Inclusion Makes Conley Elementary Community Where Every Student Belongs

Conley Elementary has embraced the BPS Inclusive Education Plan in recent years, creating a school community where every student is celebrated – and where valuing one another is part of every student's education.

Inclusion Makes Conley Elementary Community Where Every Student Belongs

Not only is Inclusion an approach to teaching and learning at Conley Elementary School, it also is a way of being.

Conley Elementary has embraced the BPS Inclusive Education Plan in recent years, creating classrooms and a school community where every student has access to grade-level curriculum, the supports they need to succeed and the opportunity to do so in the most-appropriate learning space.

This shift has helped form a community where every student is known, supported, challenged, and celebrated – and where learning to understand and value one another is part of every student's education.

“We have laid a foundation for really empathetic, kind, and understanding humans, and in life they're going to remember that much more than they're going to remember what they learned in their second grade math class or their fifth grade ELA class,” said Conley Elementary School Principal Jen Eddington. “I feel like inclusion is really cultivating good members of our society who understand that not everybody is the same as they are, and that people are able to get what they need to be successful in different ways in life.”

This commitment has transformed how students and educators experience school. Classrooms that once operated separately have become increasingly connected, with general-education and special-education teachers planning together, sharing strategies, and learning from one another.

That sense of belonging extends beyond academics. Students come together for morning meetings, recess, lunch, specials, and school-wide activities. Teachers say these shared experiences have helped students develop relationships across classrooms and learn from one another. They see students cheering each other on, celebrating accomplishments, and discovering the unique personalities, talents, and perspectives their classmates bring to the community.

Families have been essential partners in this journey. Conley educators and leaders have engaged families openly about both the opportunities and challenges of inclusion, creating space for questions, feedback, and collaboration. That partnership reflects a broader understanding of inclusion: ensuring students receive the support they need while learning alongside and building relationships with their peers.

The impact is visible in students who have transitioned from substantially separate settings into inclusion classrooms and in the growing confidence of students and educators alike.

“Now it's more of a cohesive unit in the school,” said Conley Elementary Intellectually Impairment Moderate Disability Grades 3 and 4 Teacher Danielle Jones. “... So we're opening the doors to let it be known that the differences in ability, the differences in physical appearance, the differences in cognition are nothing more than differences, and we all can function. We all can meet those expectations.”

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