2019 TASH Conference

New teachers often learn about evidence-based practices as well as principles of equity and access in their university training, but may have difficulty implementing these principles in their role as a new teacher of a self-contained special education classroom. Through a university-district partnership in Los Angeles, CA, university faculty, district staff, school partners, and credential candidates collaborate to increase both the quantity and quality of time that students with disabilities spend in general education. This partnership facilitates the active engagement of credential candidates and graduates in the process of school change towards inclusive practices, and builds a network of support among candidates and their mentors. This collaboration has resulted in new special education teachers who are actively engaged in school change efforts at their school sites, and who are acting as leaders for inclusive practices, even in their early years as a teacher. In this session, our university-district team will share the systems that have led to partnerships for creating and sustaining inclusive practices. Several newly credentialed teachers will share a) elements of their credential program that helped them to bridge what they learned in classes to their work as teachers, b) the roles they are playing at their school sites to make them more inclusive, and c) the impact they have seen for students and families at their sites.