Building Inclusive Schools with Sam Drazin

About the Guest(s):

Sam Drazin is the founder and Executive Director of Changing Perspectives, an organization focused on promoting inclusive education and social inclusion. Sam has extensive experience as a former teacher and is a sought-after speaker and consultant for schools seeking to implement inclusive practices. Under Sam's leadership, Changing Perspectives offers professional development, coaching, and consulting services and has a broad reach within schools across the United States and internationally.

Episode Summary:

In this engaging episode of Think Inclusive, host Tim Villegas welcomes back Sam Drazin, Executive Director of Changing Perspectives, to talk about the flourishing field of inclusive education. The discussion delves into how inclusion is becoming a priority for schools, with institutions increasingly incorporating these practices into their strategic plans and budgets. Sam shares his extensive travel itinerary, reflecting the growing demand for guidance in inclusive education across states such as Maryland and Massachusetts, and even internationally with a planned conference in Cambodia.

Sam explains how Changing Perspectives supports schools through a combination of professional development, coaching, and site visits. He articulates the importance of creating a vision for inclusive education that schools can implement through specific goals. Sam highlights notable projects such as inclusive practices during morning meetings and recess, emphasizing the tangible benefits of breaking down silos within educational environments. The conversation underscores the complexity of implementing fully inclusive practices but champions the necessity of taking incremental steps for sustainable change in education systems.

Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/30b6GuxydPA04S1PD8J94YnDtPw

Key Takeaways:

• Changing Perspectives provides integral support to schools through professional development, coaching, and site visits to foster inclusive practices.
• Creating a clear vision for inclusive education helps schools identify specific, tangible goals that foster long-term change.
• Sam Drazin emphasizes the need for educators to differentiate between accommodations and modifications to better support diverse student needs.
• True inclusion should blend so seamlessly into school culture that it becomes a norm rather than a noticeable addition.
• Sam highlights the effectiveness of starting with low-hanging fruit to build confidence and commitment to inclusive practices.

Resources:

Changing Perspectives: https://changingperspectivesnow.org/

Books mentioned: "Enemy Pie," "Out of My Mind," "Happiness Falls"

MCIE: https://mcie.org/

Thanks to our sponsor, IXL: https://www.ixl.com/inclusive

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