All Means All: Essential Actions for Leveraging Yes We Can! (Collaborative strategies for general and special educators)

All students are general education students first, a principle the authors champion in this companion guide to their best-selling book Yes We Can! They offer practical strategies for educators to implement this inclusive philosophy through collaborative teams and shared ownership of student learning. The book provides a framework for standards-based instruction, tailored instruction, progress monitoring, and targeted interventions, ultimately promoting equitable learning opportunities for all students.

K–12 teachers and leaders can use this book to:

• Enhance the quality of special education learning and instruction through PLC practices
• Build collaborative communities of professionals across general and special education
• Define actionable steps to create equitable learning experiences for all students
• Align all instruction, assessment, and grading with mutual learning goals and standards
• Ensure all special education students achieve the same learning standards as their peers

Contents:
Introduction
Part 1: Learning Yes We Can!
Chapter 1: Reexamining the Past, Present, and Future
Part 2: Living Yes We Can!
Chapter 2: Aligning Beliefs and Behaviors to Live All Means All
Chapter 3: Collaboration by All for All
Chapter 4: Standards-Focused Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Grading for All
Chapter 5: Tailoring Instruction
Chapter 6: Responding When Students Haven’t Yet Learned
Part 3: Leading Yes We Can!
Chapter 7: Believe Is a Verb
Chapter 8: Leading the Way
References and Resources
Index

Heather Friziellie is currently superintendent of schools for Fox Lake Grade School District 114, located in the suburbs northwest of Chicago. Prior to this position, Heather served as director of educational services for Kildeer Countryside District 96, also located in the northwest suburbs. She previously served as both an elementary principal and a middle school principal. As a leader, she is involved in literacy curriculum development, data analysis, and staff development. With experience as a building- and district-level administrator, curriculum specialist, and classroom teacher, Heather has consulted with districts throughout the United States and presented at national conferences. Educators at all levels have benefited from her insight and experience related to developing high-performing teams, data-driven decision making, response to intervention, and literacy instruction.

Julie A. Schmidt is the former superintendent of schools for Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 in Illinois. The district began its professional learning community (PLC) journey during the 2000s, and all seven schools have been recognized as Model PLC at Work® schools. Woodlawn Middle School in District 96 was the 2018 DuFour Award winner. As the largest feeder district to Adlai Stevenson High School, District 96 schools have received seven Blue Ribbon Awards of Excellence, five during Julie’s tenure as superintendent.

Jeanne Spiller is assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Her work focuses on implementation of standards-aligned instruction and assessment practices. She guides the process of unpacking, powering, scaling, and pacing standards for numerous schools, districts, and teacher teams. She is passionate about collaborating with schools to develop systems for teaching and learning that keep the focus on student results and help teachers determine how to approach instruction so that all students learn at high levels.