2020: A Year in Review

“We made it.”

There’s a lot of adjectives we could use to describe 2020. Inclusive is one of them.

We are incredibly thankful to say that this year was a milestone for NJCIE in which we celebrated several significant achievements. But, that doesn’t go without saying we’ve also faced several challenges along the way due to COVID-19.

While the education system has significantly changed this year, the mindset and pedagogy for fostering inclusive education have not. We just needed to adapt and differentiate. We were—and still are—learning with our students.

Let’s take a look at what we’ve accomplished by the numbers this year:

$8,000,000

Federally funded grant attained through the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) annual allocation of federal funds from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to promote and develop inclusive schools in New Jersey.

The 5 ½ year project is a partnership between NJCIE and Montclair State University Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health, called the New Jersey Inclusive Education Technical Assistance Project (NJIETA).

100+

Districts served through NJIETA and NJCIE consulting services

3,500+

Teachers supported

24

NJCIE staff and consultants—the greatest number we’ve ever had

25

Years of service

$10,000

Raised through fundraising this year

1,015

Estimated total number of attendees who attended our free webinar sessions during COVID-19, increasing our reach and impact for inclusive education

17

Free Lunch and Learn webinars hosted immediately after schools shut down

100+

New Jersey educators brainstormed ideas for remote learning together in a March session with NJCIE

55

free resources created or curated by NJCIE this year

7

Episodes for a podcast on inclusive education during COVID-19 created

These numbers speak volumes for NJCIE and our impact in fostering inclusive education for ALL students in New Jersey and beyond. And we couldn’t have done this without the immeasurable amount of support from our staff, board, partners, friends, teachers, administrators, and donors.

There’s still a lot of work to be done in 2021 and beyond, but we are making significant progress in creating more inclusive schools for ALL students.

Thank you.

-The NJCIE Team