All You Wanted to Know About 504s
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2026-27 Collaborative Membership
Mission & Vision
We empower NYC charter schools to develop high-quality inclusive educational environments, working towards a future where every school is able to welcome and successfully educate students of all abilities, backgrounds, and identities.
Membership Benefits
Program Support
Dedicated hours of guidance, technical assistance, and NYC DOE advocacy
Leadership Development
Access to Leadership Cohorts for Special Populations, Deep Dive Summits, our Thought Leader Series, and School Team Learning Cohorts
Staff Training
Monthly instructional PD, recurring behavior support workshops, special populations compliance trainings, counseling staff support, and more
Exclusive Resources
Membership will give you access to our online resource bank and PD on Demand library
“The Collaborative for Inclusive Education is truly an asset for every organization. Through the shared resources of NYC charter schools and the planning, expertise, and thoughtfulness of the Collaborative, we can access innovative ideas in special education… The general PD and training sessions strengthen our schoolwide practices, build staff capacity, and provide practical strategies that support the overall functioning of our school.”
“I know I can count on anyone at the Collaborative to offer insightful support for our schools. As our campuses continue to grow, their team’s help with our ENL programming and our approach around behavior and culture has been particularly important.”
“KIPP NYC has been a proud member of the Collaborative since its inception. We are grateful for their expertise and quick replies to our questions on behalf of our students with disabilities and English language learners/multilingual learners. Thank you for serving the NYC charter sector to ensure all children in the city receive these supports!”
2025-26 highlights
As a sector leader and advisor, the Collaborative for Inclusive Education defined NYCPS’s implementation and rollout of the 10% increase in funding for charter school special education students in the 20-60% service delivery category.
The Collaborative team added 26 PD sessions to the Charter Center’s online PD on Demand platform, for a total of 78 virtual courses designed to build the capacity and skill sets of special populations leaders and educators.
277 charter school campuses engaged in Collaborative membership during the 2025-26 school year.
The Collaborative offered 141 in-person, virtual, and hybrid PD sessions (17% more than the previous year!) to empower school leaders and special populations leads and educators.
Collaborative team members spent a combined 386 hours assisting and supporting charter school educators through personalized on-site campus visits and virtual consultations.
The Collaborative facilitates three online Learning Communities (Counselor/Social Workers, High School, and MLL/ELL), serving 1,915 NYC charter school leaders and educators. The groups share resources, provide compliance support, and share best practices from the field.
The Collaborative team represented the NYC charter sector at city and state-wide conferences this past year, delivering 7 presentations highlighting data and best practices to advance the special education and multilingual learner education fields.
FAQ
What is inclusive education?
Inclusive education is an approach to schooling in which students with diverse learning needs are educated alongside their general education peers in the same classroom, with appropriate supports and services. Rather than removing students with disabilities, multilingual and English language learners (ELLs) from the general education setting, inclusive education brings the resources, specialists, and strategies to the student. Research shows that inclusive classroom environments benefit ALL learners, not just those receiving additional support. Inclusion is also closely linked to school belonging: when students see themselves as full members of their classroom community, academic engagement and social outcomes improve for everyone.
What does an inclusive classroom look like?
An inclusive classroom typically features co-teaching (a general education teacher and a special education teacher working together), differentiated instruction, scaffolded materials, and individualized supports built into the regular school day. Students are not pulled out for the majority of their instruction; instead, the curriculum is designed to be accessible to a range of learners from the start. This approach is sometimes called Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Do NYC charter schools serve students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs)?
Yes. Charter schools are free, public schools legally required under federal regulations to enroll, identify, and serve students with disabilities and English Language Learners. For students with disabilities, they must provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), which includes all required special education services outlined in the student’s Individualized Education Program or 504 Plan. For multilingual and English Language Learners, this includes overcoming language barriers to ensure equal access to grade-level instruction. Approximately 20% of NYC charter school students have IEPs and11% are multilingual learners, ELLs; these percentages are comparable to district schools. Every charter school campus offers different supports for their students. Families are encouraged to visit schools and ask questions to find the school that best suits their child’s needs. Visit the NYC Charter School FINDER to get started.
How can schools build staff capacity around inclusion?
Building an inclusive school culture requires more than training individual teachers; it requires a systems approach. Schools that succeed at inclusion typically establish a clear inclusive education vision from leadership, invest in ongoing professional development, support teachers with instructional coaches and content experts, use data to identify areas of growth, and create structures for general education and special education teachers to plan and reflect together. Membership in networks and organizations that specialize in inclusive education, like the Collaborative for Inclusive Education, gives school leaders access to resources, expertise, and peer communities they can’t build alone.
What services does the Collaborative for Inclusive Education offer that support inclusion?
The Collaborative offers in-person, virtual and on-demand professional development workshops and learning series on inclusive education, co-teaching, special education compliance, and ELL, MLL supports. In addition, the Collaborative team provides technical assistance, resources and tools to empower leaders and educators as well as advocacy on behalf of charter school students and their families. New York City schools can learn more about membership HERE. Schools located outside NYC can explore our available programs HERE.
