. There are simple language supports to help students interpret each photograph, (after all if you have never been on a farm, it is likely you don’t intuitively know what a silo is.) InferCabulary is more than just a cool vocabulary app, it is a tool that helps students use critical thinking to learn nuanced meanings of vocabulary. Teachers, speech-language pathologists, and tutors can hand-select words based on grade-level, literature titles, or their own vocabulary lists. Educators can see a student’s progress and the words learned, as well as the words with which students struggle. Teachers can even assign vocabulary aligned to their current reading list of popular novels like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or a Romeo and Juliet, and of course they can access data which gives insight to students’ progress. InferCabulary is not only research-based, it has promising research support. . In a study of 75 fifth-grade students, students scored up to 19% higher than with conventional rote memorization, and students of all abilities outperformed themselves the weeks they learned with InferCabulary compared to “business as usual instruction” (Kennedy et al, 2019). Whether it is used in a typical classroom, or as part of a targeted intervention, students clamor for time ‘to play’ InferCabulary because of the fun gaming format. As students climb the mountain, they are exercising their semantic reasoning “muscles”, building critical thinking skills, and self-confidence that will be a strong foundation for all future learning.

NAVIGATING THE SEA SUPPORTING CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC GROWTH Equity in Education

By Lori Koerner

lay is not a luxury, it is a necessity. In many districts across the United States, recess in elementary school is being questioned, reduced, and even eliminated (National Education for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 1998; Pellegrini, 2005) to increase instructional time. The assumption behind this is that Common Core has placed more pressure on teachers and students to score better in the classroom. There has been very little research which has proven that more time in the classroom, and less recess, equals better academic outcomes for children. In 1983, A Nation at Risk misleadingly alarmed our country that the educational foundations of our society were being eroded by mediocrity. Since that time, there have been numerous reformations of our American education system, none of which have proven to improve the quality of education for all children. Throughout the last twenty years, we have seen states raise graduation requirements, compete for funding, and implement a faulty accountability system for educators based on test scores. No Child Left Behind (2002) left many children behind and left teachers questioning their practices. Common Core narrowed curriculum and forced teachers to read from the scripts of packaged programs. The big business model and money pit has

created a dangerously antiquated system. In the wake of this hysteria we have caused the destruction of American public education. In an effort to meet federal and state standards, the days of recess are dwindling, yet the reality is that recess may not be the problem, but the solution. Educational leaders and policy makers need to transform our American education system. By looking to countries around the world, such as Finland, who are global leaders in education, and learning from and collaborating with them, we will have a better understanding of how to prepare our students as successful citizens in a global society. Helping children to Navigate the SEAs (Social, Emotional and Academic growth) through Navigating the Cs (communication, cooperation, collaboration, creativity, cultivating curiosity, conflict resolution and establishing confidence) is the best gift we can give to our children. Navigating the SEAs requires the focused implementation of Social- Emotional Learning (SEL). Social-Emotional Learning engages all school-community stakeholders in creating a safe, equitable, and engaging school climate. This allows students opportunities to enhance the knowledge and skills they need for relational and life success. According to Duffel and Elias

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

(2017), The National School Boards Association describes education equity as “being achieved when all public schools provide equivalent access to resources and ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills to succeed as contributing members of a rapidly changing global society, regardless of factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, English proficiency, immigration status, socioeconomic status, or disability.” Equity in education requires a safe and positive school climate where students are respected and encouraged by adults. By allowing students time to play and socialize, we support their social and emotional well-being and allow them time to foster trusting relationships with their peers and the adults that support them. Social emotional learning allows for acknowledging and addressing the ways racism and systemic oppression have impacted learning environments. It offers students culturally diverse backgrounds and students living in poverty the opportunity to experience a sense of belonging which fosters risk taking thereby influencing the process of their learning. If we prioritize educational equity and belonging as a primary goal of social-emotional learning in American education and apply what we know from research on the relationship between culture and learning, we open new doors for every single child. By connecting SEL to equity in schools our students can refine the skills necessary to become the architects of a better world. How do we do this? Offering elementary school students ample for time for recess daily (the CDC, 2017, recommends at least 60 minutes a day), along with brain breaks between sustained instruction (5-15 minutes is all that is needed), will optimize attention to learning, improve classroom behaviors, shift pedagogy and allow children to meet their maximum academic potential. I speak from experience. As an educator for three decades, and having spent the first 26 years of my career as an elementary school teacher on all grade levels, I am well versed in curriculum, ACE-ED.ORG

