Universally Designed Leadership Applying UDL to Systems and Schools

The new Every Student Succeeds Act governing K-12 education in the United States defines and endorses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework to help achieve greater opportunity and academic achievement for all learners, including those with disabilities, English learners, and “gifted and talented” students. In this book, Novak and Rodriguez, veteran school administrators, provide school leaders and educators with a guidebook for putting the UDL framework into practice. They show how to guide district and school staff in discussions around student data and use the UDL guidelines to shape curriculum decisions. This is a must-read for any education leader who wants to create more equitable, inclusive, and effective learning environments.

Katie Novak is the Assistant Superintendent of the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District in Massachusetts and a leading expert on Universal Design for Learning implementation. With 13 years of experience in teaching and administration and an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, Novak designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on implementation of UDL. She is author of two other books, UDL Now! and UDL in the Cloud (with Tom Thibodeau). Kristan Rodriguez is Superintendent of the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District. She has been a classroom teacher, principal, curriculum director, and college instructor. She has presented nationally on leadership and learning for the past 15 years.