The Data Is In And We Made The Right Move

Last year, The Nora Project piloted a new, co-taught version of its flagship program, the Storyteller Project. Where the old version was based in general education classrooms and allowed students in those classrooms to learn about peers with disabilities who visited for designated activity days, the new version took a different approach, allowing students with and without disabilities to experience the entire project together, learning about themselves and each other, about empathy and friendship, about disability studies generally, and to collaborate on a final filmmaking project about the importance of friendship, normalizing difference, and sharing stories. We’ve crunched the numbers, and the data shows unmistakably that outcomes for all students across all demographics were better in the classrooms doing the new version of the project. It is now the only version of Storyteller we offer.

Why the change?

We decided to pilot this new version of the Storyteller Project for several reasons. First, we heard from a number of parents of students with disabilities that their children had questions for the students in the classrooms they visited, and that the design of the project was stifling their children’s ability to ask those questions. We also received feedback that (of course) all students would benefit from learning about empathy, friendship skills, disability studies, and filmmaking, and that by limiting the academic and SEL components of the project to only certain students, we were missing an opportunity to share this learning more broadly and to cultivate disability pride in students who identify as disabled. Further, we’ve learned and firmly believe that it’s best practice to offer combined, differentiated learning whenever possible, using principles of Universal Design to make curriculum accessible to an array of learners and to maximize the inclusiveness of the classrooms and communities we serve. Study upon study shows that when diverse students learn together as equals, everyone benefits on a number of levels. 

Finally, and most importantly, the old version of the project required general education teachers to “recruit” the participation of students with disabilities to engage with the students in their classrooms. This created an ableist dynamic in which largely nondisabled adults were evaluating which children had disabilities that made them “different enough” to be eligible for participation. This was harmful for so many reasons. First, it tended to limit “participation” to students with visible physical and intellectual disabilities, while we know that students with invisible disabilities also need opportunities to proclaim their identities, share their stories, and be seen and understood. Second, it shined a spotlight on students’ differences--and while the goal of the work was to normalize and accept differences, it was reported with some regularity that students with disabilities felt like they were the project in a way that felt otherizing. Third, it had the unintended consequence of setting up a scenario where the nondisabled students were perceived as doing a “good deed” by learning about their peers with disabilities--it implied a charitable dynamic inconsistent with our goals, our beliefs, and our values as an organization. We had to make a change.

The New Version

In the new version of the Storyteller Project, which is required to be co-taught by a general education and special education teacher, students of all abilities participate on a level playing field. The students all take time to get to know themselves and  one another, exploring the components of their own identities (including disability) and sharing as much or as little about themselves as they are comfortable. All of this identity work takes place in a safe and guided format designed to make all students feel accepted and like they belong. The students then work together to plan the Activity Days they will enjoy throughout the school year, and are responsible for identifying activities that will be accessible and enjoyable for all. Students also learn about disability history, inclusion and accessibility basics, empathy and friendship skills, and about advocacy and upstanding. Instruction is differentiated and delivered in parallel as needed so that all students have access to all learning in the format and environment that works best for them. As the year goes on, students collaborate as filmmakers to create documentaries that answer the three essential questions that guide their learning throughout the year--What does it mean to be a good friend? Why is there no such thing as normal? And why do we share our stories with others? These documentaries are screened at a Nora Night Film Festival where all students share the red carpet as stars of the show.

Everything We Dreamed and More

We were able to compare impact outcomes in classrooms doing the old and new versions of the Storyteller Project last year. The data was definitive--the new co-taught, inclusive version of the project yields better outcomes across the board. For example, when comparing student empathy scores, students in the co-taught program scored higher across all domains.

3 sets of blue and orange bar graphs comparing students’ affective, cognitive, and prosocial scores in the original Storyteller program, and the new co-taught program.

This was true across gender, economic and racial demographics. Further, inclusion outcomes and beliefs about disability were as strong or stronger in co-taught classrooms than in classrooms participating in the original version of the program, and at least one co-taught classroom reported notable anti-bullying and improved disciplinary outcomes as a result of project participation. To learn more about our 2019-2020 Storyteller Project outcomes, read pages 14-22 of the full impact report.

In summary, the new version of the Storyteller Project better reflects our beliefs and values, has a more inclusive and collaborative design, and yields better empathy and inclusion outcomes for all students. We’re thrilled to have 61 classrooms participating in this new version of the project this year, and we can’t wait to see its impact.