design, and best instructional practice. As an adjunct professor, it was evident that we need a complete overhaul in our teacher training. As an administrator involved in shifting the paradigm of my current district, we have implemented all of what has been recommended here. Every student in our school receives formal yoga instruction. Students have 40 minutes for lunch and 40 minutes for recess every day. Brain breaks are used to refocus students, and there has been no loss of instructional time. As a matter of fact, we have increased instructional time because “less is more.” Curriculum is an interdisciplinary approach with thematic units at the epicenter of our instruction. We established a Tranquility Room for students, a space for children to learn self -regulation skills so that they can swiftly return to their classroom and maximize instructional time. Our Discovery Center houses life sized blocks for children to create and explore. We go outside in the snow. We get dirty. We cooperate. We realize that mistakes are proof that we are trying. We offer students time to explore their talents and passions, and we are bringing CTE to our high school, so that every student has an opportunity to achieve. This is my perspective. Let’s look to Maslow, Paiget, Vygotsky and Gardner, and provide the building blocks for a well-rounded education, and the rest…will be history.

Lori Koerner has been in the field of education for three decades. She spent the first 26 years of her career as an elementary school teacher, having taught every grade. She is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar and has also served as an adjunct professor of special education at several universities in New York. Mrs. Koerner is currently the Principal of Tremont Elementary School in the Patchogue-Medford School District on Long Island in New York. She is a doctoral candidate at St. John’s University.

EDUCATION MARKET ASSOCIATION / ED SPACES VIEWPOINT Angela Nelson CEO & President, Stages Learning Materials and ChairElect, EDmarket

New Classroom Designs Enhance Learning for Students with Autism

E Angela Nelson is the President of Stages Learning Materials, Partner and Vice President of Product Development at Consulting Services for Education, and serves as a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Angela also serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Education Market

quity and access are key themes of the late Everyone feels more comfortable when they feel they have some understanding and control of their physical space. For children with autism the physical space takes on added importance because they face ongoing sensory and social challenges that can interfere with behavior and learning. Designing a classroom for children with autism entails fostering safety and predictability with flexible furnishings while minimizing sensory overload and incorporating strong visual cues into the design planning. Adaptable furniture, soft lighting, and supportive spatial arrangements are key components of classroom design for children with autism. Focus should be on providing flexible arrangements so that spaces can be rearranged and subdivided to allow for large and small group activities. Furniture should be chosen that can be easily moved and rolling shelf units can serve multiple purposes such as providing storage space or being used as space dividers. Risers and movable adjustable platforms can help delineate spaces and cue children as to what activity will take place in each space. Designing a safe and non-threatening space requires careful planning. Large open areas and large groups of students can feel overwhelming to children with autism. The physical space should provide a sense of security and include high enclosed areas such as play lofts and low enclosed spaces such as “caves” or tents for respite.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

These enclosed areas need to feel welcoming and protective, but also need to provide a way for teachers to easily monitor students. Sensory distractions should be minimized: Clutter can be reduced by using well designed storage bins, and screens and window shades can block from view outside stimuli that could be distracting. Avoid using institutional fluorescent lights that hum and flicker by taking advantage of natural light and using lamps. Minimize noise by using sound-absorbing carpets, fabrics, pillows and soft furniture. Children with autism are especially strong visual learners and classroom design can leverage those strengths. Strong visual cues such as color-coded areas and boundaries using half walls or fences will help children navigate the space. At the same time, incorporating opportunities for an array of sensory experiences throughout the classroom that include touch, smell and movement such as swinging or jumping can provide children with an outlet for excess energy. We now have a significant body of research on how children with autism best learn and how a well-designed physical space can help reduce meltdowns and other behavior challenges. A well-designed classroom that supports children with autism can benefit all learners. This article is based on research reviewed in the works of Susan Kabot & Christine Reeve (2010). Setting Up Classroom Spaces That Support Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Lenexa KS: AAPC and Clare Vogel. (2008) Classroom Design for Living and Learning with Autism. Autism Asperger’s Digest.

