TIES Inclusive Education Roadmap
Guidance on District EILTs
While Equitable Inclusive Leadership Teams (EILT) operate at all levels of the system, they do not look identical due to the complexity of their work and the organization's size. Here are some Membership "look fors" and potential members at the DISTRICT level:
Membership, Knowledge and Skills | Member "Look Fors" | Potential Members on the State EILT (estimated size range between 7-14) |
|---|---|---|
Decision-makers | Special education and general education administrators or designees with the authority to make decisions regarding changes to policy, procedures, and practices. | Superintendent or designee Director of Special Education Director of Curriculum and Instruction or designee Professional Development leaders Parents of students with significant cognitive disabilities Parent-teacher organization representative Self-advocates Principals Regional administrators Special education compliance office representatives Special education data personnel Instructional coaches School representatives Augmentative and alternative communication specialist |
Implementers | Personnel who will implement inclusive educational practices including general education classroom teachers, special education teachers, specialized support personnel, paraprofessionals, and general education specialist teachers (PE, art, music, technology, etc.) | |
Evidence-based practices in inclusive education for all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities | Expertise and experience regarding inclusive education for all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities. This is inclusive of educators and family members. | |
Evidence-based practices in instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities | Expertise and experience regarding the instruction and communication supports for students with significant cognitive disabilities | |
Evidence-based practices in general education | Consider expertise and experience in general education instruction and classroom management strategies, including Universal Design for Learning and/or differentiated instruction | |
Best practices in implementation and systems change | Knowledge of local systems, policies, and supports. Access to relevant data systems. Expertise and experience in school reform and/or systems change in education. |
DISTRICTS organize their EILTs differently depending on their size, needs, and the organizational structures that are currently in place. Below are two examples of how two different size districts organized their EILTs based on their specific context.
This district chose to organize by having a large District-wide Implementation Team that guided the overall work, was inclusive of diverse voices, and developed the goals and action plan. This team needed to include critical decision-makers with authority over resource allocation who could integrate and move inclusive education work system-wide. The Core Implementation Team was responsible for navigating and implementing the action plan. It provided leadership for different aspects of the work, kept the District EILT apprised of the work, and assured movement forward with the action plan. This team worked with the EILTs at individual schools, including district coaches.
In this example structure, the District EILT and Core Implementation Team collaborate. The Core Implementation Team directly supports the schools (A-F in this example). The District EILT consisted of:
- the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendents
- Director of Teaching and Learning
- Director and Assistant Directors of Special Education
- Special Education Supervisors
- Director of English Learners
- Lead for Inclusive Education
- Leads for MTSS and PBIS
- Director of Professional Development, Assessment, and Evaluation
- Principal
- Parent of a child with disabilities
- State or Regional Representation
- External Partners
The Core Implementation Team consisted of:
- the Director or Assistant Director of Special Education
- Director or Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning
- Professional Development
- Special Education Assistant director for each level of the system
- Lead for Inclusive Education and Principals
From an organizational perspective, small districts are less complex in their leadership structure, and they tend to be less hierarchical and more horizontal in their work. Individuals often wear “multiple hats” in the roles that they hold. In small districts, the EILT leads the implementation work. In some cases, a parent and community advisory team brings in more voices and diverse perspectives to the work and provides a means to share the vision and progress with the community.