|
Case
Study
SPELLING
INCLUSION SUCCESS WITH FOUR C'S IN CONIFER COUNTY
Commitment, Character, Community, and Creativity are the keys to
a successful inclusion program in Conifer County. Conifer County
Linking Agent, Dharva Trimble, has been working with the Elementary
and Middle Schools Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC)1
for well over two years. However, inclusive philosophy and practice
began in Conifer County long before. The following narrative presents
an overview of the district's process of adoption of inclusive practices.
It includes ways the district has worked to ensure high educational
standards for all students by accessing the general education curriculum
for children with disabilities, as well as practical suggestions
for beginning inclusion in your own community or school district.
Located approximately 60 miles north of a large northeastern city,
Conifer County, had, until recently, been considered a small, rural
school district. However, within the past two or three years, their
student population has increased dramatically. The county's student
population has grown to just under 37, 000 students, with 12 percent
of those students participating in special education services. Conifer
County's special education population serves children with all types
of disabilities, including learning disabilities, emotional and
behavioral disorders, hearing and visual impairments, autism, and
other health impairments. The county employs over 210 special education
teachers and 58 special education paraprofessionals to ensure the
best educational outcomes for their students with disabilities.
In the past, children with severe and profound disabilities were
removed from the regular education classroom, and sent to Cedar
Knolls School, a more restrictive educational setting. However,
during the early 1990's, Conifer County began programs to keep children
in their neighborhood schools, despite a child's diagnosis as a
special education student.
1.
EMSTAC - The Elementary and Middle Schools Technical Assistance
Center is a five-year contract between the U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and the American Institutes
for Research to provide technical assistance to school districts
and disseminate information regarding research-based practices.
Three different strategies of information sharing are being evaluated
to determine which method of dissemination affords the greatest
impact on students at the most efficient cost. Interested districts
assign a local stakeholder or school professional to serve as a
Linking Agent between the district and the research-based knowledge
that an EMSTAC staff member, called a Technical Assistance Liaison,
offers. EMSTAC provides training for Linking Agents and encourages
collaboration between school professionals by developing web-based
products, facilitating CHAT events, and providing a list-serve forum
for discussion.
Next Page
back
to top
EMSTAC
1000 Thomas Jefferson St., NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20007 |
Tel:
(202) 944-5300
TTY: 1-877-334-3499
Fax: (202) 944-5454
|
|