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CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY: SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS | SANTA FE, NM

HOW SANTA FE IS TURNING DATA INTO INNOVATIVE STRATEGY AND FRESH COLLABORATION Santa Fe Public Schools, like most school districts, has a vast amount of instructional, financial, and operational data they leverage to inform decisions. However, when it came time to start refreshing the devices that support the district’s 1:1 initiative, they realized they were missing one critical piece of the puzzle—usage data. “We were at the end of our five-year capital election cycle and heading into a new five-year cycle,” explained Dr. Tom Ryan, Santa Fe’s Chief Information and Strategy Officer. “We needed a way to assess the program’s effectiveness, but didn’t have access to the quantitative data we needed to do so.”

DR. RYAN HAD THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: • HOW AND HOW OFTEN ARE WE USING OUR INVESTMENT—ARE WE EVEN USING IT AT ALL? • WHAT ARE THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS?

Sparking Transformative Conversations After seeing his data come to life and converted into actionable insights via CatchOn’s dashboards, Dr. Ryan and his team have successfully wielded this information to drive collaboration between the district’s technology and instruction departments. “CatchOn has allowed us to have a conversation with the instructional side of the house about what they’re using and why,” Dr. Ryan said. Because the tool tracks the usage of each app, Santa Fe’s technology team can work with instructors to identify and eliminate failing resources and consolidate investments.

• WHAT IS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT? After some research, his team found a solution—data analytics. Deploying CatchOn, an expansive data analytics tool, Dr. Ryan and his team quickly attained the visibility and usage data they needed to give detailed answers to those questions. But that was just the beginning…

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

serve the students.” The more the district turns budgeting into data-driven strategy, the more certain schools can be they’re maximizing the impact of each investment.

Better still, since the collaborations CatchOn empowers are ongoing, the district can respond quickly to evolving needs. “Partnering with the instructional team, we can decide together what metrics we want to use to determine performance and success,” Dr. Ryan went on. “As a result, we get unprecedentedly early access to results districtwide.”

Santa Fe Public Schools is taking advantage of all the new opportunities EdTech has brought to their community. By marrying quantifiable data to qualified analysis, the district is creating cross-departmental collaborations and opening a new world of possibilities to students.

These new dialogues, however, aren’t limited to those between the CIO and the instructional team. Rather, Dr. Ryan and his team now have the data they need to create concise status reports for Santa Fe’s superintendent and to collaborate with the professional development team about teacher success. The result is a district that, more than ever before, is working hand in hand to produce positive outcomes for the Santa Fe community, one of which is receiving a boost in funding where it’s needed most. “With CatchOn, we’re now able to allocate funds even more strategically,” Dr. Ryan explained. “When budget season comes, we’re going to have the data required to identify real needs and put money where it’ll better

Sign up for a free demo at www.catchon.com/demo CONTACT US TODAY! For more information about CatchOn, contact us at www.catchon.com/contact/.

ABOUT CATCHON CatchOn is an expansive data analytics tool that compiles real-time data on every school device, enabling districts to make data-informed decisions about the apps and online tools their educators and students are using, both at school and at home. In 2018, CatchOn joined forces with ENA, a leading provider of comprehensive technology solutions to education institutions and libraries. Collectively, CatchOn and ENA leverage their respective resources and expertise to deliver critical services and solutions that help school districts produce positive outcomes in the communities they serve.

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How Does Anytime Anywhere Tech Access Sound For Your Middle School or High School?

Crazy but true. They said that Self-Service On-Demand Dispensing Kiosks would not work in Public Schools. Now scores of installations later & 2.5+ Million Annual Automated Checkouts, LaptopsAnytime is proud to introduce our K-12 “Bring Your Own Device” Program to schools across the country. Your students come to school without a fully charged laptop! You struggle to make school laptops available on-demand!

