Episode 1: Inclusive Education in New Jersey
On this episode of the Inclusion Think Tank Podcast, Fred Buglione provides an overview of the work that the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education is doing to promote inclusive education in New Jersey.
Episode Transcript
Arthur: Welcome to the inclusion think tank podcast brought to you by New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education NJCIE. As the name suggests, this podcast will discuss inclusive education and most importantly, why it works.
On today's episode, we welcome our guest, Fred. Fred is the president and CEO of NJCIE. And during our conversation today, we will discuss the work that NJCIE is doing as it relates to inclusive education.
Welcome to the Inclusion Think Tank podcast, this podcast is presented by New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education. And this is our very first episode, which I am very excited to present to you today.
My name is Arthur Aston and I will be your host. I'm looking forward to sharing all of these informative and educational episodes with you.
I am joined today by my first guest, Fred, and Fred is the president and CEO of the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education. Thank you for joining me today Fred.
Fred: Thank you, Arthur. It's great to be here.
Arthur: Yes, so our conversation today is primarily going to be focused on the work that New Jersey Coalition For Inclusive Education, also known as NJCIE, the work that you all do there, and how you came to be. I am so excited to share this episode with all of our listeners today, just so they can get a background of, you know, what the organization is about and all of the wonderful work that you are doing there.
Fred: Looking forward to telling everybody about it.
Arthur: Yeah. So to start off, can you tell us the story of NJCIE, how the organization came to be?
Fred: Oh, absolutely. NJCIE started as well, I should say, the predecessor to NJCIE was a subcommittee developed in New Jersey by TASH which is a large national advocacy organization for people with disabilities. TASH set up subcommittees in a number of states that were largely run by parents and focused on inclusive education in their local areas.
So a group of parents got together, largely parents with children with Down syndrome, and through TASH's help and guidance, started building connections and advocating for change in local districts for their children and other children.
and this went on for about five years, and during those five years, of course, it was a year or two of building, but then the advocating turned into action and they were able to convince districts by hook or by crook and at times, a lawsuit to include their children in their local schools.
It kind of, universally, I was told that the districts came back and said, “We're willing to try this new thing called inclusive education, but we need help. We need training. We need support. We need guidance on how to do this effectively.” So the parents started sourcing the national experts on inclusive education and helping the districts to purchase or get their services in some way to support the teachers, to put students with disabilities in it. After a few years of doing that, the parents found that the demand for these support services and advocacy services grew to the point where it made sense to formally operate as a nonprofit. Happened in 1995.
Since 1995, we have continued to expand the services that we offer both parents and schools. So we provide free consultation and free parent group training to parents. We're always happy to talk to anyone who is looking for more inclusive education for their children. And we will support them however we can move forward for students. The only real interaction we have there is our poster contest, which is the Inclusion Works poster contest that students can submit pieces of art depicting inclusive education in the school.
And, you know, the grand prize winner receives some money and copies of that poster are provided to schools across the state. We've been doing that for many years, and it's up on the website.
And the images we get are just spectacular. And oddly enough, the last of the last five or six years, almost every year, had been a middle school student who's won the contest.
Arthur: Very, very interesting.
Fred: And then the largest piece of our services really are working with schools and districts and teachers to help include students with disabilities. So we do that through training, through consultation, and through coaching. We work with our professionals, teachers, child study team members, administrators at the school and district level to support their efforts at greater inclusive education.
Also in 2018, we signed a partnership agreement, with Montclair State University. And then in 2020, we launched a partnership with Montclair State Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health and the New Jersey Department of Education's Office of Special Education, to support the efforts of the New Jersey Inclusive Education Technical Assistance Project for NJIETA. What NJIETA does is it provides supports and services to about 75 districts a year to further grow their inclusive efforts.
The last thing we do is our annual inclusion conferences. So we have a conference in March and a larger conference in June that brings hundreds of people together from around the state and country and world to talk about inclusive education.
Arthur: Yes, so I am a brand new hire with NJCIE. This podcast is my main task here, and I'm enjoying preparing for it so far. And I've learned so much just in my short months that I've been working here about inclusive education. And so I'm really grateful to you and for your team there for this opportunity and your conference. In June, I had a chance to sit in on a few of the seminars that were taking place there. And so it was very beneficial information for me to learn a lot more about inclusive education and having a disability of myself. And I'm well into my adulthood at this point. But to have a better understanding of what education is and how it impacts those with disabilities and knowing the job that you all are doing to help improve, that is great. And it's really important. And I'm very excited and happy to be working with you all here and excited to, you know, for what's to come for you all and for my time here.
