October marked the beginning of Year Two of the SWIFT Center and we kicked it off by hosting Professional Learning Opportunities in each of our five SWIFT States (Oregon, Mississippi, Maryland, Vermont and New Hampshire). These two-day events were designed specifically to meet the needs of the district and school staff who attended by providing targeted technical assistance and content. And without questions, they were all successful.
The SWIFT Center has also been conducting baseline data collection in each of the 64 schools. The SWIFT-FIT is the fidelity implementation tool used by SWIFT technical assistance providers to gain a deeper understanding of the strengths of the schools we work in. This tool is used to help guide the delivery of technical assistance. The SWIFT-FIT will be conducted twice a year over the next four years and will provide valuable data about SWIFT implementation.
TASH is particularly excited about the publication of the first SWIFT Issue Brief, Delivering on Equity: Implications for Decision Makers, written by the policy team. TASH is the lead on the SWIFT Policy team and through our partnership with the SWIFT Center we are supporting the policy alignment and technical assistance in the SWIFT Schools, Districts, and States. This SWIFT Issue Brief is the first in the quarterly series of briefs that will address a wide variety of policy topics and issues learned as a direct result of SWIFT implementation. To read the SWIFT Issue Brief click here.
The SWIFT Center demonstrates how schools can be transformed to provide inclusive educational opportunities for all students, including students with disabilities, by assisting schools to reorganize in ways that enable them to fully deliver on inclusive, general education for all students.
For more information about the SWIFT Center visit www.swiftschools.org.