Your staff keeps complaining about under-utilized technology resources! You have a long-range vision, plans to build out your tech access and the budget to match!

years ago, they installed a 12-bay laptop dispensing kiosk from LaptopsAnytime in the high school’s library. The kiosk proved to be so popular with students that the school has since added a second 12-bay kiosk to meet the demand.

At Duncanville High School in Texas, a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program allows students to use their personal laptop, tablet, or smart phone for learning. But there are some students in this school of nearly 4,000 pupils who don’t own a digital device. And for students whose only device is a smart phone, writing an essay or producing other content can be challenging.

From August 2018 through April 2019, the two kiosks seamlessly handled nearly 3,000 laptop checkouts. “Every time I visit the library, the kiosks are empty—which tells me the laptops are being used,”

In The News

Duncanville High School Supplements BYOD Program With Laptop Kiosks

“It’s much easier to use a laptop to create content,” says Shawntee Cowan, chief technology officer for the Duncanville Independent School District. The Duncanville High School library has laptop carts that teachers can borrow for instruction, but district leaders wanted to give individual students the opportunity to borrow laptops to complete their schoolwork as well. A few

Students can borrow a laptop by scanning their ID badge and typing their network password into the console. The kiosk takes a picture of them in case there is a problem, and it requires them to read and agree to the terms of service. Once students promise that they will use the device responsibly and will return it by the end of the day, the kiosk dispenses a laptop. Students return a laptop by simply inserting it into one of the empty bays. The kiosk automatically recharges the device and returns it to its original state.

Duncanville has stocked both of its kiosks with rugged Dell laptops. “I was a little hesitant at first,” Cowan says, “but I’m proud to say that we haven’t had any broken, lost, or stolen laptops.” Administration of the kiosks has been simple as well, she observes, noting: “This has not been one of my pain points.” The initiative is meeting its goal of increasing students’ access to technology, and Cowan is thinking about adding kiosks at other Duncanville schools as well. “It has been very successful,” she says.

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ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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Hinsdale School District

Partnering with PresenceLearning to Support Students with Special Needs Since 2014

THE CHALLENGE

THE SOLUTION

THE RESULTS

The district initially needed help covering a maternity leave for speech-language services, and later needed support providing psychoeducational assessments.

The district implemented PresenceLearning’s live online speech-language therapy services for the middle/high school and later added PresenceLearning’s online psychoeducational assessments for middle and high school students.

By partnering with PresenceLearning providers, students receive consistent speech-language therapy services and psychoeducational assessments. The district’s onsite school psychologist now has the bandwidth to focus on providing more ongoing therapy for students and other responsibilities.

HINSDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT STORY

"We continue to enjoy the services that

Hinsdale School District, in rural southwest New Hampshire, serves students in PreK-12. Hinsdale ﬁrst partnered with PresenceLearning in 2014 to provide coverage for online speech-language therapy and assessments when an onsite SLP was out on maternity leave. Since then, PresenceLearning providers have partnered with faculty and staﬀ to deliver ongoing therapy and evaluations for students, and participate in IEP meetings.

PresenceLearning provides. Students

That same year, Hinsdale became the ﬁrst district in the region to implement PresenceLearning’s online psychoeducational services. An online school psychologist from PresenceLearning conducts all psychoeducational assessments for middle and high school students. Partnering with PresenceLearning for psychoeducational assessments has allowed the district’s onsite school psychologist to conduct more ongoing therapy with students and take on new responsibilities. The use of online speech-language therapy services and psychoeducational assessments has helped the district ensure students are receiving the services they need and provide more eﬃciency in its special education program.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

are engaged and their needs are being met. Hinsdale School District is very happy with the partnership we have with PresenceLearning." – Julie Fenrich, director of special services and middle/high school special education coordinator at Hinsdale School District

Leading Provider of Live Online Special Education Related Services Speech-Language Therapy Behavioral and Mental Health Services Psychoeducational Assessments Occupational Therapy

YEARS &

2 MILLION THERAPY SESSIONS

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INDUSTRY VOICE Kate Eberle Walker CEO, Presence Learning

What does your company do?

