Inclusive Education Project (IEP) Podcast

We continue our journey to view the education of our children holistically as we strive to develop them into productive and inclusive members of society. Tracy Baynes joins us to share her interesting work in helping students achieve unimaginable success. Tracy Baynes is the founder, president, and CEO of STEP , the Student Expedition Program. As an instructor in the oceanography field, Tracy noti...

Today’s conversation covers the impact of recent executive orders on DEI, the historical context of the civil rights movements, and the importance of local community efforts. Our guest is Dr. OiYan Poon, a community-engaged research scholar, educator, storyteller, and leader for intersectional racial equity. Her research is focused on the racial politics of Asian Americans, and her book is titled...

Today’s episode features a fascinating conversation about strategies to support students and schools during unknowns and big transitions in education in the US. We welcome Robert Barnett to the podcast to discuss his innovations in teaching math and how his nonprofit, The Modern Classrooms Project , is training teachers to teach differently. Join us to learn more! Show Highlights: Robert’s backgro...

Many parents of kids with disabilities share the same fear of what will happen to their child in adulthood and when they are no longer here to care for and advocate for them. Today’s guest is Kimberly McCarten, CEO of Jonathan’s Landing Foundation, in Orlando, FL. This remarkable organization is bringing innovation into how we service people in the adult transition by providing a bridge to communi...

We love to offer solutions along with our discussions of the current problems in education today. Today’s fresh perspective comes from Dr. Emily Affolter, the director of the Sustainability Education Ph. D. at Prescott College. The focus of this program is on the nexus of social and environmental justice as enacted in teaching, learning, and leading. Emily’s interest is in culturally responsive te...

One of the benefits of hosting a podcast in our field of civil rights and special education is that we can do quick follow-ups to incidents as they happen. If you follow us on social media, you know we cover many topics there, and we utilize the podcast for more in-depth conversations about relevant happenings in our field. One such recent event is the "Dear Colleague" letter of 2/14/25 sent out b...

We are still in the early months of 2025, and there is a LOT happening in the state of California and across the country. There are many important conversations we need to have, and our guest, Mike Robbins, joins us to discuss the current state of affairs. We have concerns about what’s happening with DEI and special education, but we want to keep things in perspective and learn how we can find com...

There is SO much going on in our country right now, and we are faced with many unknowns about what’s coming next. We don't want to be part of the “noise,” but we want to give you accurate information about relevant topics. Today’s focus is on ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly in schools. Our guest is Victoria Lucero, an immigration attorney, and returning guest from a few year...

Teachers are our “boots on the ground” partners for all we want to accomplish in education. There are real mental health challenges all around us, and teachers need our support more than ever. Nothing will impact a child’s learning like a great teacher–and the reverse is also true, unfortunately. Join us as we explore this important topic! Karen Foley is the president and CEO of The Juvenile Prote...

Executive functioning is more than a catchy buzzword phrase in the world of education. What does it mean, how can we understand it better, and how can we do a better job of helping students? Join us as we explore this topic in today’s episode! Dr. Tara Williams is the owner and founder of Innovative Collegiate Consultants , which assists students with learning difficulties via a personalized plan...

Grassroots efforts usually work to bring about change. Unfortunately, our political leaders don’t look closely at education, disability rights, and reform in the same way we discuss these topics here in this space. Our goal is always to spur more conversations about education, disability rights, civil rights, and support for marginalized communities. Patrick Jones, aka “Mr. JonesX,” joins us for t...

Believe it or not, October is over. It was a busy month for IEP meetings, and the holiday rush is about to begin. In today’s episode, we want to give helpful insights about community building in a classroom through a simple, actionable technique; this conversation will benefit teachers, parents, and administrators–anyone who wants to foster confidence and community in kids.  We are joined by...

