TIES Inclusive Education Roadmap RETIRED
District Guidance: Equitable Inclusive Leadership Teams
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 size of the organization. Given the general Guidance for Equitable Inclusive Leadership Team, here are the 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 who have 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 special area teachers (PE, art, music, technology, etc.) | |
Evidence-based practices in inclusive education for students with significant cognitive disabilities | Expertise and experience regarding inclusive education for all students, explicitly including students with significant cognitive disabilities | |
Evidence-based practices in instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities | Expertise and experience regarding the instruction of students with significant cognitive disabilities | |
Evidence-based practices in instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities | 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 with different configurations for how districts have organized their inclusive education leadership teams based on their specific context.
EXAMPLES
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. It was important that this team included key 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 which also included district coaches.
From an organizational perspective, small districts are less complex in their leadership structure. 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 as well as provides a means to share the vision and progress with the community.