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A Word from SERC

Catherine Wagner, Consultant, SERC

Sharing stories of success, challenges and concerns, effective teaching strategies, and creative ideas -- a marketplace of ideas -- was the theme of the Eighth Annual Conference on Educating Students with Disabilities in the General Education Classroom, Expanding Horizons, held on October 25, 2005, in Cromwell, Connecticut. Many of the articles in this edition of the LRE NEWS reflect the content of the conference and address the work of the district teams that participated in the event.

Three to five years ago, districts throughout Connecticut were in a different place in regard to the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Tim Van Winkle, Principal at Washington Elementary School in West Haven, was interviewed for an earlier edition of this newsletter in the fall of 2004. At that time, he shared a conversation he had with the teaching staff in his building. He told them, "We can't wait for someone to come and tell us what to do...We are teachers....We teach everyday...Now, it is time for us to teach ourselves and teach each other how we are going to do a better job including students with disabilities in the classroom." This concept of sharing what we learn and working together to achieve outcomes was prevalent throughout the conference and was reflected in the many sessions in which districts presented some of the practices they engage in everyday. Hopefully, that sharing will continue.

Today, each district in the state is still at a different place with regard to inclusion. Some districts have been including students for many years; some have developed an exceptional program for an individual student; others have had success with students that have a specific disability; and others are concentrating on logistics and scheduling. Yet, the strides Connecticut has made are not enough. There is more work to be done, especially in the area of quality programs for students included in general education classrooms. Sarah Barzee, SERC's Assistant Director of Program Development, will be addressing this topic in her column, "Moving Forward with Responsible Inclusive Practice" (see page 7).

As a final note, I would like to bring your attention to the articles written by Erin Durkin McNamee, Publications and Marketing Consultant, at SERC. Erin joined the SERC team in June. It is a pleasure to welcome her to the LRE NEWS and introduce her to our readers. She will continue writing for the LRE NEWS, while also assuming more responsibility for its content and layout. If you have any feedback or thoughts you'd like to share with Erin regarding the LRE NEWS, please contact her at mcnamee@ctserc.org.

Wishing you the best in the new year.