Brookins outlines weekly and monthly structures to support special education, multilingual and talent-development students

Doctor Tyrone Brookins told the District 191 board he would rely on regular meetings, data review and site visits to support special populations including students with IEPs, multilingual learners and students in talent-development (gifted) programs.

Brookins described meeting monthly with the executive director of student services and twice-monthly with a special-education supervisor who covers his elementary-school cluster. He said his practice includes cluster coordinators and a “BAT team” to address school-level needs and that he follows up on items discussed in those meetings with on-site walkthroughs.

For multilingual learners, Brookins said his district calls the program “multilingual services” and that he meets weekly with the director through an instructional cabinet that includes assistant superintendents, special education, communications, technology and DEI staff. The cabinet serves as a think tank to identify supports that can be delivered within legal constraints.

On talent development, Brookins said his district reviews longitudinal growth data to ensure acceleration for gifted students and that some families decline placement if it requires leaving a home school. He emphasized equity of opportunity: students who remain in their home schools should receive comparable services to specialized programs.

“Just because they’re coming in and having mastered that, are they growing a full year? And if they’re not, we owe it to them to make sure that they get what they need to grow a full year,” Brookins said.