Newark Public Schools launched its Inclusive Schools Week on Monday, with a theme of “Stand Tall, Sit Up for Inclusion.”

Inclusive Schools Week celebrates the progress district schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage and language preference, among other factors.

Inclusive Schools Week (ISW) is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network, a web-based educational resource for families, schools and communities that promotes inclusive educational practices.

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The initiative—celebrated for the first time in the district—is being implemented throughout all NPS schools from Dec. 4-8.

“The Office of Special Education (OSE) is continuing to make great strides in expanding the reach, curriculum and programs to ensure we are an inclusive school district,” Newark Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf said. “The workshops held by the OSE provide an opportunity for engagement of the entire district on developing and delivering best practices for our students and families.”

The OSE oversees all district students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

As part of Inclusive Schools Week, the OSE is holding problem-solving workshops, while the Inclusive Practices Implementation Team is spearheading sessions to engage schools and teachers in improving educational opportunities for students and families.

The workshops—which include teachers, child study team members, principals, vice principals and OSE staff—focus on identifying, addressing and resolving students’ social and academic behavior challenges.





In addition, a two-part workshop on Universal Design for Learning is being held to deepen teachers’ understanding of inclusive teaching through theoretical principles and practical applications for increased student access, engagement and participation.

Universal Design for Learning uses different teaching techniques for students who learn differently, according to NPS Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Carolyn Granato.

“Our job is to make sure all students are getting what they need in a rigorous way, but in a different way,” Granato said. “Universal Design revamps the curriculum to accommodate students. When you do this in a general education classroom, all students benefit.”

The Inclusive Practices Implementation Team utilizes school data to develop an action plan for improving inclusive practices at schools, with a focus on educating students in the least restrictive environment and ensuring that sufficient academic and social supports are in place.

“More important than data is that children accept each other and accept their differences,” Granato said. “They need to celebrate each other and not use those differences against them.”

Granato, who calls this year a breakthrough year for Special Education in Newark, said she hopes the initiative will convey a message of inclusion.

“Inclusion is everybody, it is cultural responsiveness," she said. "We’re making sure that we’re getting to everyone and including everyone. We all think, learn and grow in different ways. That makes us unique. Inclusive Schools Week is a preview of new, exciting, dynamic and inclusive programs and curricula that will give our students and families the best special education has to offer."

The district has spearheaded a number of initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion in recent months.

In October, the school board unanimously passed a resolution supporting school safety and educational opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students.

The initiative seeks to maintain and enforce anti-bullying policies explicitly protecting LGBTQ students, with NPS working actively with outside LGBTQ advocacy groups to set the tone for an inclusive school district.

School board member Reginald Bledsoe, who authored the resolution, said he plans on bringing the inclusion of Special Needs students before the board.

“It is time for school districts across the U.S. and the world to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength,” Bledsoe said. “Today, we are witnessing diversity and inclusion spreading within the Newark Public Schools. I pledge to bring this policy back to the forefront for discussion to add Special Needs students to our resolution. Kudos to Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Carolyn Granato and her team for Inclusive Schools Week.”

NPS is currently developing family engagement and support for families of LGBTQ students, providing resources on LGBTQ issues and offering professional development training to teachers, administrators and support staff on issues affecting LGBTQ students.

NPS also held its Week of Respect as part of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month in October, with a number of anti-bullying initiatives held throughout district schools.

"The focus is on our kids, where it should be," Granato said. "We're focusing on all kids and making sure that all kids learn well. We are celebrating and advocating inclusion. All children do better when all children are included. I think that's a big game-changer this year."