Action Plan

From Theory…

Katherine

Over the course of this blog series, we’ve drawn from the Lippett-Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change (1991) to frame and guide our conversations about bridging the gap between inclusive education theory and practice. Each post has focused on one component of the change model, illustrating how one district has moved steadily towards providing more inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities. 

The last piece of our collective puzzle, “Action Plan,” is integral to not only initiating change, but sustaining it. As we see from the Lippett-Knoster Model diagram, when an action plan is missing, otherwise well-intentioned change initiatives can (and likely will!) experience false starts—perhaps languishing in the “close but no cigar” realm of so many other theoretically good ideas. 

Below, Michele shares her district’s experience with action planning and offers a framework for deciding where and how to begin. 

…to Practice

Michele

While we may have all the other components in place, without a clear plan of action that takes into consideration the short and long term, all of your efforts may feel like you are just spinning your wheels. Or, even worse, you may feel like you are off to a great start, but then quickly encounter barriers. Clear direction can allow all those who are part of the change process to feel as though their hard work has a purpose and is a means to an end. Gaining traction and seeing progress only occurs when goal posts are reached. Steps along the way must be revisited as the path naturally changes. 

When we first began the change process in our school system, we very clearly laid out to our Board of Education, our staff, and our colleagues, the plan we had set for the next 5 years—we naturally incorporated this plan into the district-wide strategic plan which, at the time, was developed by a wide range of stakeholders. 

What do we want to tackle first? Second? And, of all of the things we wanted to do, consider:

Model. Top two squares read, "High Priority-Low Effort" and "High-Priority-High Effort" and the bottom row reads, "Low-priority-low-effort" and "low-priority-high effort"

  1. The priority you place on the implementation of this action step? (High/Low)

  2. The effort you think will be involved in making it happen? (High/Low)

Start with things that are high priority, low effort.

Lessons Learned/Tips from the Field:

  • Have a plan and share your plan - allow others to know where you’re headed and when you hope to get there - it should align with your Vision.

  • Revisit your action plan at least annually - to make any changes that may be necessary as time marches forward and system dynamics change.

  • Finally, our action plan doesn’t have to be complex or fancy - if creating the action plan is overwhelming or has you “stuck in the weeds,” write out a simple 5 year plan with what you plan/hope to accomplish each year of that plan.

Finally, a few words on “Success” from Michele & Katherine:

Is success all or nothing? Can you celebrate milestones or steps along the way? How can you navigate trips, falls, and roadblocks? It’s important to celebrate small victories...to remember why we’re in this...and to ensure that you have a support system in place to sustain you through the inevitable peaks and valleys of the complex change process. Change is HARD WORK. It is also SUSTAINED hard work. Human dignity, civil rights, and creating a sense of belonging for children with disabilities are worth it.

“The fundamental principle of inclusive education is the valuing of diversity within the human community...When inclusive education is fully embraced, we abandon the idea that children have to become “normal” in order to contribute to the world…We begin to look beyond typical ways of becoming valued members of the community, and in doing so, begin to realize the achievable goal of providing all children with an authentic sense of belonging” (Kunc, 1992, pp. 38-39).

Dr. Katherine Vroman is an Inclusion Facilitator at NJCIE, collaborating with educators to promote full access, meaningful participation, and authentic belonging for students with disabilities in their schools and communities. Katherine earned her Ph.D. in Disability Studies from Syracuse University, endeavoring to translate inclusive values into on-the-ground practices to affect transformative, systemic change.

Mrs. Michele Gardner has been a public school special educator for almost 25 years and presently serves as the Director of Special Services for the Berkeley Heights School District. She is also a long-time adjunct faculty member at The College of New Jersey in the Department of Special Education, Language & Literacy. Mrs. Gardner was the 2020 recipient of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators Special Education Administrator of the Year Award and the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education’s Inclusion Honors Award.

Dr. Vroman and Mrs. Gardner have been working collaboratively for several years implementing change in inclusive practices in the Berkeley Heights Public Schools.

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