Are you looking for strategies, tips, and practical techniques around high-leverage instructional practices and collaboration that work with diverse learners to create Inclusive Classrooms?  This conference is for you and your team!

For the first time ever, the popular What Really Works in Education conference is coming to Maine!  This year’s conference, hosted by the Maine Department of Education’s Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education, will engage learners around high-leverage practices by local, national, and international experts.

Participants will leave with tips, tricks, strategies, and tools to add to their educational toolkit from each session in the conference.

The one-day event will feature strategies on Collaboration and Inclusion for administrators, general and special education teachers, preservice educators, educational technicians, and related service personnel including strands on Collaboration and Behavior and Collaboration and Academics.

• Date:  Wednesday, October 4, 2023
• Location: University of Maine Augusta
• Cost: $50 per participant which includes breakfast, lunch, and a copy of the 2023 book of Connecting High Leverage Practices to Student Success: Collaboration in Inclusive Classrooms (Jenkins & Murawski).
• Register for the conference here.
• For more information visit the Inclusion Conference website.

Keynote Speakers 

Dr. Wendy W. Murawski

Wendy W. Murawski, PhD, is the Executive Director and Eisner Endowed Chair for the Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she is also a professor in the Department of Special Education and the Director of SIMPACT Immersive Learning. Dr. Murawski is the national Past President of the Teacher Education Division (TED) of CEC and award-winning researcher, author, and educator, including Teacher Educator of the Year for the state of California. Dr. Murawski holds an EdS, MEd, and MBA and  is an internationally known speaker and frequently requested keynote speaker, presenting in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. She has published extensively around inclusive education, co-teaching, collaboration, and Universal Design for Learning, including 18 books and numerous chapters, blogs, and peer-reviewed articles. Prior to higher education, she was a general and special education teacher in Virginia and in California. Currently, Dr. Murawski is the CEO of 2 TEACH^â (www.2TeachLLC.com), an educational consulting company dedicated to promoting inclusive education, and 2 TEACH^â Global, championing inclusive education around the world.

Dr. Melissa C. Jenkins

Melissa C. Jenkins, PhD, is an assistant professor of Special Education at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA and co-author of Connecting High-Leverage Practices to Student Success: Collaboration in Inclusive Classrooms. She brings over 18 years of public school experience to her role as a teacher educator, having worked in Virginia public schools as a special education teacher, instructional coach, and central office administrator. Dr. Jenkins is dedicated to helping educators bring high-quality, inclusive practices to schools. She is also a consultant with 2 TEACH^â Global educational consulting. She loves speaking and writing about collaborative practices, early mathematics intervention, and positive behavioral support. When not working, Melissa enjoys practicing yoga to find literal and figurative balance in life.

Why Inclusion?

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires that each public agency (SAU) must ensure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled; and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. §300.114

Over 20 years of research studies have consistently demonstrated that the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms results in favorable academic, social, and economic outcomes. This includes positive benefits for typical peers in classrooms who benefit from involvement and relationships with students who have disabilities in inclusive settings.

Effectively including students with disabilities in the general education classroom requires teachers and school administrators to further develop an understanding of the individual strengths and needs of the whole student.

For more information about Inclusion in Maine or the What Really Works in Education conference, contact Tracy Whitlock at tracy.w.whitlock@maine.gov.