One of the pillars of our strategic plan calls for a holistic, student-centered educational program and experience for our students.  More specifically, we explicitly outline our desire for a more inclusive school community, where all of our students have a genuine sense of belonging and can thrive as they grow and develop.  Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as a school include increasing the diversity of our student population and developing policy that ensures we are an inclusive school in practice.  

Those aspirations were in part responsible for our decision to invest in the International Baccalaureate’s comprehensive “Diversity and Inclusion in the IB” session, for our entire secondary team.  The session took us through a full review of what inclusion means, how it is applied in different contexts, how the IB program supports inclusion, and how schools can foster an inclusive learning environment.  On day one, our session leader asked a critical question, “what are the elements of a strong system of inclusion.”  A fascinating discussion followed, as our staff discussed their perspectives on what it takes to foster an inclusive school.  

Of course to my mind came a few technical aspects of being a strong inclusive school.  Specifically, the presence of high quality inclusive instructional practices that form the foundation of what happens in every classroom across the school.  Perhaps more commonly referred to by educators as Tier 1 instruction, the idea is that the every student in every classroom has access to a skilled professional who integrates inclusive practice into his or her daily instruction.  Yet, for as good as that foundational practice might be, there will inevitably be students whose unique challenges and strengths push for additional support.  To that end, a strong inclusive school has developed a comprehensive system of services and supports, informed by expert experience and knowledge, that can provide the right services to complement what is happening in the classroom.  

While we certainly discussed these matters, an even more urgent suggestion came forward, pointing out that it is the collective sense of purpose amongst the school community.  A shared “why” so to speak, that drives any commitment to a set of inclusive practices.  It is a commitment to a shared universal high regard for all students.  In other words, we pursue inclusion out of a genuine love and desire to serve every student we have the privilege to have on our campus.