Inclusive Schools Week is December 1-5, 2008

The Inclusive Schools Network has announced that the 8th Annual Inclusive Schools Week will be held December 1-5, 2008. Inclusive Schools Week highlights the accomplishments of families, schools, and communities that have dedicated time, labor, and resources to promoting inclusive education. This year’s theme, “Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All Children,” focuses on the advantages of inclusive schools in promoting quality education and better outcomes for all students.

Inclusive Schools Week is sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Education Development Center, Inc. Since 2001, the Week has celebrated the progress schools have made to provide a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors.

New this year is a contest sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which is partnering with EDC to promote the Week nationally. For more about the “Best Ideas for Inclusive Schools” contest, visit http://www.aft.org/tools4teachers/contest.htm.

“The Week continues to provide an important opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children,” said EDC’s David Riley.

Schools and communities have begun submitting their celebration plans. Others are encouraged to share their own plans by submitting a short description of upcoming activities or events for the 2008 Week to inclusiveschools@edc.org.

For more about Inclusive Schools Week and the benefits of inclusive educational practices, visit www.inclusiveschools.org or contact Tom Beer, 617-618-2519. A free subscription to the monthly e-newsletter Inclusive Schools Network News (http://www.inclusiveschools.org/news), is also available.