"I hope I have helped teach everyone to respect diversity in abilities and culture," says Linda Herbel, principal of Quail Run Elementary School in Lawrence. To create favorable conditions for special education students to join regular classroom settings in their neighborhood school, Mrs. Herbel headed the research and grant-writing effort that brought about a Title VI-B project entitled "A System for Facilitating Building Resource Teams in Developing Inclusive Schools." Grade-level teaching teams, learning plans that address the needs of all students, the integration of new technologies, and parental involvement in planning and executing individual instruction programs for their children are some strategies she employed in developing a highly effective inclusion program. A Kansas Educational Excellence grant allowed Mrs. Herbel to implement a far-reaching plan to provide improved technological instruction to students, parents and staff. In 1995, The Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators named Mrs. Herbel Kansas Administrator of the Year.
1967 Tarkio College, B.A.
