Inclusive Education Project (IEP) Podcast

We are officially here at the last episode before we take a summer break. We will return with new episodes in August. This last school year was one in which we felt the negative shift in our education system, but all hope is not lost. Our focus today is on how we can best prepare for the upcoming school year. We have a great responsibility! Join us to learn more! Show Highlights: Problems as a res...

Transition IEP meetings are essential when your child transitions from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, and high school to college/vocational school. If you haven’t had a transition IEP meeting for the end of this school year, you can still get one scheduled as soon as the new school year begins. We are breaking it down in today’s episode. Join us! Show Highlights: What t...

Crazy time is here! Schools across the country have a LOT happening in these final days of the school year. For parents, there is a sense of relief, along with the panic of realizing that summer is about to begin and that they need to plan what their kids will do. Having a structured literacy plan is key, but it doesn’t have to be complex. Don’t be confused by the plethora of reading programs that...

Welcome to the final weeks of the school year. Across the country, school districts are winding down to summer break from now through mid-June. It is a busy time for everyone involved in education. Today’s episode explores the power of inclusion, particularly when policies don’t always align with what best serves our students. We are thrilled to welcome Andrew Goff back to the show for his unique...

What is an IEP? What does it mean for your child? How do IEPs and IEP meetings differ across school districts? What is my recourse if the teacher who relates best to my child is moved to another school? We’re answering these questions and more in today’s solo episode with Vickie and Amanda! Show Highlights: The IEP outlines services, accommodations, and placements, but does not guarantee specific...

As the school year winds down, this is a critical window for families and educators. If there’s anything you’ve been meaning to put in motion before summer, now is the time to act. Planning ahead is essential, and school districts often operate on fixed timelines, leaving limited flexibility for scheduling assessments and services. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the challenges many families...

We are back with the second part of our conversation with Dr. Dennis. Our previous episode covered the escalating attendance crisis and how we can address it with new evaluations and data-collection tools. We are excited&nbsp...

Whether you’re ready for Spring Break or still have a few weeks until Spring Break, the reality is that there isn’t much of the school year left. There are many assessments and IEP meetings that need to be scheduled now. In today’s episode, we are talking with a wonderful guest, really getting into the trenches of evaluations and the escalating attendance crisis of the last few years. Join us to l...

It’s already March, and we are quickly approaching Spring Break season when different school districts have those breaks scattered over the next 4-6 weeks. Seeing a flare-up in behavior problems is not unusual during this time. There are highly severe sensory and emotional dysregulations happening with many students, and our goal should not be punishment. We need to appropriately address these beh...

We are entering the crazy season when Spring Breaks will be happening all over the country during March and April. This is a friendly reminder to be proactive in scheduling any meetings, tours, tests, and assessments that you would like to have completed before the end of the school year. The year will be winding down before we know it! We don’t want to see more students fall behind by multiple gr...

In our final episode of 2025, we spoke with Dr. Doug Bolton about innovative solutions for students experiencing dysregulation. We received a lot of feedback on that episode and had already planned a follow-up episode about the shift in perspective we are seeing in student behavior. We are thrilled to welcome him back to learn from him about student behavior and regulation. Join us for another con...

2026 has already had an interesting start, with numerous changes to education, particularly here in California. We urge you to check with your state representatives to see what’s happening in your state amid the chaos and confusion of the current state of US education. Your voice needs to be heard! We want this solo episode to focus on the trends we are seeing right now and how parents can be proa...

​​Happy New Year! We can’t believe it’s already 2026. We made it through the holidays, which can be a particularly challenging time for many students. Our last episode of 2025 covered the topics of misbehavior and dysregulation, and we continue in that direction with today’s guest. Join us to learn more! Dr. Desirie Sykes is a speaker, leader, advocate, author, and CEO. She is the founder of NESS...

This episode will be the final one of 2025, as we take a break from the podcast over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Before we introduce today’s topic and guest, we want to address the “elephant in the room”: the shifts happening in the Department of Education under the Trump administration. Just a heads-up: following us on Instagram is the best way to stay up to date on current happening...

With so many school holidays fast approaching, there are many kids who need interventions right now, and their parents are panicking. Furthermore, the effects of the government shutdown are being felt as Head Start programs are having to close their doors. Families are scrambling, and we are witnessing significant shifts that are having a profound impact on our kids. Today’s guest shares her persp...

Today’s topic is one that not many people are talking about, but it’s a big problem in our country. We are discussing the deficit in our children’s education about civics, government, and basic politics. As parents and educators, we have a huge responsibility to do better, and today’s guest is taking on the challenge. Join us to learn more! Lindsey Cormack is a professor of political science at St...

Typically, October is a busy month for us as we are already a couple of months into the new school year; reality has set in, and winter/holiday breaks are fast approaching. Today’s focus comes from a lively topic of discussion that was posted on our Instagram last week: an update on CA Assembly Bill 461, which repeals a 2011 Truancy Law. That law provided for criminal misdemeanor charges, fines, a...

We’ve become accustomed to the normal back-to-school craziness this time of year, but this year seems more chaotic than usual! Numerous lawsuits are being filed to challenge the funding cuts, which are having a significant impact on programs, services, staffing, and students. There are numerous unknowns that contribute to the turmoil. We are doing our best to keep our listeners informed as much as...

Here we are, on the front lines of the fight for inclusive education. Now, a month or so into the new school year, we are already in the thick of the fight, and we are seeing numerous lawsuits being filed as things are changing daily. Many of our listeners are already feeling the impact of funding cuts to education. Today’s episode focuses on the actions of the US Department of Education at the be...

Our goal is always to keep people informed about what’s going on in today’s world that directly affects the education of our students. It is essential to consider the communities that are forming within the broader context of the current political climate. How are conversations being navigated around important topics like race and culture? Today’s guest has valuable insights to share! Join us! Jeb...

We are in the middle of the start of another school year across the country, whether your students have already returned or have a later start date. One of the most important events from last school year was the Supreme Court decision to withhold $65M in federal funding for education, and we are seeing those impacts across the board. Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez is here to unpack the decision and the...

Welcome back to the podcast as we kick off a new school year! We are excited, as always, to jump into some very important topics in the coming weeks. First up is our amazing guest, Jennifer Catalano, to discuss her work in deaf education and share her perspective on the least restrictive environments for these students. Is it better to have 100% inclusion or 100% special instruction? Let’s learn m...

This is our last episode before our much-needed summer break. Taking this break helps us to refocus and prepare for a new school year. We recently made another appearance on the Diverse Thinking Different Learning: A ChildN EXUS podcast with Dr. Karen Wilson, who has also joined us on our podcast before. Today, we are featuring that episode as an overview of what’s been happening, and continuing t...

The landscape of American education has undergone significant changes over the past few months, particularly in the realm of special education. Our diligence in staying informed about developments in our field is more important than ever as we approach the start of a new school year in just a few weeks. Our focus today centers on understanding 504s with our guest, April. Join us to learn more! Apr...

Today’s episode brings back Tracy Baynes to share her best tips and advice for getting your student involved in their education earlier rather than later. She gives practical steps middle school students can take to prepare for college success, even if they are low-income students. Join us to learn more! Tracy Baynes is the founder, president, and CEO of STEP , the Student Expedition Program. As a...