You made it through the messy part of unpacking beliefs, values, and experiences! Now you need to evaluate the current policies and procedures in your classroom and at your school.
Inventory of current policies and procedures
Edward T. Hall argued that organizations resembled icebergs in that only a small portion is visible above the surface while the majority of an organization’s underpinning forces are invisible to the human eye. This metaphor could spur conversation about how aligned are the practices of your school with the ideology of inclusion.
Ideas for activities:
- Create an anchor chart of what is visible and invisible in a school’s culture
Some questions about what is visible within an organization that can help spur conversation:
- Do all the gen ed teachers attend sped meetings?
- What are the schools discipline policies? Are students with IEPs disproportionately suspended?
- Are all teachers in the classroom aware of providing and accommodations?
- Do general and special education teachers collaborate frequently?
After reviewing what is visible/what is not visible, staff members can highlight what practices and underlying beliefs are and are not aligned with inclusion.
An example of a school-wide practice, which reveals an inclusive value of the school:
| Above the Surface | Below the Surface |
| Teachers turn in UDL lesson plans each week. The template includes a section for teachers to provide possible options for expression, representation, and engagement for each activity, assignment, and assessment. | Teachers value providing choices, opportunities for differentiation, and resources for all learners. |
An example of a practice, which is not aligned with inclusive philosophies:
| Above the Surface | Below the Surface |
| Students who qualify for special education under the eligibility of Emotional Disturbance, are suspended at a far higher proportion than any other population of students at the school. | Some possible questions to arrive at an explanation: -Does the school have an infrastructure for positive behavioral supports? -Is emotional regulation seen as something that can be taught like reading, writing or math? -Are these students receiving explicit instruction in how to manage their stress and implement replacement behaviors. -Are these suspensions helping deter the behavior or are they reinforcing the behavior if the function of the behavior is escape? -Are students receiving consistent implementation of behavioral plans? -Is the school working with the families to generalize behaviors across settings? |
Another activity idea:
Ask co-teaching teams to bring in cultural artifacts that illustrate an inclusive practice such as a flexible seating lay-out or an example of an activity where there were multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression embedded within. This will spur conversation about these observable objects reveal larger truths about an organization’s underlying beliefs and mission.