Resource Center

From ABC to THRIVE: Resources for 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 resource center offers a research-backed framework and tools to help schools address these challenges through actionable insights, proven strategies, and real-world examples.

 

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."

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% across one District, enhancing foundational documentation and student outcomes.
Our Story_001

How 4 Washington DC Schools Implemented THRIVE

and how you can do the same.

Four D.C. charter schools transformed their outcomes for students with disabilities through systematic change. Their results: 50% increases in student engagement, 72% improvement in inclusive teaching practices, and growth rates that outperformed network averages by 41%.

These schools didn't add new programs—they redesigned their foundational systems. The complete roadmap they used is now available to your school.

Read the Case Study - Learn more about the process schools took to reach these outcomes

Download the Toolkit - Get PDFs of all resources, including leader stories and implementation tools

 

Student in a special education classroom that implements inclusive practices
What the Research Tells Us

 

This comprehensive White Paper presents The Ability Challenge's THRIVE Framework—a research-backed roadmap for transforming special education from compliance-focused to outcomes-driven. Through five core elements, the framework provides 40 concrete success indicators that help schools build authentic, inclusive practices.

Designed for educators, special education leaders, and school administrators, the white paper combines actionable strategies with three role-specific self-assessment tools to evaluate current practices and identify areas for growth.

Whether you're facing teacher shortages, widening achievement gaps, or struggling to move beyond compliance, this resource offers proven approaches to create schools where all 7.5 million students with disabilities can truly thrive.

More THRIVE Stories of Change

click the images to read more

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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
study

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

Ready to Get Started?

Take our THRIVE Self-Assessment

Before diving into transformation, you need to know where you stand. Our THRIVE Self-Assessment Tool helps you evaluate your current practices across all five framework elements and identify your biggest opportunities for impact.

Each assessment takes 10-15 minutes and provides immediate feedback on your strengths and priority areas for growth. You'll receive a report with specific next steps and resources tailored to your role.

Ready to see how THRIVE-aligned you are?

 

Teacher and students with disabilities engaging in specially designed instruction

 

"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. It's a whole other thing to make it come to life in a classroom." 

 
- Jackie, School Leader and ABC Partner

 

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