MA DSAC Collaboration Institute for Special and General Education Leaders Working with Districts to Improve Results for All Students, With a Focus on Students with Disabilities

Introductions  Welcome!  Let’s see who is on the call today…  Karen Mikkelsen and Susan Hayes, Learning Innovations at WestEd  Introduction of districts

Agenda  Review of Adobe Connect  Overview of Collaboration Institute  Purpose and goals  Research framework  Results of pre-institute survey  Reflections and Q&A  Logistics and next steps

Adobe Connect  Features  Chat box  Questions?

Institute Premise In effective school districts where students with disabilities are doing well, the special education administrator is a part of the district’s leadership team and issues related to the education of children with disabilities are fully integrated into the district’s overall educational system.

Institute Goals  To foster collaboration between special and general education leaders.  To provide special education leaders with the opportunity to assess district needs and, in partnership with the district leadership team, develop a school district action plan to address improved performance for all students, including those with disabilities.  To develop knowledge and skills for district leadership teams in the areas of effective leadership; quality teaching and learning; support for system-wide improvement; and the development of clear and collaborative relationships.

Research Framework  Primary research framework is derived from a literature review conducted by the Washington State Department of Education of effective district practices  Supplemented with information from studies of districts successful with students with disabilities  We will have time for questions and discussion at the end of this section, but please use the chat box to submit questions or comments along the way!

Research Framework

“Many studies have documented the characteristics of improved schools, but relatively little is known about districts that have shown significant improvement. Research on school district has been largely conducted in the past years…to provide a better understanding of improved school districts and their characteristics and actions, the Research and Evaluation Office…collected and analyzed more than 80 research reports and articles” (Shannon & Bylsma, 2004).

Research Framework  Lessons from California Districts Showing Unusually Strong Academic Performance for Students in Special Education (American Institutes for Research and the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, 2011)  Challenging Change: How Schools and Districts are Improving the Performance of Special Education Students (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2008)  A Study of MCAS Achievement and Promising Practices in Urban Special Education (The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, 2004)  Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students with Special Needs (Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, 2009)

Research Framework Analysis of common themes from across studies clustered into four areas: 1.Effective leadership; 2.Quality teaching and learning; 3.Support for system-wide improvement; 4.Clear and collaborative relationships

Research Framework  Within each of these areas of the framework, there are many subtopics and subthemes.  To focus this Institute on your needs and interests, we conducted a Pre-Institute Survey to learn more about the challenges facing your district.  Subtopics of focus for each theme and Institute session will be determined by your survey results.

Research Framework Survey Results:  10 of 12 districts responded  15 total respondents  8 Special Education Directors or Asst. Directors  7 Superintendents or Asst. Superintendents  Lots of detail and information provided about district context and priorities  Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey!

Effective Leadership Which elements of the theme "Effective Leadership" do you see as most important to address in your district and would you like to focus on as part of this Institute? Creating a district-wide belief system and culture that all students, including students with disabilities, can succeed 10 Setting clear goals for district improvement9 Sustaining district improvement efforts over time7 Qualities of effective school and district leaders2

Teaching and Learning Which elements of the theme "Quality Teaching and Learning" do you see as most important to address in your district and would you like to focus on as part of this Institute? Use of Response to Intervention (RtI)9 Providing high-quality instruction for all students, including students with disabilities 9 Establishing high expectations for adults in the system, including teachers and building leaders, and related accountability mechanisms 8 Inclusion; ensuring access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities 7

Teaching and Learning Which elements of the theme "Quality Teaching and Learning" do you see as most important to address in your district and would you like to focus on as part of this Institute? Quality professional development for staff6 Establishing high expectations for students, particularly students with disabilities 4 Curriculum and assessments aligned to state standards 2

System-wide Improvement Which elements of the theme "Support for System-wide Improvement" do you see as most important to address in your district and would you like to focus on as part of this Institute? Use of data to drive instruction and monitor student progress 10 Allocation of resources with an eye toward improving outcomes for students with disabilities 9 Policy and program coherence across general and special education 6 Strategic allocation of district resources to support system-wide goals 2

Collaborative Relationships Which elements of the theme "Clear and Collaborative Relationships" do you see as most important to address in your district and would you like to focus on as part of this Institute? Collaboration between special education and general education teachers 10 Alignment of special and general education priorities, initiatives, and programs 8 Professional learning communities6 Collaboration between special and general education at the school and district leadership level 5

Collaborative Relationships Which elements of the theme "Clear and Collaborative Relationships" do you see as most important to address in your district and would you like to focus on as part of this Institute? Working effectively with parents and families3 Clear understanding of school and district roles and responsibilities (school vs. district decision- making authority, etc.) 3 Managing the external environment (including state and federal policies, stakeholders, community, etc.) 1

District Challenges What are the top three problems or challenges your district faces related to improving outcomes for students?