Kate Eberle Walker is the CEO of PresenceLearning, the leading provider of online special education therapy services for K-12 schools. Kate has more than 20 years of experience leading, advising, acquiring and investing in education companies. She was CEO of The Princeton Review, a leading provider of test prep, admission and tutoring services, including online ondemand tutoring under the Tutor.co

resenceLearning is the leading provider of live online therapy and evaluation services for students with special education needs. We have a large national network of nearly 1,000 speechlanguage pathologists, occupational therapists and school psychologists who deliver services through our award winning, proprietary teletherapy platform. We contract with schools to provide the services required under every student’s IEP, ensuring that the schools are in compliance with IDEA and that their students get access to the services they need to benefit from their public education. Tell us why PreK-12 educators should be aware of what you are doing regarding Educational Equity and Accessibility? One great thing about our public education system is that it operates under a clear mandate from IDEA, which serves to “ensure that all students with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education”. But despite that mandate, there is a gap between intention and reality: every student with an IEP must receive their special education related services, yet not every student actually does. This is where PresenceLearning

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

comes in. We help schools provide these services via our teletherapy platform when, despite best efforts, schools are often not able to arrange for all of the appropriate expert clinicians to deliver these services onsite. Our clinicians provide therapy directly to students, ensuring that schools can provide services to every student who needs support. What do you see as the most important trend in education today? Communities today expect a lot more from schools than simply an education. We expect our schools to keep our children safe, in all senses of the word. Physically safe and secure in school premises. Prepared to handle dangerous situations. But also, emotionally safe. The mental health and well being of students has become an urgent area of focus in education. Without mental health and social-emotional skills, kids can’t learn and develop, and we increasingly view not only parents, but schools, as having direct responsibility for this. We see this trend in our business at PresenceLearning, where more of our school partners are asking for school psychology services not only to serve their special needs students, but also to monitor and support the mental health of their entire student population.

oung, diverse, connected, with a younger growing population and a robust economy – to which state in our great Union am I referring? You may be surprised to know that I am describing North Dakota, which famous news commentator – and a native of Velva, N.D. Eric Sevareid– described decades ago as “a large, rectangular blank spot in the nation’s mind.” Unfortunately, that attitude about North Dakota persists today and people living in rural states such as mine are often thought of as trapped, poor, old, isolated, non-diverse, and technologically deprived.I am proud of the fact that North Dakota defies those stereotypes. With a vengeance. While the nation’s average age of its citizens has been getting older, North Dakota has been getting younger. In 2000, the national median age was 35.4 years, younger than North Dakota’s 36.2 years. That trend has reversed. In 2018, North Dakota’s median age was 35.2 years, more than three years younger than the national median of 38.2 years. 77

Why did this happen? Several factors contributed. Helped by surging energy production (#alloftheabove - wind, solar, natural gas, oil, and coal) a robust agriculture market, vibrant tech sector and a struggling economy in the rest of the nation North Dakota gained almost 50,000 more people than it lost between 2010 and 2018. North Dakota capitalized on these opportunities by also providing a quality of life for families and a bright future for its students. Most of the growth was in people aged 18 to 34. North Dakota now leads the nation in the percentage of residents who are 18 to 34 years old. This has contributed to an 18.5 percent increase in the number of annual births from 2009 to 2018. North Dakota’s population of 760,077 has risen by 13 percent since the 2010 Census, which is the biggest percentage of population growth in the nation since 2011. Our unemployment rate, which was 2.4 percent in July 2019, has not risen above 4 percent in the last decade. North Dakota’s gross state product has risen 55 percent in the last eight years. With all this growth our state is also becoming increasingly more diverse. North Dakota’s five tribal nations – the Standing Rock Sioux, the Spirit Lake Sioux, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation are an important part of our history and a vital part of our future. Nine percent of our students in North Dakota’s public schools are Native American. But North Dakota’s diversity extends beyond its Native American population.

In the Fargo school district alone, more than 60 languages are spoken; the leading languages are Nepali, Somali, and Spanish. In the Fargo school district alone, more than 60 languages are spoken; the leading languages are Nepali, Somali, and Spanish.

