A note from the DLC’s founder, Brooke Allen:

In my work as a special educator, I was tasked with uncovering learning solutions for students who had unique needs. It was often not the first or second solution that succeeded, but the sixth, seventh, or tenth. Special education is the ultimate practice in resourcefulness and persistence, built on a foundation of relationships with students and their families. 

I found this creative work rewarding, but also challenging. I was the only or one of a few special educators in my school. Opportunities for professional development often included sitting in the back of a core content session because there wasn’t an option specific to diverse learner needs. Coaching meetings felt disconnected from my daily practice, and evaluation rubrics were difficult to use. Time for collaboration with my peers was hard to come by, and school systems designed to build community were sometimes less than inclusive of my students.

Given the opportunity to conduct a needs assessment of diverse learner practices in our community, it became immediately apparent my experience was not unfamiliar. Teachers reported feeling isolated, under-supported, unsuccessful, and burnt out. Special and EL educators were leaving their positions at higher rates than their peers, a trend that aligns with national data. We know that teacher turnover is costly from both financial and student outcome perspectives.

Out of these findings came an idea for an organization that filled this gap - an organization that would connect special and EL educators with relevant resources, high quality professional learning opportunities, and networks of their peers. If teachers felt equipped and empowered, would they stay longer and inspire better outcomes for students with all abilities and language backgrounds? The Diverse Learners Cooperative launched in 2018 to find out.