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        The Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion School is a small elementary school serving children from early childhood through Grade 5.  Our students are from diverse ethnic, linguistic, and ability backgrounds.  We are an inclusive school.  Students who have disabilities learn in general education classrooms with their nondisabled peers.  Teachers and support staff collaborate to help all children learn and succeed at high levels.

Introduction to the Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers Practice Guide This section provides an overview of the importance of teaching writing and explains key parameters considered by the panel in developing the practice guide. It also summarizes the recommendations for readers and concludes with a discussion of the research supporting the practice guide.

"I am NOT interested in using the iPad with my students as a worksheet substitution! Kill and drill apps on the iPad are still just that… kill and drill activities. I want my students to : use apps to create, not just consume fluently pick apps that will serve their purpose fluently switch between apps, then insert, embed, share and disseminate their creations"

The Richard J. Murphy School serves children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.  The school is located in the Dorchester section of Boston and serves a large diverse student population.  The Murphy is recognized as one of the top elementary schools in the city of Boston

 I helped develop the Responsive Classroom approach, a way of teaching elementary school children that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in strong and safe school communities.

"It gives me hope for quality classroom instruction in elementary mathematics. Be sure to notice the transition to a new task at the 4-minute mark, and how the teacher deals with the struggle that occurs at the 6-minute mark. Also please look in the kids' eyes. Watch their body language and their waving hands. Watch them think. Kids are practicing facts in this classroom. The teacher is providing instruction. Contrast with this (which is not a joke). You can flip this latter instructional sequence because it involves telling and choral response."

""Just bells and whistles." That's how elementary math teacher Jennie Magiera described her feelings about the limited value of educational technology three years ago. Today Magiera serves as Digital Learning Coordinator for the Academy for Urban School Leadership's network of 25 Chicago Public Schools (CPS). As she trains others to use technology effectively, it is hard to imagine a time when she was so dismissive about technology in the classroom."

"This case presents the story of an elementary school leader with the vision, courage, and practical knowledge to rethink traditional service delivery. Principal Deb Hoffman worked with her staff to develop an Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) approach that drew together teachers, specialists, parents and staff in a shared vision for supporting student who traditionally struggle"

"Mesquite Elementary School, in Tucson, Arizona, attributes much of its turnaround in student performance -- and their ongoing success -- to their Reteach and Enrich program. Within the first year of implementation, even before teachers had worked out all the kinks, Mesquite went from a "performing" school (as labeled by the state of Arizona) in 2002 to an "excelling" school, the highest ranking, in 2003."

"The Center reviewed an array of software products and digital materials currently used to develop or distribute elementary and secondary instructional materials. The purpose of the review was to identify the extent to which product developers or publishers offered readily discoverable and publicly available information about product accessibility. Using the Section 508 standards for physical and sensory access as a benchmark, the Center has color coded products green, yellow, or red. "

"This textbook is the result of over a year of collaboration between several individuals. Garth Holman, the Social Studies department chair and 7th grade world history teacher envisioned this project as a way to engage students through the use of technology and help them see the "big picture" that is often lost, or ignored, in history classes. Beginning in the summer of 2006, Garth began working with a student teacher, Michael Pennington (Currently teaching at Chardon Middle School). Another member of this project was Angie White, an intervention specialist at Beachwood Middle School (now at Hilltop Elementary in Beachwood CIty Schools). Angie provided a strong knowledge of curriculum differentiation and techniques to include students of varying abilities. A project of this nature, allows students to disseminate knowledge in a digital format that is congruent to the world in which they live. Our students are digital natives and this new technological paradigm allows for the democratization of knowledge. Wiki technology and the ability to instantaneously communicate across cultures and physical boundaries means that nothing our students create is isolated. We not only want our students to learn, but understand how the puzzle pieces fit to create the world in which we live."

"I've used mindfulness practices-paying close attention to thoughts, feelings, and body sensations-for nearly 10 years. In addition to cultivating awareness of my mind and body, the practices have changed the way I relate to stress. This practice became the foundation for a pilot program I started for students at my elementary school: Mindful Moments."

Group working with the former Stokes Elementary in Cleveland, one of the Investment Schools " As the newly named Voyager Education Services, we will continue this important mission while now expanding our offerings to include the latest research-based services around multi-tier support systems, schoolwide improvement, and school turnaround, transformation, and restart. "

Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation (SWIFT) is a national K-8 center providing academic and behavioral support to promote the learning and academic achievement of all students, including those with the most extensive needs. SWIFT advances equity and excellence for ALL through the promotion of five core domain areas to support grade level academic and social learning: Administrative Leadership Family and Community Partnership Inclusive Education Framework Inclusive Policy Structure and Practice. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support One of six nationally recognized SWIFT Knowledge Development Sites, the Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School in Dorchester, MA, is featured in this film and highlights some of the SWIFT domains and accompanying features.

"The U.S. Department of Education [ED] conducts the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), formerly the Elementary and Secondary School Survey (E&S Survey), to collect data on key education and civil rights issues in our nation's public schools. The CRDC collects a variety of information including, student enrollment and educational programs and services, disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, limited English proficiency and disability. The CRDC is a longstanding and important aspect of the ED Office for Civil Right's overall strategy for administering and enforcing the civil rights statutes for which it is responsible. Information collected by the CRDC is also used by other ED offices as well as policymakers and researchers outside of ED."

View the entire book online - "The Standards for Mathematical Practice provide an excellent foundation for encouraging students to think, reason, and persevere like mathematicians. Many elementary school teachers, however, face a challenge unpacking these practices and figuring out how to implement them in their classrooms."

This short film (16:39) focuses on Axel Cortes and the staff at Idelhurst Elementary School in Somersworth, NH. Axel is a fifth grader with autism who is non-verbal.

This Brief highlights federal policies for family engagement; describes examples of policy actions by the state of Massachusetts; and illustrates local policies and practices at the Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School in Dorchester, MA, a SWIFT knowledge development site. To guide SWIFT Center technical assistance on the Family and Community Engagement Domain in participating states and districts, we suggest four ways to weave family engagement policies and practices into the SWIFT framework.

School readiness, a multi-dimensional concept,1 conveys important advantages. Children who enter school with early skills, such as a basic knowledge of math and reading, are more likely than their peers to experience later academic success,2,3 attain higher levels of education, and secure employment.4 Absence of these and other skills may contribute to even greater disparities down the road. For example, one study found that gaps in math, reading, and vocabulary skills evident at elementary school entry explained at least half of the racial gap in high school achievement scores.5

"Ability grouping, also known as tracking, is the practice of grouping children together according to their talents in the classroom. At the elementary school level, the divisions sound harmless enough - kids are divided into the Bluebirds and Redbirds. But in secondary schools, the stratification becomes more obvious as students assume their places in the tracking system."