North Dakota’s 2018 Teacher of the Year, Leah Juelke, teaches many of these students as a Fargo high school English Language instructor, and she encourages her new American students to chronicle their journeys to America. In 2017, these stories were published as a book, Green Card Youth Voices. The book has drawn regional and national attention, and it won a 2018 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal. Diversity isn’t limited to the eastern, more populous region of our state. Williston, a community in northwestern North Dakota and a regional hub of energy production is growing in diversity too. In 2013 I witnessed a back-to-school professional development event for teachers in Williston School District that exemplifies their growth and diversity. The day before students were to arrive back in class for a new school year the district superintendent had teachers file into the school gymnasium, each carrying a flag representing a state from which a student had arrived in Williston over the summer. Teachers were carrying flags from every one of the other 49 states! North Dakota does not just focus on economic drivers of the 20th century. Technology is an important aspect of our economy and our students’ future. The third largest Microsoft campus in North America is in Fargo,North Dakota. Fortune magazine has dubbed it “America’s Most Undervalued Tech Hub.” Additionally, Grand Forks hosts one of the nation’s seven Federal Aviation Administration sites for advanced drone research and testing. And in February 2019 North Dakota became the first state in the nation to create and adopt K-12 Computer and Cyber Science standards, incorporating cybersecurity learning expectations into each grade level. This is opening up the opportunity for the growing cybersecurity industry to look at North Dakota for future workforce needs. Our ability to have success in these areas can be traced back to our roots. Our rural cooperatives – people who once banded together to ensure all communities had access to electricity and

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

telephone services - have kept North Dakota ahead of the game in providing high-speed broadband capacity statewide. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s Rural Development agency ranks North Dakota No. 1 in the nation for providing high-speed fiber optic access, while the Federal Communications Commission rates North Dakota No. 3 for its share of residents who have access to upload and download gigabit speeds. The website Broadbandnow.com says North Dakota has 94 percent coverage for high-speed Internet, and ranks the “top 5 fastest cities in North Dakota” -- none of which has a population of more than 600 people. I haven’t even mentioned North Dakota’s most well-known industry, which is agriculture. In eastern North Dakota, the Red River Valley has some of the world’s richest farmland. We are the nation’s leading producer of hard red spring wheat (used to make breads, rolls, bagels and pizza crusts); durum wheat (used to make pasta); canola (used to make a cooking oil that is very low in saturated fat); and dry edible beans, including pinto, navy, black, lima and kidney beans).

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So, don’t believe the North Dakota stereotypes. Don’t believe that the movie “Fargo” represents what our state or our people are like. We are growing in diversity and we are technologically advanced. We have good jobs and quality life. And we have an excellent public education system!

Kirsten Baesler is the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. In her position, she oversees the education of more than 121,000 public and private school students.

LANDMARK COLLEGE

An Integrated Approach to Teaching Students Who Learn Differently While many colleges offer special programs for students with learning disabilities (LD) and other learning challenges, Landmark College is one of the only accredited colleges in the United States designed exclusively for students who learn differently, including students with learning disabilities (such as dyslexia), attention deﬁcit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

in weekly academic advising sessions while engaged with the advising curriculum. As students progress in their coursework, they become increasingly independent and meet with their advisor less frequently. Students pursuing their bachelor’s degree work with degree speciﬁc advisors. The academic advisor is central to the system which supports individual student performance.

For almost 40 years, our combination of research-based learning strategies and academic support has proved successful in preparing students for the rigors of college-level work. As the ﬁeld of learning disabilities and differences expanded, our approach to working with students has grown more varied, but always with a constant unyielding mission to provide best practices for all.

THE LANDMARK COLLEGE DIFFERENCE

Landmark College offers the same range of student services found at any college—from counseling and health services to student life and athletics. The difference at Landmark College is that these professionals, like our faculty and academic advisors, bring speciﬁc expertise in, and a passion for, working with students who learn differently. Working together, we help students discover their path as conﬁdent, empowered, and independent learners. We integrate our innovative learning strategies into everything we do.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

In addition to classes, students in their ﬁrst year at Landmark College participate

CENTERS FOR ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Landmark College’s Centers for Academic Support offer unparalleled support to students who learn differently, at no additional charge. The Drake Center for Academic Support is the ﬁrst place students turn for help with reading, writing, and study skills. Academic support centers within individual departments offer drop-in support and one-on-one scheduled appointments with Landmark College faculty.

