Transcript
Renee Foster: Thank you, Lori. Thank you for having me.
Lori Boll: Well, it’s great that you’re here, all the way from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and you’re at school right now. So if people hear any voices in the background, that’s… who is that in the background?
Renee Foster: End-of-the-day activities at the school, shenanigans. And hopefully my daughter will not knock on the door. She should be off training.
Lori Boll: Well, give us a snapshot of your school. How many students are there?
Renee Foster: Here at ICS Addis, we currently have around 900 students. Our students come from multiple countries and passport backgrounds—U.S., South African, Canadian, Australian, European. We also have Ethiopians who are dual passport holders attending our school.
Being in Addis, one of the largest diplomatic hubs in the world, our community is extremely diverse. About 2.5 to 3% of our student population is receiving services here at ICS Addis.
Lori Boll: Wow. Okay. We’ll dive into those services soon. But first, you’re working in this vibrant city of Addis Ababa. How does your school celebrate the host country’s culture?
Renee Foster: There are many opportunities. Every month our Parent Teacher Organization hosts a community market where local vendors come to campus. You’ll find textiles, crafts, honey, coffee, meats—local food and handmade goods. It’s a way for the community to come together and celebrate Ethiopian culture.
In addition, during national holidays like Ethiopian New Year and Meskel in September, our students put on performances through Ethiopian Studies. We also bring in local church choirs for Meskel, which includes the Demera celebration—branches burned to symbolize the search for truth. The community comes dressed in Ethiopian attire, and it’s very meaningful.
Ethiopia is home to both Orthodox Christians and Muslims, and we celebrate both. During Eid al-Fitr, we host a community dinner to celebrate with our Muslim families. Another tradition is the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Whether it’s a parent coffee, an elementary event, or a school gathering, coffee, popcorn, and buna are shared as a way to build community.
Lori Boll: Wow. It all sounds absolutely beautiful. And coffee—I’m all about it.
Renee Foster: I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I always participate in the buna ceremony. It’s not really about the coffee—it’s about community, gathering together, and building relationships. That’s how Ethiopian culture lives on within the school.
Lori Boll: It sounds like it really builds a sense of belonging.
Renee Foster: Yes, absolutely.
Lori Boll: Can you describe the size and scope of your student support team?
Renee Foster: We are incredibly fortunate. We have about 60 support staff, including five EAL teachers, ten learning support teachers, four STEP teachers, six school counselors, an occupational therapist, a speech-language pathologist, a school psychologist, and MTSS specialists supporting elementary and middle school.
We also have around 30 educational assistants supporting across teams. About 3.5% of our students are supported through the STEP program. We’re seeing growth in occupational therapy needs due to increased screening and identification. We are truly blessed with strong human resources.
Lori Boll: That sounds ideal, especially for a school of your size.
Renee Foster: It really has been a great team to work with.
Lori Boll: With such a large team, how do you ensure collaboration across disciplines?
Renee Foster: We operate as a professional learning community. In elementary and middle school, we have collaborative team meetings weekly or biweekly that include student support staff and teachers.
In middle and high school, learning support and STEP teachers attend department meetings because they’re embedded in classrooms. We also launched curriculum review meetings where learning support, EAL, counseling, and leadership teams come together schoolwide to reflect on program alignment and research-informed practices.
Our EAL teachers, particularly in elementary, are embedded daily in classrooms, co-planning, co-assessing, and co-teaching. These structures have made collaboration intentional and effective.
Lori Boll: Did this grow organically or was it intentional?
Renee Foster: It grew organically with strong leadership support. When I arrived, PLCs were already established. Over time, additional team-specific collaboration was added, allowing alignment across services, especially for students receiving multiple supports.
Lori Boll: ICS talks about “responsible inclusion.” How do you define that?
Renee Foster: Responsible inclusion means students are included and participating in daily school life based on their abilities. They belong. Students with learning differences may have support managers, but they are embraced as full members of the community.
Responsible inclusion also means being honest during admissions—understanding whether we can meet a student’s needs through school-based or external supports. We collaborate with mental health providers, clinicians, and organizations like Virtually Connected Ed and The Linden Group to ensure students receive appropriate support.
Lori Boll: Can you share a student story that reflects this commitment?
Renee Foster: There’s a middle school student who was born with Down syndrome and a heart condition. This student is an avid photographer. In middle school, students were invited to co-facilitate their individual learning plan meetings. This student shared interests, goals, and needed supports.
That photography project led to winning a People’s Choice Award through the Down Syndrome Association. Now in grade 10, the student is creating a photography coffee table book with memoirs from teachers reflecting on the learning journey. Through photography and technology, this student self-advocates and communicates powerfully.
That moment shifted how we approach student voice in learning plans.
Lori Boll: That’s an incredible story. ICS also has strong post-secondary transition support. Can you share more?
Renee Foster: Our STEP program focuses heavily on post-secondary planning. Students and families begin exploring life after high school early. We’re identifying life skills and transition goals starting in elementary and middle school to ensure continuity.
Lori Boll: What challenges are you currently navigating?
Renee Foster: ICS is reframing support systems. An audit from Next Frontier Inclusion identified areas for growth. Through program reviews, we’re shifting from deficit language to strength-based language and breaking down silos. Teams developed recommendations that we’re now actioning.
Lori Boll: How does MTSS support students while keeping them in the least restrictive environment?
Renee Foster: We reviewed our inclusion policy, handbook, and alignment across systems. We’re developing tier maps, decision trees, and assessment mapping to guide timely and intentional support. Data informs collaboration and sustainability.
Lori Boll: How is it working so far?
Renee Foster: We’re still developing, but what’s working is clarity. We rewrote student supporting success guidelines, strengthened protocols, and ensured teachers leave meetings with actionable strategies. Progress monitoring and data collection have become more intentional.
Lori Boll: I imagine teachers appreciate that.
Renee Foster: They do. We’re continuing to align systems schoolwide so practices are consistent across divisions.
Lori Boll: Inclusion really is a journey.
Renee Foster: Absolutely. It’s not one and done.
Lori Boll: How has being part of the SENIA community supported your work?
Renee Foster: SENIA has been invaluable, especially for our educational assistants. Each year, about 20 EAs participate in SENIA workshops and bring that learning back to their teams. Teachers and EAs apply what they learn directly to our context.
We’ve also had educators attend in-person SENIA conferences and share our work globally. That sense of community and shared learning is powerful.
Lori Boll: Why is investing in educational assistants so important?
Renee Foster: EAs don’t always have access to professional learning funds, yet they support students daily. They need to be empowered, informed, and growing alongside teachers—especially when supporting neurodiversity, behavior, SEL, and MTSS.
We also invite educators from the Addis community to join our SENIA watch parties, which builds local capacity and shared expertise.
Lori Boll: Is there anything else you’d like to share about ICS?
Renee Foster: One unique aspect is our elementary innovative hub model. Each grade level has an EAL or learning support teacher embedded—not isolated. This allows every student access to Tier 2 interventions and personalized learning.
This model extends into middle and high school, supporting strong collaboration. We’re still learning and growing, but our human resources allow us to truly practice responsible inclusion.
Lori Boll: Thank you, Renee, for sharing your work and your school.
Renee Foster: Thank you for having me.
