The phrase “all means all” sounds like common sense—after all, who would argue against it? But for it to be more than just a slogan, we must ask: What does it truly mean? And how do we ensure it becomes a guiding principle rather than an empty phrase?
In West Vancouver Schools, we are guided by three key commitments: fostering innovation, ensuring a strong foundation in essential skills, and embracing the principle that all means all. While innovation and foundational learning provide the structure, inclusion is the heart of our work. It is not a goal we reach but an ongoing responsibility—one that challenges us to continually adapt, reflect, and improve. Innovation connects to our work in AI and physical literacy. Our commitment to core skills is evident in our focus on literacy and numeracy. But inclusion—’all means all’—is broader. And if we don’t return to it with intention, it risks becoming just another phrase.
While inclusion is sometimes viewed narrowly as the work of Student Support Services, all means all extends to every student in every classroom. It is about ensuring that learning is personalized, responsive, and flexible enough to meet the specific needs of each learner. In West Vancouver, we have evolved from focusing narrowly on targeted interventions for specific groups—such as ELL learners or students with designations—to a broader recognition that, inclusive of priority populations and vulnerable learners, every student deserves personalized support, regardless of labels. Inclusion is not simply about bringing students into the same physical space—it is about ensuring they are truly seen, supported, and challenged in meaningful ways.
The Journey of Continuous Growth
The work of inclusion is never finished. There is no single program, policy, or initiative that will allow us to say, we have arrived. Instead, all means all is a mindset—one that requires us to ask difficult questions, recognize barriers, and continuously refine our practices.
We must ask ourselves:
– Are we designing learning experiences that reflect the needs, strengths, and interests of all students? For instance, when planning a project-based learning unit, are we providing multiple entry points and ways to demonstrate understanding?
– Do our structures, assessments, and teaching practices allow for different pathways to success? Consider how our assessment practices have evolved to include student voice and choice in demonstrating their learning.
– Are we leveraging all available tools—technology, data, and human insight—to support each student effectively? This might mean using learning analytics to identify patterns in student engagement or implementing flexible scheduling to accommodate different learning paces.
This is not about lowering expectations or making learning easier. It is about ensuring that all students have the support they need to succeed at the highest levels. In fact, we recognize that our parent community holds high expectations for their children’s success, and we are committed to partnering with families to extend learning beyond our classroom walls. All means all means ensuring that students who need more—more time, more flexibility, more challenge—get what they need without stigma. It means recognizing that inclusion is not about fitting students into existing systems but about adapting our systems to serve them better.
Innovation Enhancing Inclusion
Innovation is not just about technology but about mindset. However, emerging tools, including AI, have the potential to help us take our commitment to all means all further. I was recently in an elementary classroom and saw an educational assistant using AI to adapt a piece of writing in real-time, ensuring the content matched both the learning goals and the student’s current level. In another classroom, a new student to Canada was actively participating in complex class discussions through an AI translation tool, allowing them to share their insights while developing their English skills.
AI offers opportunities to personalize learning in ways that were previously unimaginable. It can provide immediate feedback that adapts to each student’s pace, offer multiple pathways to understanding complex concepts, and help teachers identify patterns in student learning that might otherwise go unnoticed. For families, these tools can bridge the school-home connection, providing ways to support learning in their first language and helping parents engage more deeply with their children’s education.
At the same time, we must approach AI with intention and equity at the forefront. This means ensuring all students have access to these tools, not just those with resources at home. It means carefully selecting and implementing AI tools that support our inclusive practices rather than creating new barriers. It means working closely with provincial outreach partners to expand and maximize access to technology for those who need additional specialized supports. Most importantly, it means using AI to enhance—not replace—the human connections that make learning meaningful. When thoughtfully integrated, AI becomes another tool in our toolkit for ensuring that all truly means all.
Building Our Inclusive Future—Together
Our commitment to all means all is not about checking a box or meeting a target. It is about ongoing reflection and continuous improvement. It is about every student, in every classroom, feeling seen, supported, and challenged. And it is about using every tool at our disposal—our expertise, our creativity, and yes, even AI—to meet our most ambitious goal: ensuring that every student, no matter their starting point, has the opportunity to flourish.
There is no finish line. There is only the ongoing work of making all means all more real every day, supported by a community of educators, families, and partners who share this vision of true inclusion. By ensuring that every student belongs and thrives, we are not just shaping better schools, we are shaping a more inclusive society. This is how ‘all means all’ moves from words to action, from slogan to substance.
The image at the top of this post was generated through Magic School AI. Various AI tools were used as feedback helpers (for our students this post would be a Yellow assignment – see link to explanation chart) as I edited and refined my thinking.