Entries by Sarah Sandelius

Recovery Planning with Diverse Learners at the Center

June 15, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

Announcing two exciting learning series to help schools and districts plan for COVID recovery and accelerated learning with diverse learners at the center! Assessing the Needs If you’re an avid ABC blog reader, you’ll recall that we started this unusual school year by announcing our work with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to plan and run a Special Education Community of Practice (COP) for educators across DC. After conducting a comprehensive […]

Why Targeted Collaboration Is The Missing Link for Special Education Improvement March 25, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

Research tells us that collaboration has tremendous benefits on instruction, service delivery, and equitable education for diverse learners, especially students with disabilities.  In collaborative classrooms and school environments, a more holistic view of student learning can emerge where all adults are committed to working together to achieve commonly-held goals.  When responsibilities to support students are equally shared and valued, educators leverage the unique strengths and skills of others to support all students. This type of […]

5 Steps to Building More Collaborative, Equitable, and Inclusive Classrooms January 12, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

On December 16th, The Ability Challenge’s Founder, Sarah Sandelius, spoke at the Building Connectivities Conference, sponsored by the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools and the El Dorado Charter SELPA. The session, entitled, 5 Steps to Building More Collaborative, Equitable, and Inclusive Classrooms, provided educators from across the country with an overview of “targeted collaboration.” Targeted collaboration is ABC’s innovative approach to the daily interactions educators have with each other to identify, share, […]

Action-Driven Policy – A Guide for Special Education Leaders October 14, 2020 /0 Comments/in /by

Overview The COVID-19 pandemic has unearthed challenges in educating young people with disabilities in Washington DC and across the country. The DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), seeking to build ecosystem capacity to deliver high-quality special education services, hired ABC to canvas local needs and launch a community of practice to support its continuous education initiative. ABC canvased existing national, state, and local guidance materials, identifying a key need to translate compliance-focused […]

Building Special Education Capacity Across Washington, D.C. September 11, 2020 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This fall, ABC is working with the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to convene and facilitate a special education Community of Practice (COP) to address these urgent needs. Consistent with our process on all engagements, ABC is seeking community input and design support prior to officially launching this exciting opportunity. We’re asking D.C. public school educators and administrators, as well as anyone who works for an organization supporting D.C. educators to […]