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Leading for All

How to Create Truly Inclusive and Excellent Schools

By: Jennifer Spencer-Iiams, Josh Flosi

Foreword by Paula Kluth

Leading for All is a practical guide that provides a clear pathway for educators to develop a more inclusive school community from start to finish.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781071827925
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2020
Page Count: 224
Publication date: November 12, 2020

Price: $39.95

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Description

Develop inclusive and equitable school communities where all learners thrive

Research has shown that inclusive education results in better academic outcomes for ALL students, not just those identified with disabilities, by promoting self-efficacy, improving social and emotional health, and consistently implementing research-based instructional strategies. Still, many schools rely on deeply ingrained, segregated practices that fail to serve all students.

Leading for All is a practical guide that provides a clear pathway for educators to develop a more inclusive school community from start to finish. Authors Jennifer Spencer-Iiams and Josh Flosi share lessons learned from spending nearly a decade building district schools where all students are served in their neighborhood school and in classrooms with their general education peers.

Features include:

Three focus areas to guide change: Creating Inclusive Cultures, Improving Instructional Practices, and Increasing Student Voice
7 Components of Inclusive and Equitable Learning Communities
Supporting resources for promoting inclusion throughout the school day, including co-curricular activities and transportation
Stories of real students and teachers and the actions that impacted their success

Educators and school leaders want to create inclusive and excellent educational experiences for all students, but they do not always know how to proceed. Leading for All provides a model, stories, strategies, and clear evidence that it can be done effectively.

Author(s)

Jennifer Spencer-Iiams

Dr. Jennifer Spencer-Iiams is the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District in Oregon. She has been a teacher and educational leader for 32 years. She led significant transformation in her district in the movement to a full inclusion model that honors student strengths and promotes belonging. Jennifer has served as an adjunct professor in the area of Special Education and in Emerging Bilingual Education. She has presented on models of inclusion at numerous conferences, served on statewide leadership groups focused on improvement in Special Education, and she collaborated to support national educational reform efforts for higher education and educator standards. Jennifer is a triple Duck, earning her bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees from the University of Oregon. She is the child of educators and her mother was always active in improving her community. Jennifer is the youngest sister to five strong women. She lives in West Linn, Oregon with her husband, three grown children in the area, and her dog Gus.

Josh Flosi

Josh Flosi has been an educator for 25 years in public, private, and international schools. He currently leads Student Support Services at the International School of Tanganyika, an inclusive school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Before that, he spent 10 years as a building administrator and then Assistant Director of Student Services in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District near Portland, Oregon, where he helped lead the transformation to a profoundly inclusive model of education. He spent 14 years as a high school English and Social Studies teacher. He has also been an adjunct professor in a teacher preparation program and a regular presenter at conferences.

Josh is committed to promoting inclusive and excellent schools, believing that we all have the capacity to learn and the right to belong and contribute to a community. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Stanford University and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Oregon. He enjoys traveling with his family, reading, coaching soccer, and crafting homemade ice cream.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Paula Kluth

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Finding Our Why

Why Inclusion?

Academic Research Supports Inclusion

Inclusion and the Whole-Child Movement

Equity and Social Justice

The Perspective of Families

Moving from Why to Why Not?

References

Chapter 2 - What We Mean by Inclusive Education

A Continuum of Inclusive Practices

A Summary of Changes Over the Past Eight Years

What Inclusion Looks Like

References

Chapter 3 - The Foundations of Inclusive Education

Putting Our Goals on Paper

Guiding Principles for Our Work

Kortney’s Story

References

Chapter 4 - Creating Inclusive Cultures

True Friendships

Providing Supports in the General Education Classroom

Shared Ownership and Co-Teaching

The Power of Language

All Students Participate in Cocurricular Activities

References

Chapter 5 - Improving Instructional Practices

Frameworks that Guide our Instructional Practices

Learning Targets

Engagement Strategies

Access to Grade-Level Content

Common and Consistent Data

Analyzing Data to Inform Instruction

Purpose of Evaluation

References

Chapter 6 - The Components of Inclusive and Equitable Learning Communities

Effective Physical Spaces

Teaching Common Expectations

Rituals, Routines, and Recognition

Engagement Strategies for All Students

Teaching Social-Emotional Skills

Restorative Practices

Relationships with High Expectations

References

Chapter 7 - Increasing Student Voice

Growth Mindset Revisited

Student Voice and Behavior

Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Students as Leaders of Change

Students and Their IEPs

References

Chapter 8 - Supporting Behavior in Inclusive Schools

All-Some-Few Thinking

Team “Student”

The Intensive Capacity-Building Team

Thinking Inclusively About Outside Placement

References

Chapter 9 - Leadership Moves to Make it Happen

Communication and Relationships

The Role of the Central Office

Salary Structures, Job Descriptions, and Union Contracts to Support Inclusive Practices

Structures for Professional Learning that Support Inclusive Practices

Structures for Leadership and Stakeholder Input

Partnerships with Other Districts and Outside Organizations

Closing Thoughts about Leadership Moves

References

Chapter 10 - What’s Next?

Transportation

Inclusive Early-Childhood Education

Adult Transition Services and Inclusive College Opportunities

Inclusive Teacher Education

The Mental Health System

Inclusive Practices in the Time of Distance Learning and COVID-19

Closing Thoughts

References

Index

Reviews

"Jennifer Spencer-Iiams and Josh Flosi's journey through inclusion is quite remarkable. They chart a path we should all embrace and share the context and tools to support us effectively. They present a great shared text for teacher teams considering shifts to more inclusive practices."

Peter Dillon, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
Berkshire Hills Regional School District / Shaker Mountain School Union, MA

“In Leading for All, the authors so vividly paint the picture of what collective student efficacy looks like in practice.”

John Hattie, Laureate Professor
Melbourne Graduate School of Education

"This is a clear guide for principals, central office leaders, parents, and special education advocacy groups to use while implementing changes that foster a more inclusive environment for special education students on campus and in the community."

Dr. Anthony Mays, Senior Director of Schools Division with the Harris County Department of Education
University of Houston Downtown, TX

"Leading for All provides a clear framework that all educators should use to improve inclusive practices. The authors have a clear vision for transformational change that will create inclusive school communities which starts at the classroom level."

Ronald D. Wahlen, Director of Digital Teaching and Learning
Durham Public Schools, NC

"Leading for All is a very readable book that integrates a wide-range of current knowledge as to how to create an inclusive learning environment for all students, not just special education students. The authors take us along on their journey, recognizing that this magnitude of change is not easy but is a moral imperative, and provide us with the information to undertake such change.

Linda R. Vogel, Professor and Program Coordinator
University of Northern Colorado, CO

Other Titles in: School Culture & Climate | Inclusive Education

Select Format:

For Instructors

Request Review Copy

When you select 'request review copy', you will be redirected to Sage Publishing (our parent site) to process your request.

Related Resources

Leading for All: How to Create Truly Inclusive and Excellent Schools [Podcast]
Teaching SEL Skills [Book excerpt]