District Challenges What are the top three problems or challenges your district faces related to improving outcomes for students?  Culture  Looking at students as “subgroups”  Resources  Collaboration between general and special education leaders  Collaboration between general and special education teachers  Inclusion  Co-teaching  RtI implementation

Participant Goals for District Improvement of student performance To foster better collaboration between general and special education leaders I hope we become a more cohesive unit with a strong, attainable action plan. Better system- wide understanding of special education in general

Participant Goals for District Increased capacity to serve students in- district Achieving our inclusion goals A strong sense of purpose joining special and regular education to improve instruction I hope we begin the quest to reflect on what we do, how we do it, and what we can do to improve.

Participant Goals for District For our team to gain Information/knowledge for establishing system-wide improvement and collaboration among general education and special education in our district in order to improve achievement for students with disabilities.

Reflections and Q&A  What are your thoughts or reaction to the Institute’s research framework?  How do you see your current district initiatives reflected in the framework?  What surprised you about the survey results?  Do you have any other suggestions or hopes for Institute sessions given our conversation today?

Logistics: Team Composition  The power of three…  District team will be lead by the special education director  Two other district leaders should serve on the team, e.g.:  Curriculum coordinator  Title I director  Assessment or data manager  Building principal

Logistics: Team Composition  Superintendent and special education director make decisions about team composition  All team members, including special education director, MUST register for the Institute by Monday, October 3 rd  Registration link will be ed to special education directors following this webinar  District superintendents do not need to register unless they are a member of the team

Logistics: Session Dates  September 22, 2011: Kick-Off Webinar  October 25-26, 2011: Session #1 (Orientation; Focus on Leadership) Keynote Speaker: Dr. Thomas Hehir, Harvard University  November 15, 2011: Session #2 (Focus on Quality Teaching and Learning)

Logistics: Session Dates  January 24, 2012: Session #3 (Focus on System-wide Improvement) *Snow date: January 31  February 28, 2012: Session #4 (Focus on Clear and Collaborative Relationships) *Snow date: March 6  Series of topical webinars; dates to be announced  Institute Co-Directors visit districts on-site to support development of action plan  May 22, 2012: Closing Session (Sharing of action plans)

Logistics: Institute Experience We will strive to ensure that sessions:  Are interactive  Allow for rich discussion and dialogue  Draw upon the wisdom and experience of leaders from the field of education  Are based in real-life experiences of participants  Address issues relevant to general and special education  Offer opportunities to analyze and reflect on District-specific data  Clearly connect to the research base  Feature best practices

Logistics: Wiki  We are going green!  Rather than print out hard copies of session materials, all information about the Institute will be posted on our Wiki.  ispaces.com/ ispaces.com/  If you have not registered for the Wiki yet, please use the chat box to tell us so we may send you an invitation to join.

Logistics: Session Location  All sessions will be held at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center in Framingham, Massachusetts.  All sessions will run from 9:00am – 4:00pm.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all one-day sessions.

Logistics: October Session  The first face-to-face session will be two days (October 25 th and 26 th ). Details:  Hotel accommodations at the Sheraton Framingham will be provided for those who wish to stay overnight on Oct. 25 th.  Registration site asks whether you will be staying overnight. We will take care of making room reservations. Please do not contact the hotel directly.  Those who do not wish to stay overnight should plan on staying for dinner and an evening activity on Oct. 25 th. We anticipate finishing by 8:00pm.  Meals provided include breakfast lunch and dinner on Oct. 25 th and breakfast and lunch on Oct. 26 th.  All over travel costs should be paid by the district.

See you soon!  Any final questions?  Please do not hesitate to contact us: Karen Mikkelsen (802) ; Susan Hayes (802) ;

See you soon!  Thank you so much for your time today We sincerely look forward to working with you and your district team over the course of the year.  See you in October!