Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting
Submission Deadline: October 16, 2020

Lessons Learned: Providing an Equitable and Inclusive Education During Unprecedented Times
For the past six months, educators have navigated the unimaginable. You have shifted from in-person to virtual without warning or time to plan, all while in the midst of a pandemic. As those responsible for implementing special education services, you have done all of this while upholding the rights of students with disabilities. Whether this was a seamless transition or one fraught with obstacles, you are all stars!

Let’s share what we have and are continuing to learn. How do we provide an equitable and inclusive education for students with disabilities during a pandemic and having to plan for in-person, virtual, and a blend of the two simultaneously. How do we ensure students have access to educational resources? What barriers have you encountered? What have been the opportunities? Let’s share what we know in order to make educational systems even stronger than pre-pandemic.

Please submit an idea for a presentation or a facilitated conversation that you would like to hold.  Our team is ready and willing to help create presentations and find protocols to hold effective discussions.
Below are questions that may help as you develop your proposal. 
  • Leadership - How has leadership in your district or school created the environment to shift so much in such a short time? Have you been able to create more inclusive practices? How did you infuse equity throughout the process? Were there barriers you were able to surmount? How were you able to take care of your staff? What lessons can help move us forward? What ideas or wonderings about leading in our new normal do you want to discuss with your colleagues?
  • Systems Change - Historically, our systems have appeared so intractable, and yet we changed everything in a matter of weeks. How was this accomplished? Were equity and inclusion a focus of the changes? What lessons do we need to take forward to create systems that are flexible enough to meet student needs? How have you managed staff - your teachers, paraprofessionals, related service providers? How have you used data to make changers? What ideas or wonderings about systemic change do you want to discuss with your colleagues?
  • Teaching and Learning - What practices have worked/not worked with remote instruction? How have you provided related services? How have you been building community and addressing students’ social emotional needs? What are the plans for addressing new issues schools might have regarding behavior related to wearing masks and social distancing? How have you addressed the needs of English learners? Have you continued to develop universally designed practices within an MTSS model? What ideas or wonderings related to teaching and learning do you want to discuss with your colleagues?
  • Family and Community Engagement - What strategies did you use to stay connected with families? Did you work closely with families of students with more significant disabilities? How were you able to stay connected to families who do not speak English? Did you support families with technology? How were families’ questions and concerns addressed? Has your district partnered with community organizations to support students? What ideas or wonderings related to family and community engagement do you want to discuss with your colleagues?
Proposal submission deadline is October 16, 2020.

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