Statewide compliance monitoring, calls for improved outcomes for persistently marginalized student groups, and our own personal desires to lead inclusive, diverse, and affirming schools has so many of us continually seeking strategies to ensure all students, especially those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), thrive. A simple, but difficult truth for us all to orient around is that the foundation of any successful inclusion program is a proactive and responsive Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). The strength of your inclusion program are directly relate to the strength of your MTSS because in order for students with IEPs and other diverse learners to flourish in general education, we as leaders need to reimagine the function and purpose of general education and this work is beautifully be articulate through a functional, supportive, and growth focused MTSS process. 

For middle and high school principals, ensuring that every student receives the support they need to access and grapple with grade level content requires a thorough understanding and implementation of an Equity-Centered Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). Let’s start off our conversation today with a shared understanding that In the same way that teaching isn’t telling, knowing isn’t the same as doing, and equity-centered leaders need to be able to translate their knowledge of best practices into concrete leadership skills they will use everyday to make those best practices take root and grow in their schools.  

In the evolving landscape of education, ensuring that every student has access to quality learning experiences is paramount. As middle and high school leaders, one of our most significant responsibilities is to champion inclusion, particularly for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The strength of our inclusion special education program however, is directly related to the strength of our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).  Why MTSS?  Because the proactive and embedded supports in Tier 1 are what is going to create a safety net for our students with IEPs and other learning differences to make meaningful progress in our Tier 1 curriculum and instruction.

I strongly believe that school principals are uniquely positioned to grow inclusive special education programs in their school and, as equity focused leaders, have a specific responsibility to shift the instructional, cultural, and systems practices in their school that will create the conditions for scaling inclusive practices across every classroom in their school.  

While the work of implementing inclusive practices in classrooms will exist intimately with teachers, principals are the one who are best positioned to create the enabling conditions for inclusion of students with IEP to be scalable and successful.