Here's how an NGO is offering hope to children with down syndrome, other disabilities in Sokoto

The Phoenix School of Discovery is an alternative school designed for students with learning and social challenges, with roughly half of students on an individualized education plan, or IEP. The school prioritizes hands-on learning, has multiple teachers in each classroom, and offers accommodations like sensory-friendly lighting and a space for “quiet lunch” for students who find the traditional cafeteria over-stimulating.

Batibot Early Learning Center is a progressive daycare center that offers “socialized tuition” based on what families earn, making it easier for lower-income children to access early childhood education. The center enrolls 25 children and prioritizes hands-on support and therapy for children with developmental delays.

Nebraska’s Journey to Inclusion program focused on providing educators with training and resources to help schools keep more students with disabilities in general classrooms rather than separating them in specialized classrooms. Since implementing changes, the state has seen proficiency rates and graduation rates rise among students with disabilities.

The Graficka Street school uses flexible classroom design, dedicated assistants for children with special needs, participatory school culture, and proactive family outreach to create a more inclusive learning environment. Since inclusive education legislation was passed in 2016, the share of students with disabilities educated in mainstream schools has grown from 65% to 77%, with schools like the Graficka Street elementary school helping increase access.

The Bunmi Adedayo Foundation trains public primary school teachers in new methods and boosts their morale to improve their skills and provide students with a higher quality of education.

The Mary Lyon School is a “full-inclusion school” designed to give students — especially those with special needs, including emotional and behavioral disabilities — the necessary resources and supports to see positive outcomes with their education. The Mary Lyon School uses community-based approaches and philosophies rooted in inclusion to stay connected with students and their families to help guide them toward their graduation day.

A teacher in San Diego took matters into her own hands when she couldn't find a social justice curriculum tailored to students with disabilities. That’s partly why she created what she calls the “Social Justice League,” a group of students at her school who meet weekly by Zoom and discuss a variety of issues, such as Native American land, gender privilege, the representation of disabilities in the media and systemic racism.

In the U.S., the practice of tracked classes or special programs have exacerbated racial separation in schools. Leschi Elementary, in Seattle, made changes to their curriculum to draw white families to a traditionally black school.

In California, four-year-olds who don’t meet the traditional kindergarten cut-off requirement can attend transitional kindergarten, which can help improve their kindergarten readiness and help educators identify English language development and special education needs much earlier. Oakland Unified School District’s transitional kindergarten program has become so popular that it has added about 10 new classes each school year.

New multilingual and multicultural education programs like the one at Arizona State University help prepare future teachers to meet the needs of Latino students and lessen the teacher-retention crisis in the state.