Inclusive Schools Week and Inclusive Schools Capstone

The District of Columbia’s Inclusive Schools Capstone

The District of Columbia will host an Inclusive Schools Capstone February 4, 2013 as a signature event during this school year’s series of inclusive activities in the District.  The Capstone is part of an overall District strategy to vastly improve the capacity of DC’s public schools to provide high quality educational opportunities for students with disabilities. 

The Inclusive Schools Capstone is being sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), and the Public Charter School Board (PCSB), Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc. (AJE), the Arc of the District of Columbia, Dutko Grayling, George Washington University (GWU), SchoolTalk, DC, the Special Education Cooperative, the State Advisory Panel on Special Education (SAP) and University Legal Services (ULS).

We view the Capstone as an historic opportunity to raise the profile of inclusive education in the District and invite all parents, educators, administrators and community organizations to come present or learn about quality inclusive practices for students with disabilities. 

The Capstone will include:

• A welcome keynote from Dan Habib, director of the film “Including Samuel” and the parent of a child with a disability;
• An afternoon keynote from Lisa Dieker, Professor at University of Central Florida and the author of five books and two videos on effective strategies for inclusion and co-teaching; and
• 3 breakout sessions with practical tips and strategies an implementing inclusive practices.

Planning Committee Members

• Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc. (AJE)
• The Arc of the District of Columbia
• District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
• Dutko Grayling
• George Washington University (GWU)
• Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
• Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME)
• Public Charter School Board (PCSB)
• SchoolTalk, DC,
• The Special Education Cooperative
• State Advisory Panel on Special Education (SAP)
• University Legal Services (ULS)

Conference Registration

http://www.cvent.com/d/fcqxxd/4W

Contact Information

osse.inclusiveschoolsweekdc@dc.gov

Sponsors

Coming Soon

Inclusion Resources

Inclusive Schools Week Network

http://inclusiveschools.org/

*****

About Inclusive Schools Week (ISW)

Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students with disabilities. The Week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.

For more information about National Inclusive Schools Week, please visit: http://inclusiveschools.org.

The District of Columbia’s Celebration of ISW

Inclusion is more than a seat in a class

Included – [adj.] Being part of the whole; embraced, incorporated into a body.

Join the District of Columbia’s education community in a series of events aimed at empowering educators, families, and the DC community in building inclusive classrooms. Help us support students historically marginalized due to disability, gender, socio economic status, cultural heritage, and language.

The Inclusive Schools Week Planning Committee hosted at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives more than 50 attendees during the 2012 Inclusive Schools Week (ISW) Kick-Off Event. The event aims was to highlight the District of Columbia’s work toward creating and maintaining inclusive classrooms and engage participants in interactive activities modeling best practices.  

Event participants enjoyed:

1. A short screening of "Who Cares About Kelsey?" by Dan Habib and a film discussion,
2. An interactive activity demonstrating inclusive practices for educators and parents, and
3. An exclusive preview of ISW events and the Inclusive Schools Week Capstone Event on February 4, 2013.

During the event, a Mayoral Proclamation was read and leadership from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE),  the DC Public Schools (DCPS), DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB), Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc. (AJE), University Legal Services (ULS), the State Advisory Panel (SAP) on Special Education and other community based organizations will provided updates on their efforts to ensure all students receive a quality education in Inclusive classrooms settings.

The kick off and ISW week-long events were a success.