Inclusive Education

An inclusive education happens when all students experience belonging, are presumed competent and worthy of a high quality, challenging, and equitable education, and are valued and celebrated members of a school community, academically and socially, to prepare all students for meaningful and inclusive post-secondary lives

Maine Inclusive Education Framework

A workgroup of educators, families, self-advocates, higher education faculty and members of the Maine DOE are currently creating Maine’s Inclusive Education Framework. 

Maine Inclusive Education Conference

Join the Maine Department of Education (DOE) for the state’s first Inclusive Education Conference on Wednesday, April 8, 2025, at the Augusta Civic Center. The conference theme is “Reimagining Education: Empowering All Learners, Embracing All Abilities.” It will provide school communities (educators, administrators, families, and students) with the tools necessary to empower every student, particularly those with disabilities, by embracing diverse abilities and ensuring that all students have the support they need to build inclusive, meaningful futures.

The Maine DOE Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education and the University of Maine at Farmington are hosting this conference. The keynote speaker will be Paula Kluth.

Paula (she/her) is a consultant, author, advocate, and independent scholar who works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. She is a former K-12 special educator who has served as a classroom teacher, co-teacher, and inclusion facilitator. Paula has also been a university professor and has taught courses on both inclusion and disability studies. Most recently, Paula’s work has centered on helping teachers and administrators educate all students in their schools and classrooms. She also frequently works with families and advocacy groups to support goals related to inclusion. In addition to inclusive education, her professional interests include Universal Design for Learning, co-teaching, and educating students with complex support needs.

Paula is the author of more than 15 titles including Universal Design Daily, 30 Days to the Co-Taught Classroom, Don’t We Already Do Inclusion?, You’re Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Autistic Students in the Inclusive Classroom and All In: 18 Ways to Include All Students in Virtual Classrooms. She is also the author of books for children including Coaster, a story of a puppy with wonderful wheels.

Paula has won several awards in her field. She is the recipient of the PEAK Parent Center’s Ally for Inclusion Award; The PEAL [Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership] Center’s Inclusive Education Champion Award; The National Down Syndrome Congress’s Educator of the Year; The Belle Center of Chicago’s Inclusion Advocate of the Year; and the University of Wisconsin’s “Forward Under 40” Award.

The conference will feature students, families, educators, administrators, university faculty, and Maine DOE staff from across the state, as well, who will share their expertise and experiences with inclusion in schools and communities.

Please gather a team of your school colleagues and meet us in Augusta this spring! The cost of the daylong conference (8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.) is $185 and includes lunch, as well as a wealth of information and resources. SAVE THE DATE - Registration will open early 2026.

For more information, please reach out to Maine DOE Special Projects for Inclusion Coordinator Tracy Whitlock at tracy.w.whitlock@maine.gov.

Math4ME

Math4ME is designed to implement evidence-based professional development which increases math proficiency and inclusionary practices for students with exceptionalities and improves instructional practices for educators of all students.