Inclusive Schooling

Inclusive schooling means ensuring all students in the Northwest Territories (NWT) have access to the supports they need to learn, participate, and succeed at school. It has been foundational to the NWT’s education system for many decades.  

Inclusive education requires educators to work in collaboration with families and communities to meet the diverse needs of all NWT students in a responsive, accepting, respectful and supportive way.  

Inclusive Schooling Review  

From 2024 to 2026, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) conducted the Inclusive Schooling Review to assess how inclusive education is working in practice across the territory. 

The review found that: 

  • Student needs are becoming more complex  
  • Education bodies are increasingly relying on short-term federal funding that is not always stable or predictable  

To address these challenges, the review put forward recommendations aimed at strengthening inclusive schooling. The GNWT released a response to the review, accepting all recommendations and is now taking action to improve inclusive education across the Northwest Territories. 

Strengthening Inclusive Schooling in the NWT 

The GNWT is taking a phased approach to ensure changes guided by the inclusive schooling review create accessible education spaces for all students and reflect the diverse realities of schools and communities across the NWT. 

This work is focused on: 

  • Providing students with access to supports and services 
  • Providing schools and families with clarity and stability 
  • Building a stronger, more equitable, and more sustainable inclusive schooling system for the future 

The following actions and timelines outline how the GNWT will strengthen inclusive schooling across the territory: 

  1. Stabilized student supports 

Spring 2026 – Ongoing 

The GNWT committed an additional $30 million to support inclusive schooling in the 2026-2027 budget. 

This funding is intended to provide ongoing support for inclusive schooling, reducing reliance on short-term and uncertain funding sources. It will lead to fewer staff changes, fewer gaps in services, and more predictable and consistent support in classrooms.   

The majority of this funding will flow directly to education bodies, enabling them to maintain and retain staff and services, which can include: 

  • Support Assistants and Program Support Teachers 
  • Therapeutic and rehabilitation services such as speech language therapy, occupational therapy, and counselling 
  • Other essential inclusive schooling supports 

  1. Early Childhood Screening 

Fall 2026 – Ongoing 

Early childhood screening will help identify learning needs earlier in a child’s education. This allows schools to respond proactively when support is most effective, and provides teachers with clearer information to plan instruction/supports. 

  1. Clearer Information and Protocols for Families and Schools 

Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 

Families and schools will see clearer guidance and tools to make the system easier to understand and navigate for families. These include: 

  • Plain language information on inclusive schooling supports, roles, and plan types 
  • Clearer JK–12 transition protocols to support smoother movement through the education system 
  • Improved coordination with health partners for referrals and follow up 

  1. Strengthened rehabilitative and therapeutic services 

Spring 2026 – Spring 2028 

Work is underway to improve access to rehabilitative and therapeutic services through: 

  • Clearer roles and responsibilities between education and health systems 
  • Improved referral and communication pathways 
  • A school-based rehabilitation service model, targeted to launch in the 2027–28 school year 

  1. Building toward long-term system improvement 

2026 – ongoing  

Some elements of inclusive schooling renewal require further research and development to ensure responsible decision making. A financial needs assessment will take place during the 2026–27 school year, with findings expected in Spring 2028 to guide the following: 

  • Long term funding models 
  • Staffing ratios and service levels (including professional learning such as the Support Assistant Training Program) 
  • System wide accountability and monitoring approaches 

Monitoring Inclusive Schooling 
The JK-12 Education System Services Division monitors compliance with the Ministerial Directive on Inclusive Schooling and provides support to education bodies to meet requirements for inclusive schooling. 

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