New Hampshire UDL Innovation Network Year 6 Report Released
Date:
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
CAST and the New Hampshire Education Department are pleased to share the Year 6 (2023) Report for the New Hampshire UDL Innovation Network. The groundbreaking partnership with CAST supports local educators in implementing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which helps them recognize student variability in the classroom and design education solutions so that all students can learn.
Since its inception in the Spring of 2018, the Network has grown into a vibrant community of over 600 educators representing nearly 70 schools. CAST’s professional learning team coaches schools to use UDL as a lens for continuous school improvement focused on teaching and learning, school culture and environment, professional learning, and school leadership and management. This expansion of UDL implementation beyond the classroom has empowered administrators to examine policies and practices and teachers to create inclusive and equitable learning environments.
“I take immense pride in the dedication shown by these educators who are diligently laying the professional foundation for UDL across New Hampshire,” writes Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut. “Together, we are shaping a brighter future for all learners in New Hampshire.”
The report concludes: “New Hampshire has emerged as a national frontrunner in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning. Through the NH UDL Innovation Network, the state has enhanced the abilities of its educators to craft learning experiences that ensure access and agency for every student. In the forthcoming years, it is anticipated that the NHED will continue to strengthen and expand this capacity, working towards the state’s ultimate objective of providing deeply effective personalized learning for each and every student. This original goal is well within reach and poised to be accomplished, given the dedication and collaboration of educators statewide. Universal Design for Learning is a framework that summarizes research about human learning so that educators can better anticipate and design for the natural learning variability of their students. Implemented with fidelity, the UDL framework builds the capacity of NH educators to reach and teach every student”