Inclusion Today is a cross-organizational collaboration between The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), Diverse Learners Cooperative (DLC), the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education (MCIE), and Blue Engine (BE), aimed at shifting practices among school and district leaders to achieve equitable outcomes for all learners. The collaboration came about during a Community of Action (CoA) hosted by the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA). All four organizations have extensive backgrounds supporting programs, schools, districts, and education agencies to support learner variability. Their shared belief in the importance of inclusive education practices brought them together to develop this campaign for more inclusive and equitable education for all.
The group developed the Starter Kit for Inclusive Leadership Practices, which establishes what inclusive leadership looks like across systems, districts, and schools. It names shared beliefs, concrete leadership practices, and real-world proof points that define inclusive education as a leadership responsibility, rather than a program or initiative.
The Companion Guide is the how. It turns the Starter Kit into a collaborative planning process, helping leadership teams reflect, prioritize, and take action together.
Together, these resources move teams from belief → practice → sustained action.
The Five Components of Inclusive Leadership
1. Inclusive Mission, Awareness, and Mindset
This focus area centers on why inclusion matters. Leaders are encouraged to examine how their values, language, and decisions communicate belonging, especially for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
Leadership emphasis:
- Building shared responsibility for all learners
- Challenging deficit-based thinking
- Ensuring students and families are represented in decision-making
This is the foundation: inclusive systems start with leaders who are intentional about culture and expectations.
2. Strategic Planning
Inclusive leadership demands alignment. This section focuses on embedding inclusive practices into strategic plans, improvement cycles, and accountability structures.
Leadership emphasis:
- Aligning inclusion goals with district or school priorities
- Using data intentionally to guide decisions
- Planning with historically marginalized learners
Here, inclusion becomes part of how the system operates.
3. Effective Collaborative Structures
This area highlights the systems that make inclusion possible day to day: team structures, collaboration time, and shared ownership.
Leadership emphasis:
- Cross-role collaboration between general and special educators
- Clear roles and communication structures
- Protected time for planning and problem-solving
Strong collaboration prevents inclusion from living in silos and ensures educators aren’t carrying the work alone.
4. Strong Foundational General Education Instruction
Inclusive leadership recognizes that high-quality general education instruction is essential for all learners, especially those who need accommodations, scaffolds, or specialized instruction.
Leadership emphasis:
- Investing in instructional practices that anticipate learner variability
- Supporting educators with tools, training, and coaching
- Ensuring access to grade-level content for all students
This focus area reinforces that inclusion starts in Tier 1 instruction.
5. Equitable Allocation of Resources
The final focus area addresses where time, staffing, funding, and expertise are directed, and who benefits.
Leadership emphasis:
- Distributing resources based on student need
- Supporting specialized roles with adequate staffing and tools
- Making transparent decisions about priorities
Equity requires intentional investment where it matters most.
How The Companion Guide Turns Beliefs Into Action
The Companion Guide provides a step-by-step facilitation process that leadership teams can use with any of the five focus areas.
What the Activities Do
- Build inclusive teams by intentionally naming who is at the table across roles and leadership levels
- Anchor discussions in shared beliefs, not assumptions or urgency
- Surface strengths and growth areas using the leadership practices as a mirror
- Prioritize 1–3 high-impact practices instead of overwhelming teams
- Translate reflection into action through structured planning templates
- Sustain momentum with monitoring, adjustment, and continuous cycles
Rather than asking leaders to “do more,” the Companion Guide helps them do differently, together.
Get Started
Schools are navigating competing priorities, staffing challenges, and growing learner variability. These resources meet that reality head-on by:
- Centering inclusion as a leadership practice
- Offering structure without rigidity
- Supporting reflection and execution
- Honoring the complexity of real school systems
They don’t prescribe one right answer; they help leaders build the capacity to make inclusive decisions consistently.
Inclusive schools are built through intentional leadership. Visit Inclusion Today to sign the inclusive practices pledge. Use the Starter Kit for Inclusive Leadership Practices to ground your team in shared beliefs and priorities, then leverage the Companion Guide to turn reflection into coordinated action. Carve out time for honest conversation, and commit to one or two practices that will meaningfully improve access and belonging for all learners. Start small, lead together, and revisit often.
Inclusive systems are not built in a single meeting, they are sustained through consistent, aligned leadership decisions.