Collaborative for Inclusive Education
The Collaborative for Inclusive Education is a national leader in implementing and scaling inclusive practices for special populations in charter schools. For 15 years, this Charter Center membership program has provided comprehensive supports and services designed to empower NYC charter schools’ efforts to serve ALL students equitably and inclusively.
benefits of
membership
With more than 100 live professional development opportunities each school year, the Collaborative team is dedicated to building the capacity and skills of leaders, coaches and educators.
Classroom observations, program audits and strategic planning bolster schools’ ELL/MLL, Special Education and Inclusive Education programs.
A Technical Assist Rapid Response line, Compliance Digests and Tips from the Trade enable school staff to access the team’s more than 60 years of combined special populations leadership experience.
The Collaborative team is committed to providing NYC charter schools with access to the country’s thought leaders, up-to-date research and promising trends through speaker series, communities of practice and more!
The digital resource library offers member schools research, guidance, exemplars and training materials while the PD on Demand course catalogue ensures round the clock access to guidance on mandates and best practices.
Collaborative leadership has a seat at the table and advocates for laws, policies, and practices that ensure special education accountability and reform at both the city and state levels.
building an inclusive education
mindset and practice
SERVING STUDENTS
WITH DYSLEXIA
FOCUS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
“When a student is in the right place, when they come to school at a place that values them, that makes them feel safe, that meets their needs, that is the game changer… That’s the power of charter schools.”
Tim Castanza, Executive Director, Bridge Preparatory Charter School
140
charter schools featured a preference for ELLs in their 2023-24 admission lotteries
39%
increse in ELL enrollment in the last two years
19%
of students enrolled in charter schools have disabilities
76
charter schools enroll a higher proportion of students with disabilities than the city wide average
2024-25 School Year
Collaborative members were given access to 7 nationally-recognized experts in special education and ELL/MLL supports through half-day seminars and workshop intensives.
59 blog posts were published by the Collaborative team this year, sharing insights and resources on everything from testing accommodations to cultural inclusion to co-teaching strategies and emotional regulation.
The Collaborative’s Special Education and ELL/MLL Leadership Cohorts brought together 64 school leaders throughout the year to share experiences, identify best practices, and plan for future issues/challenges.
212 resources and tools were created by the Collaborative team, including guidance, templates, data analysis and deep dives to assist with implementation of inclusive classroom practices.
The Collaborative team spent 306 hours on the ground in NYC charters, providing thought partnership, coaching and personalized PDs to school teams.
Our new PD on Demand platform launched with 52 online courses produced by the Collaborative team. The courses, which can be accessed anytime, anywhere are designed to build the capacity and skill sets of leaders and educators as they seek to best serve their special populations.
The Collaborative offered 120 PD sessions (virtual, in-person & hybrid) to empower school leaders and special populations leads and educators.
331 charter school campuses engaged in Collaborative membership during the 2024-25 school year.