Fred: Well, we're thrilled to have you. And, you know, it's interesting you point that out, that working in the organization tends to be a learning experience for really everyone, whether they come in with a Ph.D. or they just years of experience to focus on inclusive education, both internally and externally.
You know, there's a lot to learn. And I think that we do a really good job of sharing that information and creating relationships, again, both internally and externally, that are mutually supportive, that are open, that are respectful, and that are hopefully filled with laughter most of the time.
Arthur: Yes, definitely. So I know you mentioned that you all focus on the teachers and you do some seminars and things for parents as well. Can you talk about what specifically the mission of NJCIE is and that kind of thing? And how you go about achieving that mission?
Fred: Sure, the mission is to promote and expand inclusive educational opportunities to every student with a disability and really all students across the state. New Jersey is one of the more restrictive states in the country when it comes to inclusive education. So, you know, our mission includes cheerleading the efforts already underway in the field to make those schools more inclusive, to provide knowledge and information and expertise in inclusive education, and really to go out there and work with everyone and anyone who wants to work with us around inclusion or inclusive education.
We are generally in the position kind of a facilitator for change, whether that be through grant-provided services or service or, you know, just the free services that we provide in general. Our role is to meet schools wherever they are in the continuum of education and help support their efforts to improve. And every school is different. But there's one thing that's constant, is there's always room to grow and improve everything. Really, when it comes to educating students with our focus on inclusive education.
Arthur: Yeah, that's it. So, again, it's just so great what you all are doing, and that's what I was really interested in when I saw, you know, the opportunity to apply there. And just I have such a passion for improving the lives of those who have disabilities and making it better for, I sound very old when I say this, but for the future generations that are coming up behind me. But it's just so true. I really have a passion for that. So I'm very happy again to join you all in this work.
And so this whole podcast is centered around inclusive education. Can you tell us how you define inclusive education?
Fred: I’ll start with two words or phrases, there is kind of inclusion and inclusive education. And, you know, my view is that inclusion is kind of that broader philosophical, larger societal kind of sense of the word inclusion. And that's inclusion with a capital I. So if it's people with disabilities, LGBTQ, it doesn't really matter. It is about all people living, working, laughing and learning together. But for us, inclusion, it is just that larger philosophical idea of the way the world should be, which is inclusive.
Inclusive education has to be a bit more particular, and it is really the focus on ages for us. K through 12 plus, you know, a transition period, you know, 18 to 21. And it is really about students learning, laughing, belonging and being educated together. It is about the practice of including all students in the same classrooms, in the same schools with their friends, with their neighbors, and it can be particular to where– I should rephrase that, say inclusive education is a set of evidence-based practices as well. So not only is it about what the students are doing, but it is about what the teachers of the schools are doing to ensure that students can be successful in general education classes and so that schools are designed to support all students from the start.
Arthur: Right. That is, I love how you made the distinction between inclusion and inclusive education, that's really, really important to mention and I think it's a good place to start in the schools, because as the students get older and they become adults, they are, you know, that they can be better prepared to be included in the general population out in the world and the working world and their communities and wherever they, you know, wherever they choose to go after school hours and all of that. So it's really important to start these lessons of inclusion in a school setting so that they can be applied outside in the community.
Fred: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, listen, we live in, quote-unquote, typically developing world, whatever that is. But at the end of the day, the students we're teaching today are going to graduate and are going to be living in our communities, in our neighborhoods with us. And, I know it almost sounds like you're even saying that feels a bit bizarre to me making that such a distinction. But the reality is for students with disabilities, they need to be included from the start, not excluded through the public education system, and expect it to suddenly figure out how to include themselves after high school or at or post-secondary. So we need to start at the same time that everybody else does in the same room with everybody else, not only because it's the right thing, but also because it's a civil right.
It has been upheld through the judiciary over and over again that students with disabilities have a civil right. To access general education curriculum and the general education classroom, at the end of the day, all we're really doing as an organization is supporting students in accessing those rights.
Arthur: Yeah, that was that was one of the big things that I mentioned that I saw on your website and over again and the different laws that have been passed, you know, that students are entitled to this as a civil right.
So the fact that you include that on your website was a really important and really big thing for me personally to see. And so that was a really big highlight for me. I was like, yes, it is. That's exactly right. You know when I was applying that you mentioned that this is a civil right for, you know, for all students. And that really struck me because, as you said, like it has been said before, and we have to make sure that we share that and spread that and make people aware that it is a civil right, that everyone deserves that opportunity. And, you know, it is their right to have that opportunity, to have a great education and access to it. So. Yeah, that was really cool.
