In the ever-shifting landscape of Special Education, the quote “Change is inevitable, growth is optional” often feels more like a warning than an encouragement. For some Special Education Leaders, constant change and uncertainty can make progress feel out of reach.
But for some leaders – like those in the Co-op’s ELEVATED Leadership cohort – growth isn’t just possible: it’s essential.
When Delmy joined Mundo Verde PCS as Director of Student Services in Fall 2023, she stepped into a program with committed educators and invested families but, like many Special Education leaders, she also faced significant hurdles: lingering compliance issues from staff transitions and a challenging transition to Special Programs.
“There are so many fires that come up, and Elevated Leadership has helped to hold me accountable in maintaining our priorities. Every two weeks, no matter what has come up, Elevated Leadership helps me always come back to the vision and mission: it allows me to get back to the work that matters most.”
By the end of the year, the team at Mundo had met all of their compliance goals and successfully opened a multi-disciplinary self-contained classroom to support students with more intensive needs. Like many schools, though, Mundo Verde continued to see an increase in enrollment of students with disabilities, including many with complex needs. Moreover, while the Student Support team experienced increased staff retention, Mundo went into the 24-25 school year facing a new round of transitions, including the search for a new Executive Director.
But a new round of changes didn’t phase Delmy. “The Co-op’s coaching has really helped me to grow as a leader. It developed my ability to articulate what we do, advocate for resources, and grow the capacity of our team to build understanding and collaboration school-wide. That makes a huge difference for kids.”
As this school year comes to a close, Delmy shared some of the accomplishments her team is most proud of, including:
- improvement from the lowest compliance range to the highest on multiple metrics in SEPR (OSSE’s Special Education Performance Report) compliance
- while managing a 40% increase in Special Education students
- with no increase in SPED staffing.
“But,” Delmy reflected, “we didn’t get stuck on compliance – we also added two new learning environments to meet the needs of more students, and brought in research-based reading interventions that accelerated growth. The Co-op’s expertise, resources, and coaching helped propel all of that.”
A few miles away at BASIS DC, Candace Farrell also stepped into a transition year, but as an interim leader managing SPED for the first time. Based on her strong track record as the school’s 504, EL, and SST Coordinator, Candace was tagged to keep things on track while BASIS’ Director of Student Support was on paternity leave. He enrolled in Elevated Leadership with the more intensive option of weekly check-ins (versus bi-weekly), which have been a lifeline to schools during a leader’s leave or unexpected departure. He shared, “The Co-op has a very strong reputation in DC, and we had existing relationships with the Co-op team that benefited me earlier in my career as a new leader. I was confident in Candace’s ability, but I also knew she would need support and guidance for the inevitable curveballs, just like I did.”
As the school year began, Candace recalls, “I was a little nervous knowing I had big shoes to fill and an incredible responsibility to our students. We did all the training and planning we could, but nothing could have prepared me for those first few weeks. The support I got from the Co-op was everything. At each weekly check-in I had a laundry list of questions and challenges, but I never had to tackle them alone.”
Candace navigated the start of school chaos like a pro, managing her first Child Count process while maintaining 100% compliance every month of the first quarter. Far more than keeping things on track, Candace also used her weekly Elevated Leadership check-ins to surface and address challenges the Student Support team had been wrestling with for years, like establishing clear but flexible guidelines for dedicated aide decisions and streamlining FBA and BIP processes.
It’s hard for Candace to take credit for those advances, but confidence is one of the attributes Elevated Leadership helps develop. “I can be very critical of myself, so it can be difficult to recognize successes when they happen, especially when there is still so much work to do. Elevated Leadership helped me to grow confidence in my ownership of the program, and allowed me to leverage my organizational and communication skills to support a healthy, functioning team and system.”
When her Director returned, he was struck by how quickly he could resume work on long-term quality goals and projects. “In any previous transition I’ve been through in DC SPED, there’s always a lot of cleanup to do,” he said. “But this was smooth – everything was where it needed to be. We were ready to keep moving forward.”
These stories aren’t outliers. They’re a reflection of what’s possible when leaders are supported and empowered to maintain focus on growth in the face of change, challenge, and uncertainty. “We’re the voice for our most vulnerable students,” Delmy reflected. “And this work is hard. But no matter what comes up, we know what’s possible, and we’re able to keep moving forward. Every leader should have the opportunity to know what that feels like.”