Grant for Inclusive Education in Stevens Point School District

A Report on Funding to Advance Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction

The Stevens Point Area Public School District has been awarded a $56,000 grant by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The grant, titled “Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills in Students with IEPs,” is allocated for a three-year period. Its primary objective is to fund professional development for educators and administrators, thereby improving support systems for neurodiverse students within the junior high special education program. This initiative directly supports the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning quality education, health, and equality.

2.0 Strategic Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The grant’s objectives are fundamentally aligned with the global agenda for sustainable development. The project contributes to progress on the following key SDGs:

2.1 SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.5: Ensure Equal Access. The project is designed to eliminate educational disparities by providing targeted support to a vulnerable group—students with disabilities. It aims to ensure these students have equal access to quality education tailored to their unique needs.
• Target 4.c: Increase Qualified Teachers. A core component of the grant is the provision of professional development and coaching for teachers and administrators. This directly addresses the need for a greater supply of educators qualified to support students with diverse learning requirements.
• Target 4.a: Build Inclusive Learning Environments. By equipping staff with evidence-based strategies, the initiative works to create more effective, safe, and inclusive learning environments for neurodiverse students.

2.2 SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.4: Promote Mental Health and Well-being. The grant places significant emphasis on addressing the “social-emotional needs” of students. This focus on individualized, holistic support contributes directly to the promotion of mental health and well-being within the student population.

2.3 SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2: Promote Social Inclusion. The initiative actively promotes the social and educational inclusion of students with disabilities, ensuring they are empowered to participate fully in the educational system.
• Target 10.3: Ensure Equal Opportunity. By strengthening the implementation of Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs), the project helps to reduce inequalities of outcome and ensure equal opportunity for all students, irrespective of disability.

2.4 SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.17: Encourage Effective Partnerships. This project exemplifies an effective public-public partnership between a local entity (Stevens Point Area Public School District) and a state-level body (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction) to achieve shared educational and social goals.

3.0 Project Implementation and Key Objectives

3.1 Primary Objectives

The funding will be utilized to achieve specific, measurable outcomes:

1. To provide specialized professional development and training for teachers and administrators.
2. To implement evidence-based improvement strategies designed to support the academic and social growth of students with IEPs.
3. To deliver individualized interventions that are focused on students’ specific disability-related and social-emotional needs.
4. To strengthen staff support systems and implementation processes at both the team and district levels.

3.2 Implementation Framework

The grant will facilitate a collaborative implementation model involving:

• Partnerships with statewide and district coordinators.
• Direct coaching and training for district staff and administrators.
• Embedded support from the Department of Public Instruction to guide the enhancement of current initiatives.

4.0 Context and Projected Impact

4.1 Background on Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs)

An IEP is a formal program, mandated by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), designed to meet the unique needs of a student with a qualifying disability. These programs are foundational to providing equitable education. In the 2022-23 school year, approximately 15% of students in Wisconsin were served by an IEP, underscoring the significance of this initiative.

4.2 Anticipated Outcomes

The successful implementation of this grant is expected to yield several positive outcomes:

• Improved educational and social-emotional outcomes for students with IEPs.
• Enhanced capacity of district staff to support neurodiverse learners effectively.
• A more inclusive and supportive educational experience for the entire student body.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  This is the primary goal addressed. The article is entirely focused on improving the educational system for a specific group of students. It details a grant aimed at enhancing “the educational experience for all of our students” by providing better support for “neurodiverse learners” and “students with IEPs.” The initiative funds “professional development for teachers and administrators,” which is a core component of ensuring quality education.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article directly relates to reducing inequalities by focusing on a vulnerable group. The grant supports “students with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.” By providing “individualized interventions” and implementing “evidence-based improvement strategies,” the program aims to “improve outcomes for students with IEPs,” thereby ensuring more equal opportunities and reducing disparities in educational achievement based on disability.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  This goal is connected through the program’s focus on mental and emotional health. The grant is specifically named “Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills in Students with IEPs.” The interventions are described as being “focused on students’ disability and social-emotional needs,” and the article mentions that “behavioral health professionals” are part of the team that develops IEPs. This highlights a direct effort to promote mental well-being within the school environment.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 4.5: Ensure equal access to all levels of education for the vulnerable

   This target aims to “ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities.” The article’s focus on providing support for “students with IEPs,” who are defined as students with a disability, directly aligns with this target. The grant’s purpose is to “better support our neurodiverse learners,” which is a clear action toward ensuring equal access to quality education.

2. Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

   While not about physical facilities, the initiative works to create an “inclusive and effective learning environment.” The grant will “strengthen staff support systems” and train teachers to better manage “students’ disability and social-emotional needs,” fostering a safer and more supportive educational setting for neurodiverse students.

3. Target 4.c: Substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers

   The article states that the grant will “provide professional development for teachers and administrators” and facilitate “coaching and train district staff.” This is a direct investment in increasing the qualifications of educators, equipping them with “evidence-based improvement strategies” to meet the specific needs of students with disabilities, thus contributing to this target.

4. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of disability

   The program’s goal to “enhance the educational experience” for neurodiverse students is a fundamental step toward their social inclusion. By improving their “social and emotional skills,” the initiative helps empower these students to participate more fully in the school community and, eventually, in society.

5. Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome

   The article explicitly states that the grant’s initiatives are intended to “improve outcomes for students with IEPs.” This directly addresses the core of Target 10.3, which focuses on reducing inequalities of outcome for vulnerable groups by promoting appropriate policies and actions.

6. Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being

   The grant’s focus on “enhancing social and emotional skills” and addressing students’ “social-emotional needs” is a direct action to promote mental health and well-being, as specified in this target. The involvement of “behavioral health professionals” further reinforces this connection.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Proportion of students with disabilities receiving support (Relates to Indicator 4.5.1)

  The article provides a specific data point that can serve as a baseline indicator: “About 15% of Wisconsin students were served by an IEP in the 2022-23 school year.” This statistic, which aligns with the concept of Indicator 4.5.1 (Parity indices), measures the proportion of the student population identified as having disabilities and receiving specialized educational services. Tracking this percentage can help monitor access to support.

• Proportion of teachers receiving specialized training (Relates to Indicator 4.c.1)

  The article implies this indicator by stating the grant will fund “professional development for teachers and administrators” and will “coach and train district staff.” An indicator of progress would be the number or proportion of teachers and administrators in the junior high special education program who complete this training over the grant’s three-year period. This measures the effort to increase the supply of qualified teachers for students with special needs.

• Improved outcomes for students with IEPs (Implied Performance Indicator)

  The article explicitly mentions a desired result: to “improve outcomes for students with IEPs.” While not a formal UN indicator, this is a key performance metric for the project. Progress could be measured by tracking metrics such as academic achievement, graduation rates, disciplinary incident rates, or standardized assessments of social-emotional skills for the targeted student population before and after the implementation of the new strategies.

4. Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: stevenspointjournal.com