A Bellevue educator who has spent more than two decades helping students feel supported, included, and capable of succeeding has been recognized for her approach to special education.
Kayla Dunlap, a special education teacher at Central Elementary School, has received the 2026 Debora Basler Wisneski Inclusive Innovation in Education Award from Education Rights Counsel.
The Nebraska-based award honors educators whose work reflects a commitment to child-centered innovation, inclusion, and compassionate leadership. It was established in memory of Dr. Debora Basler Wisneski, a nationally recognized early childhood education leader who died June 25, 2026.
Dunlap was selected in recognition of an approach that emphasizes relationships, collaboration and trauma-informed practices when helping students navigate behavioral and academic challenges.
Rather than relying primarily on exclusion or isolation when a child is struggling, Dunlap focuses on creating security and connection while working closely with parents, caregivers and other members of a student’s educational team.
That philosophy has developed during 21 years at Central Elementary, a school Dunlap considers home.
For Dunlap, inclusive education begins with getting to know students individually and creating an environment where they feel safe being themselves. She incorporates students’ interests into lessons and, because she often works with the same children for more than one year, is able to build on both their academic progress and the relationships established with them.
Her investment in students can continue even after they leave her classroom. Former students are encouraged to keep her updated on their lives and are welcomed back when they visit.
One example of Dunlap’s approach involved a nonverbal student who needed another way to interact with classmates. Dunlap pursued grant funding to obtain assistive technology that allowed the student to communicate with peers, helping remove a barrier that otherwise could have limited the child’s ability to participate and build relationships.
Another student arrived after having experienced significant struggles with school.
Education Rights Counsel had represented the child’s parents and was familiar with the student’s experience before Dunlap became the child’s teacher. According to the organization, the student had come to feel excluded and had developed a strong dislike of school.
Dunlap worked collaboratively with the family and used a trauma-informed approach to difficult moments rather than relying on isolating disciplinary practices. She tailored instruction around the student’s strengths and interests while maintaining high expectations and providing consistent encouragement.
The change extended beyond behavior.
According to information provided by Education Rights Counsel, the student eventually reached grade-level performance in reading and math. Academic supports were gradually reduced as the student became more independent, and the child began setting goals for the future.
Dunlap’s impact also stood out because multiple members of the Central Elementary community supported her award nomination.
Central Elementary Principal Kailey Smith said Dunlap looks beyond what students can accomplish in the classroom today and considers what they may be capable of throughout their lives.
“Kayla believes in kids, not just what they can accomplish today, but who they can become,” Smith said. “She doesn’t just ask how can I help this student be successful in school, she asks how can this child be successful in life, and that’s the difference that matters. She doesn’t just teach her kids, she changes the trajectory of their lives.”
Smith said Dunlap also helps spread that commitment to inclusion throughout the school.
“She also does something I think is truly at the heart of this award: she makes inclusion contagious,” Smith said. “She doesn’t do this alone. She looks for others to collaborate, and she brings people right alongside her. She reminds us that inclusion isn’t just one person’s job. It’s our collective responsibility.”
Collaboration is central to Dunlap’s philosophy of special education. She believes parents, classroom teachers, paraprofessionals and others working with a child should operate as a team, with everyone recognizing the student’s potential and celebrating what the child can accomplish when appropriate supports are in place.
Dunlap knew she wanted to become a teacher while she was still in high school. Her interest in special education became clear after she had opportunities to substitute teach in special education classrooms.
Seeing students make progress — particularly the moment when a concept or skill finally clicks — remains one of the most rewarding parts of the profession for her.
Receiving the award also caused Dunlap to reflect on the people who have supported her throughout her career, including her husband and children, her colleagues at Central Elementary, and the students and families she has worked with during more than two decades in Bellevue.
The award’s namesake spent her own career advocating for educational environments in which children were valued as individuals.
Wisneski served as the John T. Langan Community Chair in Early Childhood Education at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where her scholarship included play-based learning, equity-centered curriculum and collaborative research in early childhood education.
She also spent six years as the founding board president of Education Rights Counsel, helping the organization establish statewide partnerships and advocating for children’s voices in their education.
The award bearing her name is presented annually to a Nebraska educator whose work carries forward that emphasis on innovation, courage, compassion and belonging.
For Dunlap, that work is also a reflection of the larger Central Elementary community. Her recognition highlights a culture in which teachers, staff members and families work together to help students feel that they belong — and to help them see what they may be capable of becoming.
| Photo by cb Yates Photo |
