TIES Inclusive Education Roadmap

FAQs & Additional Resources

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Frequently Asked Questions

Great question! Start by:

  • Read through this Introduction section. It will help you build background knowledge about inclusive education and the Inclusive Education Roadmap.
  • Next move to Step 1: Getting Started to dig into your organization's mission, vision, and values; begin to build buy-in and readiness for change; and form an Equitable Inclusive Leadership Team (EILT).
  • Create a timeline to complete the IER Steps 1 through 4 in six to twelve months. By this point, the EILT will be in place, prioritizing the organizational needs by using the RISE (Step 2) and Initiative Inventory (Step 3) that links the priorities to current initiatives will be completed, and the Inclusive Education Action Plan (Step 4) will be ready to go.
  • During the next one to two years, focus on Step 5, where the Inclusive Education Action Plan is implemented. During this period, the infrastructure and processes that will sustain the inclusive practices are implemented and developed, including using data to chart the system's progress.
  • In the future, Step 5 will be the primary focus. However, as needed, leaders will always come back to Steps 1-4 to support the work and as implementation is scaled up.

It is terrific if your organization has started building an inclusive educational system! You may have critical pieces already in place, which will move you closer to scaling up. However, you want to consider if there are ways to solidify the foundation of your work to support sustainability. What we have learned is:

  • The timelines for moving through the steps of the IER will probably be faster for your organization than for organizations that are beginning their development work.
  • As you go through the IER steps, map out which components of the inclusive system are currently in place and which components have not yet been developed. Focus on systematically developing those new components.
  • Review Step 1 (Getting Started) of the IER to see if there are aspects of current work (such as building buy-in for inclusive education or adding members to the Equitable Inclusive Leadership Team to include multiple voices) that you want to develop further.
  • Next, have the EILT complete the Reflecting on an Inclusive System of Education (RISE) in Step 2 to guide the work going forward. Decide whether your Action Plan should focus on deepening your current work, expanding the focus of the work, or the system is ready to do both.

First, begin by understanding your organization's data. Be knowledgeable about:

  • To what extent are students with disabilities in general education for greater than 80% of the school day?
  • To what extent are students with significant cognitive disabilities in general education for at least 80% of the school day? 
  • When disaggregated by race, grade, disability, does the data show that all students are equally included? Or are there predictable placement trends for some students? What are the learning outcomes for each of these groups of students? 
  • What other questions does the data raise as you look for patterns and trends?

Next, understand the whys of inclusive education, including for students with significant cognitive disabilities. It helps build your knowledge base before reaching out to others to discuss inclusive education. 

The TIES Core Values are a valuable resource for understanding the commitment that underlies inclusive education system change. You can use them:

  • Personally, to reflect on and clarify one's values about student learning.
  • As a resource to build a shared understanding of what inclusive education entails.
  • As content in professional development to build greater buy-in for inclusive education for all students (Refer to Step 1 in the IER for more information).
  • As a resource to review before reflecting on your organization's vision and mission. Then ask, does our vision and mission statement apply to all students or just some students? Do all students belong, thrive, and learn as members of an inclusive community?

The Inclusive Education outcomes [T (Time), I (Instructional Effectiveness), E (Engagement with the Curriculum and Peers), and S (Support for Systems Change)] are essential considerations when designing and evaluating an effective inclusive system of education. Use the T-I-E-S categories and descriptions to determine what data to monitor for your system. Refer to Introduction Core Value and Outcomes section for more information.

Resources

The Whys of Inclusive Education
Creating a Culture of Belonging
Implementation Science and Building Sustainable Education Systems
Inclusive Leadership
Research Supporting Inclusive Education