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From ABC to THRIVE: Spelling Out Success in Special Education

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Today’s special education leaders face unprecedented challenges, including teacher shortages, widening achievement gaps, and increasing compliance pressures. Supporting the 7.5 million students with disabilities requires bold, transformative action.
 
The Ability Challenge's 2025 White Paper "From ABC to THRIVE" offers a research-backed framework to help schools address these challenges through actionable insights, proven strategies, and real-world examples.

 

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Case Studies

Learn more about the schools and leaders implementing these practices:
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Transforming School Culture Through Strategic Change

Read Paul's Story
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Building Consistent Quality in Special Education Services

Read Maya's Story
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Strengthening Instruction in a Charter Network

Read Jackie's Story

Grounded in THRIVE

The THRIVE framework reimagines special education through five core elements:
  • Culture of Inclusion
  • Student-Centered Curriculum
  • Understanding Special Education Mandates
  • Equitable Resource Management
  • Family Partnerships
This holistic, research-backed approach empowers schools to meet diverse needs, enhance teaching quality, and foster lasting improvements. By focusing on outcomes beyond compliance, the framework ensures sustainable, equitable change for all.
Thrive Graphic with a circle segmented into different parts. The center says "Leader and Educator Knowledge, Mindsets, and Practices". Around the center are the words "Family", "Culture," "Instruction," "Services," and "Systems." Surrounding the full circle are the words: "Authentically Inclusive School Community."

 

"This framework isn’t just a strategy—it serves as a foundation for ensuring access to an excellent education for all students, opening doors to meaningful opportunities for success at every level."

– Sarah Sandelius, Founder, The Ability Challenge

 

 

A Guide to Meaningful Change

By engaging with this white paper, you will:

 

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Understand Actionable Strategies
These can be immediately applied to transform practices in your school.
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Explore Real-World Examples
Learn about schools that have achieved measurable improvements.
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Have Access to a Clear Road Map
Learn how the elements of THRIVE can be used to drive sustainable change.

 

Practical Tools for Educators and Leaders

Wondering if Your School is THRIVE-Aligned?

Take the first steps toward THRIVE alignment with practical guides tailored to your role:
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For Teachers

Ensure your instructional practices reflect THRIVE principles.

Get the Checklist
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For Special Education Leaders

Improve your special education program based on THRIVE standards.

Get the Checklist
transforming education for diverse learners

For School Leaders

Assess your systems and practices for alignment with the THRIVE Framework.

Get the Checklist
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The THRIVE Impact

Schools using the THRIVE framework report measurable improvements:

  • Achievement gaps between students with disabilities and their peers narrowed to less than 10 percentage points at one school, with some students with disabilities outperforming their general education peers.
  • IEP quality improved by 41% at another school, enhancing foundational documentation and student outcomes.
 
"This helped to cement the message that all kids deserve access to grade-level content, regardless of entry point. It is one thing for us to know what we believe and write it down on paper. Itis a whole other thing to make it come to life in a classroom" 
 
- Jackie, School Leader and ABC Partner

 

About The Ability Challenge

 
The Ability Challenge partners with schools, districts, and networks to develop and support school communities and teams that work together to meet the unique needs of all learners. We specialize in assisting schools, districts, and networks to develop sustainable systems that foster effective practices and ensure high-quality special education programming through audits and assessments, educator training, leader support, and tools and resources.