Nantucket superintendent outlines conference takeaways: co-teaching, cellphone pouches and dignity index

The superintendent updated the Nantucket School Committee on takeaways from the annual Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) conference, saying the district will pilot co-teaching for English learners, pursue an electronic-device pouch program at the middle and high schools, and explore adopting a dignity-index communication framework in schools and the community.

The superintendent said the conference emphasized co-teaching models that pair general-education and special-education teachers and noted that several districts are using co-teaching for multilingual learners; Nantucket will pilot the approach in elementary and intermediate grades next year. The superintendent said the model will keep many English learners in the general-education classroom while providing additional supports for higher-level learners; beginning English learners will still receive pull-out instruction as needed.

Conference sessions also highlighted a pouch-based approach to reduce student…