Today’s episode includes a look into the controversial Project 2025 plan, a 900-page roadmap created by far-right think tanks, like The Heritage Foundation. With the elections looming, we are giving our perspectives on some of the alarming implications of this proposal, particularly its potential to dismantle essential educational protections, erase civil rights language, and threaten public educa...

In today’s episode, Vickie and Amanda discuss the evolving landscape of college admissions with Emily Chase Coleman, CEO of HAI Analytics. They explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions, highlighting the shift away from standardized testing and the importance of considering diverse factors in admissions decisions. Emily shares insights on the challenges faced by students from diffe...

Today’s episode focuses on a Supreme Court case in favor of eliminating affirmative action, which has huge implications in the world of education. In reality, what the Supreme Court does and how they make decisions stems from who the justices are. With every decision, we should evaluate if it aligns with what we believe and what is best for our country. The upcoming election is a pivotal time beca...

Today’s focus is on accommodating children in the general education classroom to provide a truly inclusive environment. It’s vital for all of us involved in education to understand the WHY of these accommodations with an emphasis on empathy. Join us for a closer look. Dr. Jessica Werner is the founder of Northshore Learnin g , a team of consultants based in Minneapolis. They support schools, paren...

 Teaching Inclusion, Acceptance, and Responsibility Through Character Development with Kristin Woodward-Vaassen and Icle Freeland Character education can happen in many forms. Today’s episode highlights a unique program that is fun, effective, and quickly growing in popularity. What child doesn’t love taking care of a pet? Join us to hear more from our two guests. Kristin Woodward-Vaassen fou...

Most of the country is off and running into another school year, and it’s a great time to reflect on where we can improve and how we can be more knowledgeable in supporting students and addressing their needs. This episode focuses on training for school staff, district staff, and parents. Today, we share part two of our interview with Andrew Goff. Part one aired at the end of the last school year...

Today’s episode is a replay of our session at the BOOST Conference from a few months ago. It relates specifically to next week’s conversation, which is the reason we want to air it again. This episode was also featured as an encore episode over the summer. Enjoy! We loved having the opportunity to speak at the BOOST Conference about our podcast, the IEP system, and special education in general. Th...

Last week’s episode was about central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) and its impacts on a student’s ability to learn. For this episode, we are excited to welcome Dr. Stephanie Meyer to the show. She is an audiologist in the Rio Rancho public schools who will share her perspective about how instructional audio can be more inclusive. Her career as an audiologist in public school systems spans a...

Today’s show expands on our previous episode with Dr. Connie McReynolds in which we discussed central auditory processing deficits in kids with autism or ADHD. Even though many experts would argue that this is a medical disorder, it has profound impacts on education and certainly qualifies as an area of unique need for many children. Join us to learn more! Show Highlights: Common pushbacks from sc...

It’s the beginning of another school year, and we are coming to you with many informative episodes to prepare and support you in whatever challenges this new school year may bring. Today’s episode focuses on a better way to assess, intervene, and support kids with ADHD by identifying and addressing the root causes.  We welcome today’s guest, Dr. Connie McReynolds, a licensed psychologist and...

Welcome! Today’s episode takes a big-picture view of what’s going on in education with our taxpayer dollars and how we can educate more parents about their general rights in advocating for their children. We use a recent California case as an example of how things can go so wrong–and cost millions of dollars–in special education law.  Tim Adams has been in law practice for over 23 years after...

We are joined today by a special guest, Michael Hingson, host of the Unstoppable Mindset podcast . We have shared a lot of time on each other’s podcasts and learned a lot from Michael’s perspective on special education, especially what he experienced in the very early days of special ed.  Join us to learn more about Michael’s life and work! Michael Hingson has a unique story. With a master’s...

We're happy to bring you some of our listener favorites during the next few weeks. These episodes are sure to pique your interest by featuring topics important to each of us Enjoy! We are pivoting from our normal education-centric topics today to take a broader view of the financial side of raising a child with a disability. We want to make sure that families, and people working with these familie...