Fred: Absolutely, And I think that the language you're used to around this is problematic in our sphere. The education sphere is just starting with the term general education class versus special education class. Once a student is classified, they are labeled as a special education student. And then it can be understandable how people might be confused about placing a, quote-unquote, special education student in a, quote-unquote, general education classroom. So even the language we use around naming things and labeling things is problematic.
But at the end of the day, even the judiciary is found over and over again, that lots of education is a civil right. So we're not out here as the enforcers we're not the lawyers. We're not suing people. We're simply here to support everyone's efforts to improve and enhance and extend inclusive educational opportunities for all students in New Jersey.
Arthur: I'm enjoying everything that you're saying. This is, again, I learned so much every time that, you know, that I've spoken with you and the others, that I've worked with NJCIE. So I'm really enjoying this conversation myself. So I know that our listeners will, you know, gain some really good insight into inclusion and inclusive education through this episode.
Fred: Let me further define something here, because I don't want anyone to get confused when I'm talking about inclusive education. I'm not talking about taking students who have been in worse settings and simply dumping them in general education classrooms when we're talking about inclusive education, we are talking about educating all students by providing them supports. They need modifications they need really ensuring that the instructional environment for all students is of high quality and meets those students’ needs. It is not simply a dump-and-run situation and you know, it takes work, it takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of effort, but it is so worth it to the end. And I'd also like to point out that when the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act was passed, actually written into the law, it says thirty years of research showing that inclusive education is essentially better for all students. And that law was passed over 40 years ago.
So in the last 40 years, the research is not grown less, it has grown more pointed and more understood that inclusive education really is the best practice for all students, but most specifically for students with disabilities.
Arthur: As we wrap up our conversation, can you share with us some things that every school can do to better improve their inclusive education setting?
Fred: Absolutely. And there's a lot of ways to, you know, improvements, inclusive, educational settings for free. Now the NJIETA Project, which I mentioned before, is funded through the New Jersey Department of Ed Office of Special Education. And there is an enrollment period that generally starts in March and lasts until usually mid-May each year, where schools can apply for free support services through the grants, and its grant will continue through the next couple of years.
So I would strongly recommend schools in New Jersey apply for the services through the NJIETA grant. But they should also be aware that there are a number of other grants out there provided through the Department of Education that will also have lots of opportunities for students. One of the initiatives is the PBSIS initiative or positive behaviors, supports, and interventions in schools. This helps schools better to provide positive behavioral supports for all students. There is the NJTSS project, which helps schools implement early literacy programs and tiered interventions around literacy in elementary schools. Also a free support provided to schools, there is the Person-Centered Planning or PCAST project that schools can apply for, which support schools do individual person-based planning for students with more significant disabilities.
There are community-based instruction and community-based instruction projects as well. Schools can apply for and help support their efforts to provide transition services to students by helping them to learn useful skills that will translate into employment. So there are a number of free opportunities or supports provided by the DOE to schools across the state.
Other things that schools could do to improve internally is to really take a look at their inclusion rates and look at their data to identify where first of where, where does the school stand on the continuum? Are we putting 80 percent of our kids or are we including 20 percent of our kids? And if we're not including the majority, vast majority, the national average is sixty-four percent inclusion rate, then what can we do? What can we what can we develop? What can we change to ensure more students are included? And really, at the end of the day, just taking a step back and taking a look at a student who is in a Gen-Ed setting who might be struggling. Think about different ways to support the student where they are before making the decision to change the placement and to send me an email if you need help. I'm happy to help. We're always happy to help.
Arthur: Yes. And that's what that was actually the last part that I was going to say. How can our school districts get in touch with you? You know, to better understand what you offer and how you can assist them. Can you share that with us?
Fred: Certainly, you can visit our Website, NJCIE.org, or you can visit the state project website, NJIETA.org. We love our acronyms. Or you can send an email to team@njcie.org, and we're happy to provide more information.
Arthur: Great. Thank you for that, for that contact information. And also for those ways that schools can better improve their inclusive education within their school building in their district. And I think it was really important that and I'm happy that you shared some of the free resources that are available, because a lot of times people associate, you know, making changes with it, costing a lot of money. So to have those free opportunities available and to mention them and there are so many that you shared is very important. So thank you for that.
And I thank you for your time today and for joining me on this, our first episode of the InclusionThink Tank podcast. It was a great interview and we will definitely be talking soon.
Fred: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Thank you and have a great night.
Arthur: We thank you for listening to this episode of the Inclusion Think Tank podcast. This podcast is brought to you by New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcast. And don't forget to follow us on social media at NJCIE.
Until next time.