COUNSELING & HEALTH

Counseling Services are available to provide support to students dealing with stress and other personal, social, or academic difﬁculties. Health Services offers support for physical issues.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

The ofﬁce of Educational Technology Services helps students take advantage of the wide array of technologies that support the needs of students who learn differently.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION COACHING

Through the office of Coaching Services, Landmark College’s Professional Certified Coaches work with students who have a variety of learning profiles and struggle with executive functioning.

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

INTEGRATED SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM

Students with autism who are academically prepared for college may still face signiﬁcant challenges navigating the social curriculum and adjusting to the more ﬂuid routine of the college student. Landmark College recognizes the need to provide additional programming to assist students with autism to meet their college goals. Our integrated services model for ASD support services provides a structured living and learning environment that combines an effective pedagogical approach with tailored social and other programmatic supports.

Initial courses are offered at non-credit and credit levels. This allows students to be placed in classes where they are able to succeed, from the start. Due to our rigorous academic standards, more than 50% of incoming students begin in non-credit courses, with most moving into credit courses after one or two semesters.

LIBRARY

The Landmark College Library offers walk-in assistance as well as one-on-one appointments with students to assist them with their research projects and with developing information literacy. The Library building offers a welcoming space conducive to individual and small-group study, as well as resources to support students’ curricular and extra-curricular needs and interests.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES & CURRICULUM

Originally founded as a two-year college, Landmark College began offering four-year degrees in 2014. We now offer an array of and associate degrees, with optional minors and concentrations. Landmark College offers a diverse selection of courses in anthropology, English, business, communications, humanities, philosophy, psychology, history, literature, math, science, foreign languages, theater, video, music, art, physical education, and other disciplines. For all entering students, the curriculum sequence begins with skills-development courses, designed to address the key areas of writing, reading, communication and study skills. Self-management, as well as the development of self-understanding and self-advocacy, are also important parts of this ﬁrst-semester curriculum.

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VISIT OUR CAMPUS

Landmark College offers several Open Houses on Saturdays each semester. You can also schedule a visit with our Admissions ofﬁce any week day during regular business hours by calling 802-387-6718 or emailing admisssions@landmark.edu.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Changing Our Classroom Conversations with Digital Music-Making & Cross-Cultural Collaboration By Ben Kelly Teaching sustainability helps our kids understand the world’s economic, social and environmental issues. Through this lens, my students and others like them around the globe are using music to promote a sustainable development agenda to end hunger and poverty, reduce inequality, manage climate change and foster peace. Sound like a tall order? We’re tackling this lifechanging agenda one song at a time.

these important goals, including moving the message beyond my classroom. For me, there’s nothing more inspiring than music, and I knew it would be the foundation of this project. I’ve been a big fan of the cloud-based audio recording studio, Soundtrap since it was introduced to me at an educator’s conference in 2016. As a teacher with a mission to bring music collaboratively to the world, I knew what to do.

I’m a technology teacher for grades 6-12 at Caledonia Regional High School in New Brunswick, Canada, and Lead of Innovative Design. Believing that we truly have the ability to save humanity, I recently became a TeachSDGs ambassador for the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda. The movement, which was adopted by world leaders in 2015, lists 17 efforts to be put into action by 2030. The list includes such sweeping goals as wiping out poverty and hunger, gender equality, quality education for all, climate action and affordable and clean energy.

And so I returned to the roots of my first Soundtrap project, a collaborative music album that was part of a larger curriculum to introduce the kids to different forms of media making. The students loved using Soundtrap. It’s collaborative, easy to use, works across all platforms and devices, and every single one of them made a track for the album. Soon, we were using Soundtrap in all nine of my classes.

