The following was written by TASH’s own Jenny Stonemeier and was first posted on the SWIFT Talk blog. It is reprinted here with permission.
The SWIFT Center is a national K-8 center that provides academic and behavioral support to promote the learning and academic achievement of all students, including those with the most extensive needs.
We accomplish this work through a variety of means, including the delivery of intensive technical assistance building upon existing strengths in schools, districts, and states.
The SWIFT Center is excited to release the first in an ongoing series of Issue Briefs. Through this series of Briefs we will begin to lay out the SWIFT framework and how it connects to current initiatives in education. By connecting SWIFT to the work that is already happening in schools across the country, we build upon strengths and add value to existing practices.
This first Issue Brief: Delivering on Equity: Implications for Decision-Makers, lays the groundwork for SWIFT implementation by rooting the work in the Civil Rights Movement. Through equity, we establish the framework for SWIFT implementation and the examination of policy. The SWIFT Center holds as a fundamental belief that sustainability of education reform lies with school districts and state departments of education actively engaging in policy alignment. Policy alignment involves intentionally examining school, district, and state policies to determine and eliminate barriers to implementation. Delivering on Equity: Implications for Decision-Makers is the first in a series of briefs that will examine the policy implications for SWIFT implementation, sustainability, and scale-up. These Briefs will be published four times per year.
Click here to read the brief.