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

Jaksot

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  July Pod: A (Very) Cautionary Tale 31.07.2026 39min

  Thanks for listening to our summer pod!! If you want to read the legal brief directly from Perry Z. - here is a link: Perry Zirkel's July 2026 legal update Here are the book's Robin is reading this summer.... Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good Peopleby Mahzarin R. Banaji (Author), Anthony G. Greenwald (Author) The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life by Arthur C. Brooks Take care and see you all in September! Robin, Angela and Abby Please tell us how you found us by completing this surve...
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  It's a Wrap on Season 6 22.05.2026 30min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  Charter Chatter Pt. 2 15.05.2026 51min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  EL Evaluations 08.05.2026 34min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  The Science of...Math 01.05.2026 33min

  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 website where many of the articles and discussions of this topic get started. https://www.thesci...
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  When Feedback Crosses the Line 17.04.2026 41min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  Mail Bag 10.04.2026 27min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  Clickbait 03.04.2026 25min

  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/36908836/ Check it out and let us know what you think! Please tell us how you found us by comple...
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  Location, Location, Location 27.03.2026 34min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  The Great Homework Debate 20.03.2026 38min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  There's More to Heated Rivalry Than Cute Butts 13.03.2026 27min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  Charter School Chatter 06.03.2026 45min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  Snow Day Throwback: Movie Episode 27.02.2026 37min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  An overarching Umbrella (?) of Topics for 2026 20.02.2026 30min

  5 key stories to follow in 2026 Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  My Brother's Keeper: Interview with David Tynes 13.02.2026 41min

  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 tournament held in June 2026 in Minnesota. David shares how his sister's experience led him to the Special Olympics...
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  What the F? 06.02.2026 35min

  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: Care, Health and Development. That articles talked about a revision of the medical model for treatment of chil...
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  Manifesting Inclusion 30.01.2026 48min

  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 the resource to the comics mentioned in the pod as well. Ants in His Pants: Absurdities and Realities of Spe...
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  There’s always another factor… 23.01.2026 33min

  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 [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
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  Angela Learns What Her IPhone Can Do 16.01.2026 34min

  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 by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @as...
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  Holiday Hoopla (and Advocacy) 28.11.2025 28min

  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 Department of Education. Happy 50th birthday IDEA Write your congress rep HERE Inclusive Schools Week P...