2009 TASH Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Awards
• Most Promising Inclusive School
• Inclusive Education Advocate of the Year
• Inclusive Education Administrator of the Year
• Inclusive Education Teacher of the Year
• Most Promising Inclusive School District
Purpose
To honor important and courageous contributions of individuals and school districts in advancing inclusive education and equitable opportunities for students pre-school through 12th grade, particularly those with the most significant disabilities and support needs. TASH recognizes that the path to full inclusion can be challenging, depending on the local community, state and local leadership and other factors. Our goal is to highlight contributions to progress along the path, in keeping with recognized quality practices. Awardees will set a high standard for innovation and excellence in inclusive education for others to emulate.
What Do We Mean by Inclusive Education?
TASH is a leader in the inclusive education movement, and has facilitated the publication of years of best practice research and promoted inclusive practices since 1975. Our published Resolution on Inclusive Quality Education is attached, and provides a guide for interested candidates and those nominating districts, schools and individuals.
Award Criteria
All nominees should demonstrate:
• The use of “person-first” language (vs. labels) when discussing or referring to students who have disabilities
• A willingness to collaborate with others
• An understanding that the education for all students, regardless of disability, should be grounded in the general education curriculum and should be provided in classes with their non-disabled peers in their neighborhood school or school of choice.
Please select one category for your nominee:
Criteria for the School District Award: Our candidate has taken steps resulting in:
• Improvement and measurable change in district-wide inclusive placement practices for all students in their neighborhood schools
• Adoption of collaborative and/or instructional practices across several schools leading to improved participation by students with disabilities in general education classes and curriculum
• Communication of a vision for including students with disabilities that addresses all students, regardless of the label or severity of disability
Criteria for the Administrator Award: Our candidate has taken steps resulting in:
• Change in placement practices from self-contained/resource services to comprehensive inclusive services, including welcoming students who traditionally have been served in regional programs (those with severe disabilities)
• Increased collaboration between special and general educators by providing time, personal encouragement or other resources
• A shared vision for inclusive schooling that addresses instructional practices as well as student membership and family involvement
Criteria for the Teacher Award: Our candidate has taken steps resulting in:
• Collaboration between special and general education staff to design supports and services for students with disabilities, especially those with severe disabilities, in the general education classroom
• Increased understanding by faculty and staff of the importance of inclusion and reasons that all students should be taught within the general education classroom
• Lessons that are differentiated for a variety of students and in particular, address the needs of students with severe disabilities
Criteria for the School Award: Our candidate has taken steps resulting in:
• Increased awareness and capacity for implementing inclusive practices by all personnel
• Positive social interactions, including involvement with extracurricular activities, with non-disabled peers
• Positive family involvement in the education of their children
Criteria for the Advocate Award: Our candidate (who is a non-employee of the school system) has taken steps resulting in:
• Increased understanding by teachers, school and/or school system about the importance of including students with disabilities, especially those with severe disabilities
• Increased collaboration among school-based team members
• Support among the school community for including more students with severe disabilities who belong to the neighborhood school
What Does the Award Include?
All awardees will be recognized at the TASH 2009 Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, November 18-21, 2009, in the conference program, on the TASH website and at the general session. Attendees will receive a commemorative plaque, and TASH will promote awardees’ accomplishments to the trade media and local press.
Panelists
Confirmed panelists include Craig Kennedy, Wayne Sailor, Fran Maiuri, Lisa Cushing, Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins, Bobbi Schnorr, and Kathy Peckham-Hardin. June Downing will chair the panel.
Partners
Organizations involved in promoting the TASH Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Awards include The Arc of the United States, National Inclusive Schools Week, PEAK Center, The Beach Center, National Institute of Urban School Improvement, National Down Syndrome Society, Frank Porter Graham Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the American Association of School Administrators.
Submission Deadline: You can download a nomination form (.doc). Please send the nomination form, two-page narrative along with any other materials by August 1, 2009, to the attention of:
Dr. June Downing, TASH Breakthroughs in Inclusion Awards
3661 N Round Rock Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85750
june.downing@q.com or june.downing@csun.edu
We may contact you for further information. In addition, this information will be shared as part of the awards ceremony at the TASH Annual Conference November 18-21, 2009, in media releases announcing the winners, and in a monograph published following the awards presentation. Once accepted, we will request a digital photo of your nominee and a paragraph in his/her own words (approximately 50 words) about his/her vision for educating students with the most significant disabilities and support needs in general education settings in their neighborhood school.
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