A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education

Thank you for listening in this year! This week if our final week of Season 6. LIsten in as Robin, Angela and Abby look back and ahead to key topics in the world of inclusive public schools. Have a great summer all! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby interview Brian Harrigan  and Deb Westaway from the Parker Charter School in Harvard, MA about their experience with the provision of special education in charter schools. Learn more about Parker and their mission here. Www.theparkerschool.org Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @ast...

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss a recent Chalkbeat article about the Newark, NJ public schools and the possible over evaluation of students who are English Language Learners. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Tonight Abby and Robin talk about the science of Math. This movement is a response to ongoing math achievement gaps for all students and suggests that it is just as important to teach procedural fluency (Facts/algorithms) as it is conceptual understanding. There are many echos of the science of reading approach to be seen and lots of implications for students with disabilities as well. Here is the...

Listen in when Angela, Robin and Abby discuss a recent article from the Harvard Business Review about the power of feedback - especially when it crosses a line and becomes destructive. When Feedback Crosses the Line Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Join Robin and Angela as they answer questions from listeners. Can you think of an out of the box acronym? Let us know! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss an article from 2023 that questions the effectiveness of Inclusion. While it is a couple of years old, it has recently resurfaced in the discussion threads on the internet.  Here is the 2023 article from the Hechinger Report . That article references a 2022 study about the impact of inclusion - that is linked here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3690883...

Listen in as Angela breaks down a very recent Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling (linked below) clarifying the "place regulation". This regulation informs how the location of services is determined for students who do not attend public school. Universal Hub article Ruling PDF Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagr...

Listen in as Robin and Abby jump into the Homework Debate! The article below is a great resource for the research referenced in their convo! Is Homework Necessary?  Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

During this podcast, Robin and Angela talk about the nuanced depiction of Shane's autism in the hit show Heated Rivalry (HBO).  Time article Thriveworks article Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Angela leads us through the confusing world of Charter School special education compliance. This may end up being a two-parter!!! References: MADESE Charter School Info Webpage Charter School Accountability Information Massachusetts' Charter School Law Charter School Special Education requirements Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@...

We are burried in snow so resharing an episode from 2024 during which Robin and Angela discuss the TLC show Braylen Out Loud. This is timely because Tourette Syndrome is in the news this week... Read about it here: Vanity Fair's article NBC news Braylen's perspective on the BAFTAs Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on In...

5 key stories to follow in 2026 Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin and Abby interview David Tynes, the Director of the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts' Saturday Program (and many other things). David is also the Head Coach of the Cambridge Special Olympics Men's Basketball team, The Warriors. The Warriors have an 88 game winning streak and this year will represent Massachusetts at the United State Special Olympics basketball tourname...

There's a different way of thinking about child development and how special education services fit in that turns the medical model upside down. Listen in as Robin and Abby discuss the Five F-Words and the model they represent. In 2011, Rosenbaum and Gorter published a paper titled:  The "F-words" in childhood disability: I swear this is how we should think! in the journal Child: Car...

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby take a spin in the way back machine all the way to 2002. That's when Cheryl Jorgensen and her colleagues at UNH wrote the Essential Best Practices in Inclusive Schools , Rappaport et. al 2002 (revised 2012), the manifesto of "look fors" in inclusive schools and classrooms.  It is linked here as a resource and there is a lot to talk about. Here is...

Join Angela, Robin and Abby as they take a look at the factors courts and schools consider when determining effective progress. Spoiler: they are usually not the same! Here is the article written by Perry Zirkle and Mitchell Yell that was referenced during the pod. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Have you seen this apple accessibility video? In our 1st episode back in season 6, Abby, Robin and Angela talk about the cool tools out there supporting students at the college level and if they are accommodations if they are universally available to everyone. AT resources by State. Here is the SETT Framework Robin referenced. Learn more about universal design here Please tell us how you found us...

Listen in as Angela, Robin and Abby discuss two big dates in November and December - the actual 50th Birthday of the IDEA and National Inclusive Schools Week 2025. Here are some links related to both events and a link to help you identify who your local legislators are so you can send them an email reminding them about how important the IDEA is during this period of federal defunding of the Depart...

Last week Robin, Abby and Angela were live on NASET (National Association of Special Education Teachers)'s monthly webinar for a mini pod and Q&A.  Here is the recording of that episode-  enjoy!  Check out their website and all of the resouces that come with membership. https://www.naset.com/ Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Foll...

Listen in as Angela, Robin and Abby discuss the new Massachusetts regulations redefining Time Out and Seclusion. For documents related to the discussion see the link here. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Sometimes, people lose their cool in Team meetings!! Listen in while Angela, Robin and Abby discuss strategies you can use to manage these moments in real time, intervene beforehand so they don't happen at all and follow up if they do.  Teachers and Parents are human beings and stress and anxiety can take over during heated moments - listen in for a conversation about approaches, responses an...

Sorry! We couldn't record this week, so please enjoy a repeat episode in which Robin and Angela discuss steps that can be taken when a student case starts to get litigous.  We'll be back next week!  Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss Massachusetts' new Out of District Placement monitoring process and form.  Here is a link to the newly shared form (September 2025) from the MADESE if you want to follow along. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

X Listen in as Robin and Abby discuss common misconceptions about classroom  management and behavioral support. These great ideas are based on a recent Eduptopia article "7 Classroom management mistakes and the research on how to fix them" which can be found   HERE . Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astal...