Universally Designed Leadership
By Katie Novak, Ed.D. and Kristan Rodriguez Ph.D.
A guidebook for putting the UDL framework into practice.
The new Every Student Succeeds Act governing K-12 education in the United States defines and endorses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework to help achieve greater opportunity and academic achievement for all learners, including those with disabilities, English learners, and “gifted and talented” students. In this book, Novak and Rodriguez, veteran school administrators, provide school leaders and educators with a guidebook for putting the UDL framework into practice. They show how to guide district and school staff in discussions around student data and use the UDL guidelines to shape curriculum decisions. This is a must-read for any education leader who wants to create more equitable, inclusive, and effective learning environments.
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Reviews
“Access to educational opportunities is more important than ever. Universal design for learning is an important tool for ensuring that all students have access to the knowledge and ideas that are essential to further education, careers, and citizenship--and thus to a full life.”
- Mitchell D. Chester, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
“Universally Designed Leadership is the practitioners' guide to successful strategic implementation of Universal Design for Learning. This timely and relevant work provides a road map for education leaders to engage school communities in defining the why, what, and how of learning. A must-read for emerging and veteran school leaders alike.”
- Dr. Thomas Scott, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School
“Universally Designed Leadership is a much-needed addition to the field. Novak and Rodriguez present the fundamentals of exploring, preparing, and integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into schools and districts. They focus on the practical steps to shifting cultures in schools and districts to embrace UDL, including creating a shared vision to embrace UDL, conducting needs assessments to guide the work, and developing logic models to guide this pursuit. Written in a conversational, straightforward style, Universally Designed Leadership will surely be a go-to guide for the novice and veteran administrator alike.”
- Martin Scanlan, Associate Professor, Boston College's Lynch School of Education