One Best Thing: Forthcoming Standards for Inclusive Schools

As educators, we are in the amazing position of teaching that there is no one right way to be. The attached document provides a sneak peek into the forthcoming Standards for Inclusive Schools. Drawing on both past and future work, the full Standards for Inclusive Schools are organized under three domains: Diversity, Community, and Advocacy. For purposes of this share, the focus is on the Diversity domain. If you would like access to the full set of standards when completed, kindly reach out. 

Students will learn that identities are complex, intersectional, contextual, and fluid, and that not all identity markers are apparent.

  1. Students will learn about the communities and cultures with which they personally identify.
  2. Students will examine how their sense of self changes depending on time and context.
  3. Students will learn that all identities are valid; there is no such thing as “normal.”

A lesson is included, using self portraits to introduce students to the term of diversity — and disability as part of human diversity.

 

Black text detailing implementation of the self-portrait lesson. There is also an example self-portrait in the bottom center.

There is also a debrief and follow-up.

 

Black text on a white background, outlining the debrief and follow-up of the self-portrait lesson.

I invite you to use this lesson to begin the discussion around disability. 

  • How are you going to help all students understand the many tools they use or might benefit from, as they confront the idea of “no such thing as normal?”
  • How can teaching students about diversity, help us build more inclusive schools?
  • How can empowering students to understand various accessibility tools, help us build more inclusive schools?

I’m so excited to learn with you!

Attachments

2 replies

January 20, 2024

This is wonderful, Jordyn! 🌟 Such important and impactful work!

I love how in Part 2 of the Implementation, you give the option for students to add to and enhance their portrait with other elements (photography, audio, graphic design, video, etc.). Very much in the spirit of diversity!

Amazing work! 🙌

November 17, 2024

Very important lesson Jordyn! Good to connect disability as a diversity and to emphasize that there is no “normal” in any of us. Love the self-portrait idea and directions. Thank you!

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