SWIFT celebrated five years of equity-based inclusion and cast a vision for the next five at the bi-annual National Leadership Consortium (NLC) Meeting. SWIFT state partners, the advisory group, and staff gathered for the celebration on May 4th and 5th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. During the two-day meeting, state teams collaborated with SWIFT personnel to evaluate current strengths and explore ways SWIFT could support their endeavors. After brainstorming and planning sessions, state teams shared their ideas and progress with the whole group—some with fancy PowerPoint slides; others with colorful charts; and others even in song (thanks to the Maryland and New Hampshire teams!) 

Recapping the last five years, Drs. Amy McCart and Wayne Sailor shared a few key insights:  

• Student achievement and educator support is strongest when the needs of special and general education are integrated instead of separated.

• MTSS is not simply a component of inclusive education, but the main driver for improved academic performance.

• Our work together could conceivably change the discourse in education for the next 10 or 15 years. 

“We don’t know yet what the future holds,” Dr. McCart said, “but the data prove that MTSS works!”

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.

In this month’s podcast, Ivonne Dibblee, Principal of Atkinson Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, shares examples of implementing SWIFT Technical Assistance Practices. Click here to listen to the podcast or read the transcript.

SWIFT Talk is SWIFT’s blog where you can find brief articles from various points of view in the SWIFT community.

This month, we are featuring:

Just Listen — A timely conversation reminds Jessica Dulay that strong educator support starts with listening to what others have to say.  

State Spotlight: Oregon — Learn more about Principal Rayna Nordstrom’s vision for engaging families in the Lynch community. 

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.

Jodi Henderson was our webinar host this month. Click here to watch her presentation, "Monitoring MTSS Fidelity of Implementation."

Join us Wednesday, June 21, 2017 for our next webinar. Dr. Cesur Dagli and Dr. Tiffany Kyser from the Great Lakes Equity Center’s Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center) will discuss culturally responsive pedagogy and how schools/districts can adopt or create culturally relevant materials. Keep an eye on your email inboxes and the SWIFT Facebook page for more details. Registration will open in early June.