Making a World of Difference with Cloudbased Recordings After becoming a TeachSDGs ambassador, I started exploring ways to raise awareness of

We call this newest music album Project SUSTAIN, or Students Using Soundtrap to Accomplish International Necessity. It parallels perfectly with the UN’s goals, which they refer to as “The World’s Largest Lesson.” To ensure that we had serious interest in our own backyard, I sent out a call to action to our students. I set up a virtual wall with the 17 tracks,

ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

and right away, two 11th graders, a male and female, committed to the cause. They grabbed track 5, which was the one on gender equality. They are creating a “call and response” type of song for that particular track. The male student performed the intro for the album with a very passionate speech. He also signed on for Goal 1, which is “No Poverty”. Hashtag: This is How We Do It Next, I used Twitter to get the word out using the #TeachSDGs hashtag. A whole list of international teachers, from kindergarten through post-secondary, signed on, including schools from Nigeria, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, Germany, Vietnam and Romania. I used a Goggle form to find takers for the tracks. It’s exciting to watch this project attract so much interest from schools around the world. Some of us don’t speak the same language, but the spirit of the cause and the universal emotion of music gives us common ground from which to deliver such an important international message. It would be fantastic to make the album on Soundtrap for release through Spotify. Ideally, we’d like to release the album next year. But we’ll take the time we need because we want to do it right. Here at Caledonia, our province is Microsoft. The teachers like Soundtrap because it’s just as compatible on the school’s Microsoft Surface Studio desktops as it is on their Macs and the students’ personal devices. Some of our teachers use Soundtrap to advance their core curriculum, and the students who started on it in 2016 still rely on it to create class assignments. Advancing a Vision for Global Change What’s interesting is that while I set out to teach my students about making an impact internationally, I’m also learning about myself. Prior to these global interactions, I wasn’t terribly savvy from a cross-cultural perspective. But it’s been a great experience communicating

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my vision for the project with teachers around the world and learning how different teachers approach the project. One teacher held a class contest using Soundtrap, and the winning song was submitted to fill their selected track. Other teachers involve their entire class in the single track. I’m not listening to any of the submitted songs because I don’t want them to influence what we at Caledonia Regional are doing. We’ve also discovered some telling distinctions across cultures, in that most countries gravitated to topics that were relevant to them. For example, we’re in a poor rural community and many of our students were drawn to “No Poverty.” Canada wanted “Gender Equality.” Romania chose “Peace and Justice & Strong Institutions.” In many cases, two schools are recording songs for the same track, which means we might have as many 34 tracks. Bring ‘em on! Whatever a teacher’s curriculum, it can adjust to accommodate this critical issue. The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals offer an amazing opportunity to teach our kids that there’s a bigger world out there—and that they can change it. Without these goals, we’re in trouble as a species. If our music makes people talk, we’re already part of the solution.

Benjamin Kelly is an innovative and internationally-recognized STEM educator who is the recent recipient of the Canadian Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching STEM for 2019 & 2018, New Brunswick Minister’s Award for Excellence in Education 2018, New Brunswick Inspirational STEM Teacher of the Year for 2017 and the WorkSafeNB Workplace Safety Teacher of the Year for 2018.

Index of Advertisers 36-37 76 49 5, 41 51 27 57 70-71 3

15, 17, 19, 21 86 34 11 2, 24-26 9 64-65

AASL AC&E AESA ASCD Benetech Boxlight Brigance Catchon College Board Curriculum Associates Education Talk Radio EdWeb Empowering writers First Student Front Row InferCabulary

80-81 72 63 85 54-55 58-59 38-39 74-75 8, 31, 33, 53, 69, 79 12-13 60-61 82-83 84 15, 73 50 44-47

Landmark College Laptops Anytime Leading Educators Learning Sciences NILD Norva Nivel McGraw Hill Presence Learning Scholastic Skoog/TippyTalk Social Express Soundtrap TekNekk Texthelp UNH Waterford

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ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

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DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND ACCESSIBILITY... LISTEN. EDUCATION TALK RADIO • Weekday mornings with Larry Jacobs • More than 3,000 shows on education • Average of 1,700 listens per day

A FEW RECENT DISCUSSIONS: College Readiness for Students of Color Identifying and Eliminating Biases in Gifted Education Your School Library: Leaders in Equity, Inclusion & Diversity

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ACCESSIBILITY, COMPLIANCE & EQUITY IN EDUCATION

AC&E November-December 2019

Articles inside

Training and Compassion Drive Special Needs Transportation