The Report Card appears weekly and is written by staff, administrators and partners of the Anglophone East School District. This week’s column, written by our Inclusion Facilitators, Katherine Arsenault and Karlene Milson, explains the importance of inclusion and the overall intention to help all students reach their full potential.

This first week in December is “Inclusive Education Week” in much of the world. The Inclusive Schools mandate is “…to encourage, embolden and empower people to design and implement effective inclusive schools, by sharing insights and best practices and by providing opportunities for connection.” This year’s theme is: Authentic Inclusion: Increasing Our Comfort Zone! It focuses on how schools can make progress on their journey toward excellence by following a path of reflection, planning and action.

In New Brunswick, we have benefited from a legacy of dedication to inclusionary practices for the past three decades. This began with ground-breaking legislation in 1986 with Bill 85, which supported the integrated learning environment within the community school as the primary educational option for all students. Over the years, New Brunswick has been a pioneer in the political and educational support to inclusive schools, but there is still more work to do.

Recently, the Department of Education has emphasized the need for New Brunswick schools to improve student learning and do so in an inclusive context. “We need to increase student success in learning in our province”, the Honourable Jody Carr said, “and we need to build on the 25-year effort to make our schools inclusive so every child benefits from our efforts.”

After New Brunswick experts Gordon Porter and Angela Aucoin penned their report and recommendations in 2012, the Department of EECD engaged Michael Fullan, a prominent consultant in educational reforms to suggest school improvement strategies, thus providing the stimulus for connecting school improvement to inclusive practices. Carr stated, “I look forward to the positive differences we can make for our teachers and students.”

As a result of the Porter/Aucoin report, Strengthening Inclusion, Strengthening Schools Report, NB now has a formalized policy – outlining best practices – to help ensure the success of all students through Policy 322. It has focused schools to work collaboratively to build on their current evidence-based instructional practices, and build supports for all students.