THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL LEARNING SUPPORT PROGRAM

What makes the difference between a successful learning support program and one that isn’t? In my opinion, it comes down to how the department is viewed and where it is placed in a school’s organizational chart – off to the side or top and center.

In most schools that I have worked at or with, a school’s organizational chart has the learning support department placed off to the side, like an afterthought – almost like they know the department is needed but are unsure of what to do with the support staff or how they fit in. This sends the message to staff that learning support is a disconnected entity, separate from everyone else. Teachers come to view support as a place where students are sent for additional help or if support is offered in class, they see it as simply having a few extra bodies in the classroom to assist and nothing more. On the flipside, this creates difficulty for the learner support team as they are often unable to obtain unit/lesson plans from the mainstream teachers in advance so they can scaffold/differentiate learning activities for their students. And while it’s true that in this scenario students are being supported, it begs the question of how effectively students are being helped to access the curriculum when the curriculum and lessons aren’t being openly shared with the learning support department.

From what I have seen, the better approach to where learning support is placed on a school’s organizational chart is near the top and center, below admin but above the mainstream and specialist teachers. By placing the department above, it sends a message to staff that learning support is central to the school’s foundation and allows the department to exercise some control over how and when information is shared with them so they may best prepare lessons and materials for their students. It also opens the door for learning support to be offered across all subject areas, both mainstream and specialist and signals that the department can be a go-to resource for teachers who may need guidance on how to best support learners when they are not receiving pull-in or pull-out support.

The goal of any school should be to maximize the impact that each and every department can make on student learning, and if one department is seen as an afterthought and sidelined, consider asking yourself if maybe it’s time to make a switch – who knows how students may benefit!
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Has your school recently made the switch to moving the learning support department’s position to the top and center of the organizational chart? What has been the impact? We’d love to hear!

Further Reading

​Assessing Students on IEPs
Are Dual-Tracking Report Cards the Answer?
Is Your School Putting Student Needs First?
Closing the COVID-19 Learning Gaps
The Flaw in "Gradeless" Systems
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