Leading for All
How to Create Truly Inclusive and Excellent Schools
- Jennifer Spencer-Iiams - West Linn-Wilsonville School District, OR
- Josh Flosi - International School of Tanganyika, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Foreword by Paula Kluth
Develop inclusive and equitable school communities where all learners thrive
Research has shown that inclusive education results in better academic outcomes for ALL students, not just those identified with disabilities, by promoting self-efficacy, improving social and emotional health, and consistently implementing research-based instructional strategies. Still, many schools rely on deeply ingrained, segregated practices that fail to serve all students.
Leading for All is a practical guide that provides a clear pathway for educators to develop a more inclusive school community from start to finish. Authors Jennifer Spencer-Iiams and Josh Flosi share lessons learned from spending nearly a decade building district schools where all students are served in their neighborhood school and in classrooms with their general education peers.
Features include:
- Three focus areas to guide change: Creating Inclusive Cultures, Improving Instructional Practices, and Increasing Student Voice
- 7 Components of Inclusive and Equitable Learning Communities
- Supporting resources for promoting inclusion throughout the school day, including co-curricular activities and transportation
- Stories of real students and teachers and the actions that impacted their success
Educators and school leaders want to create inclusive and excellent educational experiences for all students, but they do not always know how to proceed. Leading for All provides a model, stories, strategies, and clear evidence that it can be done effectively.
Free resources
[Podcast] Leading for All: How to Create Truly Inclusive and Excellent Schools
Featured on the The Think Inclusive Podcast. Jennifer Spencer-Iiams, Assistant Superintendent for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, talks to The Think Inclusive Podcast about the transformation in her district toward inclusive practices. Her book, Leading for All, shares lessons learned from years building district schools where all students are served in their neighborhood school and classrooms with their general education peers.
Teaching SEL Skills
In this excerpt from Leading for All, the authors explain how to identify and teach social emotional skills.
"Jennifer Spencer-Iiams and Josh Flosi's journey through inclusion is quite remarkable. They chart a path we should all embrace and share the context and tools to support us effectively. They present a great shared text for teacher teams considering shifts to more inclusive practices."
“In Leading for All, the authors so vividly paint the picture of what collective student efficacy looks like in practice.”
"This is a clear guide for principals, central office leaders, parents, and special education advocacy groups to use while implementing changes that foster a more inclusive environment for special education students on campus and in the community."
"Leading for All provides a clear framework that all educators should use to improve inclusive practices. The authors have a clear vision for transformational change that will create inclusive school communities which starts at the classroom level."
"Leading for All is a very readable book that integrates a wide-range of current knowledge as to how to create an inclusive learning environment for all students, not just special education students. The authors take us along on their journey, recognizing that this magnitude of change is not easy but is a moral imperative, and provide us with the information to undertake such change.
This is a good book--not sure if I will be using it. I am not teaching supervision after all.