NEWS
“Our future is bright!” is the two-month theme for SWIFT National Leadership Consortium this fall. In September, SEA Coordinators from Maryland, Mississippi, and Vermont each celebrated their SWIFT successes and their continuing commitment to the work. Even as each state is working toward their own unique set of priorities, the three states mentioned the importance of creating strong transformation teams, leveraging SWIFT tools, and using implementation science. Collaboration was also a common theme. Here are a few ways these state partners are breaking down silos and increasing collaboration:

  • Maryland's MTSS Leadership Team ensures collaboration between general and special education and is increasing feedback loops between the state department, districts, and schools.

  • Mississippi recently hired a SWIFT Coordinator who will collaborate with offices throughout the state department, including Early Childhood and Secondary.

  • Vermont is utilizing SWIFT tools and implementation science to enhance interagency collaboration and solidify a common vision for MTSS.

  • New Hampshire and Oregon will celebrate their successes and share about their continuing work during the October SWIFT National Leadership Consortium.
Resources
Check out the new SWIFT Master Scheduling Tool to support an integrated Multi-Tiered System of Support in which ALL school personnel and resources are effectively organized to fully benefit ALL students. School teams can use this Excel spreadsheet to create a customized Master Schedule that matches diverse student learning needs with varied educator expertise, learning spaces, and other resources. The tool includes instructions and examples.
SWIFT Unscripted is a monthly podcast featuring guests from among the SWIFT community. A transcript link for each SWIFT Unscripted podcast is available at the end of its description. You can listen on SoundCloud or iTunes , or visit the SWIFT Unscripted page to download the podcast to your computer.

Dr. Dan Pollitt shares how his early career experience as a paraeducator in a segregated setting shaped how he later, as a special educator, worked with paraeducators to include and support students with extensive needs. Click here to listen or read the transcript .
SWIFT Talk is a blog where you can find brief articles from various points of view in the SWIFT community.

Read about how a self-proclaimed city girl, Dr. Jessica Meisenheimer, learned how rural schools face the same complex challenges as urban schools, and solve them with fewer resources in " Harnessing Rural Strengths for Schoolwide Transformation ."

In " All Means All: SMART Student Health and Wellness ," Melanie Ginn from Ginn Group Consulting introduces readers to SMART Student Health and Wellness, a health care model that focuses on educational outcomes.

Do you like to write and have a story to share about equity-based inclusive education? SWIFT welcomes submissions that advance the practice of equity, excellence, and All Means All. Click here for submission guidelines.
SWIFT Webinars are free, closed captioned, and live on the third Wednesday of every month on topics related to SWIFT Domains and Features. Recordings of all webinars can be downloaded from the Webinar section of SWIFT Shelf .

SWIFT Webinars is on break! No new webinar this month, but we will keep you posted on future SWIFT webinars and professional learning opportunities via the SWIFT Newsletter and Facebook page . In the meantime, if you missed a webinar, or want to revisit one, check out the Webinar section on SWIFT Shelf ! This month, we recommend Kimberli Breen’s Using MTSS to Improve Family and Community Partnerships .
The SWIFT Center produced this document under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H326Y120005. OSEP Project Officers Grace Zamora Durán and Tina Diamond served as the project officers. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. This product is public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: SWIFT Center. (2017). SWIFT News, Issue 47, September 2017. Lawrence, KS: SWIFT Center

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