Inclusive Schools Week was originally developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. It was conceived as a vehicle through which the federally funded National Institute for Urban School Reform (NIUSI) and the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching (NCREST) could disseminate materials concerning inclusive education. As a partner to NIUSI and NCREST, the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative  at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) played a strategic role in this initiative, providing vision for Inclusive Schools Week, managing outreach efforts, and continuing to financially support, develop and manage Inclusive Schools Week when federal funding was no longer available.  
 

Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population.  The Inclusive Schools Week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.