Speaking of Inclusion ....

CONNECT Video Clip Whets Student Appetite for More

A community college instructor recently shared that she used the CONNECT Foundations for Early Childhood Inclusion video in her college class to introduce her students to the “big ideas” on the topic of inclusion.  To her surprise, some of the students didn’t know that in the not so distant past children with disabilities were excluded from school.  They had no idea about the battles that were fought by parents of children with disabilities and advocates to obtain access to education. The video whetted their appetite for more information about Jay Turnbull (featured in the video), and about current rights and laws on inclusion.  They were interested to learn that as teachers they have certain rights related to inclusion. 

I was able to share information with the community college instructor about an upcoming pilot study of the CONNECT module on embedded interventions which includes information on teachers’ rights for support in implementing inclusion.  I also was able to provide a link to an NPR interview with Dr. Ann Turnbull whose account of those days of exclusion is featured on the CONNECT Foundations video. 

Community Question
Inclusion is a civil rights issue.  Do others have strategies for engaging learners in discussions of inclusion laws and policies?

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Christine's Chronicles: What Next

Follow along with one parent on her journey to make inclusion a reality for her son.

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Practical, Creative, Strategic, Informative & Reflective - CONNECT

What do you think about CONNECT's Module 1?

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Christine's Chronicles: A New Partnership

Follow along with one parent on her journey to make inclusion a reality for her son.

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Identifying and Using Evidence-based Practices in Early Childhood

Recently, I was asked to speak at a conference on evidence-based practice. The conference organizers wanted me to talk about which practices in early childhood and early intervention were evidence-based. To get me started in thinking about this task, they offered to send me a list of practices that they considered evidence-based. One thing I immediately observed about the list they sent was that the practices were at many different levels. The practices could be placed on a continuum—from specific instructional or intervention strategies, to comprehensive curricula, to broader approaches such as early learning frameworks or systems consisting of multiple, related practices. I was struck by how confusing the term evidence-based practice continues to be to practitioners, families, and policy makers alike.

Does evidence-based practice mean that certain practices are supported by scientific evidence, whereas others are not? If so, which ones? And what do we mean by a practice? It may be helpful to think about evidence-based practice in two ways, and to incorporate both of these meanings in our professional development efforts.

First, evidence-based practice can be used to describe instructional and intervention practices (both broadly and narrowly defined approaches) that have research evidence of effectiveness. The What Works Clearinghouse is a good source to find early childhood practices that have been found to be effective through research. However, it is important to recognize that the early childhood field is at an early stage in appraising and synthesizing research-based knowledge.

Another way to think about evidence-based practice is that it is a decision-making process in which various sources of evidence (research, wisdom, values, and contexts) need to be taken into account. This second meaning suggests that effective practitioners recognize that they can use research findings, along with other sources of evidence (including assessment information that they gather themselves) to make sound decisions in collaboration with families and others.

Fortunately, we are beginning to organize professional development in a way that promotes the most effective, research-based practices as well as a process by which practitioners can make decisions about how to apply these practices in a way that reflects the needs and priorities of individual children and families and the contexts in which they receive early childhood services.

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New Grant Opportunity for Community Colleges

Note: The application deadline for this RFP was November 3, 2009.

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Help Has Arrived!

Inclusion resources to support your professional development work

Whether I’m teaching online, making a presentation, or sharing ideas with a group, I try to keep two ideas in mind: 1) how will I share key concepts or ideas; and 2) what difference will it make? Often, the content I’m thinking about is inclusion.

In May, NPDCI shared the new joint position statement on early childhood inclusion. This month they unveiled a treasure trove of related resources to use in professional development. There are long and short versions of the position statement in multiple languages, blogs, a video, and a downloadable set of PowerPoint slides. More resources will be coming soon.

I’ve been using the joint position statement in professional development with students, faculty, child care providers, and policymakers. Join the conversation below and let me know what you think about the new resources and how you’re using the position statement in your work.

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