A Webinar Series Sponsored by Goalbook
The lineup of nationally recognized special education thought leaders will provide real-world guidance for administrators from both the practice and legal perspectives. You’ll walk away from each session with practical guidance and key concepts that you can share and implement with your team. Participate in all the sessions or just those that interest you the most.
It’s free! The series is sponsored by Goalbook as part of our commitment to supporting the special education community and provided at no cost to you.
Allison Posey is the author of Engage the Brain: How to Design for Learning That Taps into the Power of Emotion.
Allison Posey is a curriculum and design specialist at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and the author of Engage the Brain: How to Design for Learning That Taps into the Power of Emotion. Before her work at CAST, she was a life science teacher in middle school, high school, and community college settings, teaching genetics, anatomy, physiology, biology, neuroscience, and psychology. Posey received a degree in Mind, Brain, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
District Administrator and author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning
Andratesha Fritzgerald is a former teacher, curriculum specialist, and administrator who is now the Director of Human Resources, Diversity and Equity in a large urban school district. As an international speaker, presenter, and facilitator, Andratesha exhibits audacious perseverance calling on organizations to evolve into inclusive antiracist safe zones for all learners. She is the founder of Building Blocks of Brilliance Educational Consulting Firm, and the author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success.
Special Education Counsel to Boards of Education and School Districts
Anne E. Mickey focuses her education law practice in special education law at Sands Anderson. Prior to practicing at law firms, Anne worked for an education policy and advocacy organization founded by the former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. Anne also previously worked at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights participating in federal civil rights investigations. From these experiences, Anne has been able to help many districts see legal facets from many angles and gain the insight and action steps they need for successful solutions.
Special Education Counsel to Boards of Education and School Districts
Brandon K. Wright is a partner in the firm of Miller, Tracy, Braun, Funk & Miller, Ltd. Brandon focuses his practice on school law, having developed a particular interest in the field of special education, due process, and cooperative school districts. He regularly speaks at local, state, and national conferences on special education. He has served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Southern Illinois University, as well as at Eastern Illinois University. Brandon currently serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. Brandon holds both a Juris Doctor and a master’s degree in educational administration.
Special Education Counsel to Boards of Education and School Districts
John is a leading school law practitioner and lecturer, representing schools throughout the country. John has litigated hundreds of IDEA and Section 504 cases. In addition to his practice, John serves as an adjunct professor of law, and has lectured to thousands of educational professionals across the country.
Special Education Counsel to Boards of Education and School Districts
Jose Martín is a partner with the school law firm of Richards Lindsay & Martín. For over 30 years, Martín has focused exclusively on matters involving the education of students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504. He is a graduate of the University of Texas and the University of Texas School of Law. He has tried cases at the due process, district court, and court of appeals levels. He currently serves as a contributor to the national LRP web-based publication Special Ed Connection and presents numerous sessions on disabilities laws to audiences at local, regional, state, online, and national conferences.
Judy is the co-founder of the World Institute on Disability (WID) and an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and a lifelong civil rights advocate.
Judy Heumann is an internationally recognized disability rights activist and instrumental contributor to the passing of Section 504 and IDEA. Judy is the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State, the co-founder of the World Institute on Disability (WID), featured in Crip Camp (Winner of the 2020 Documentary Award at the Sundance Film Festival), featured in TIME's 100 Women of the Year, and is internationally recognized in the disability rights community for her phenomenal work throughout her career.
Former Assistant Superintendent and author of Equity by Design
Dr. Katie Novak is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, adjunct professor, and former Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Katie has more than 19 years of experience in teaching and administration and has written eight books, including UDL Now!, Equity By Design, and UDL and Blended Learning. Katie helping districts across the country implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and universally designed leadership. Katie's work is featured in many publications, including Edutopia, AMLE Magazine, the Huffington Post, ASCD Education Update, and School Administrator.
K–12 Education Consultant and Author
Nate is a recognized thought leader with expertise in raising achievement and improving equity for students with disabilities despite tight resources. He frequently speaks at national conferences and has authored several books including “Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions,” published by Harvard University Press. As a consultant, he has helped over 250 districts in 28 states better serve students with special needs and reduce inequities and systemic racism. As former superintendent he led an effort to reduce the number of students reading below grade level by 65% and decreased the special education achievement gap by 66%.
Special Education Consultant and former Assistant Superintendent of Special Education
Sowmya Kumar has worked across the country at the school, district, and regional levels. As part of this work, she served as the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education for one of the largest school districts in the nation, ensuring quality services for students with disabilities. Sowmya is now an educational consultant and President of Systemic Special Education Support. She supports school districts examine and improve special education through systemic and sustainable practices, and continuous improvement planning.
All 50 states report a shortage of special educators and the pandemic made a bad situation worse. Being a special educator has always been a hard job, and two years of remote/hybrid learning has pushed some staff to the breaking point and next year’s acceleration plans will further tax staff. In this session, Nate Levenson will share practical and impactful strategies to make the work of special educators, school psychs, and related service staff easier, more rewarding, and more impactful even if schools have fewer special educators than they need. You’ll learn:
In Perez v Sturgis, the Supreme Court made a stunning decision to up-end decades of law requiring parents to first bring student disability legal claims against districts through state-administered Due Process Hearings. Parents were not permitted to file ADA or Section 504 disability discrimination lawsuits in federal or civil courts until IDEA Due Process procedures were “exhausted.”
But no longer. In Perez, the Supreme Court ruled that parents may now go directly to federal court to seek money damages by asserting discrimination claims under the ADA or Section 504, regardless of whether IDEA Due Process is sought.
In this timely webinar exclusively designed for special education administrators, school law litigator and law professor, John Comegno, Esq., explains how this ruling impacts your legal exposure and what you can do about it. You’ll learn:
In Perez v Sturgis, the Supreme Court made a stunning decision to up-end decades of law requiring parents to first bring student disability legal claims against districts through state-administered Due Process Hearings. Parents were not permitted to file ADA or Section 504 disability discrimination lawsuits in federal or civil courts until IDEA Due Process procedures were “exhausted.”
But no longer. In Perez, the Supreme Court ruled that parents may now go directly to federal court to seek money damages by asserting discrimination claims under the ADA or Section 504, regardless of whether IDEA Due Process is sought.
In this timely webinar exclusively designed for special education administrators, school law litigator and law professor, John Comegno, Esq., explains how this ruling impacts your legal exposure and what you can do about it. You’ll learn:
Modern brain research shows that when special education students are engaged, they learn better. However, special education teachers often find it challenging to plan and deliver specially designed instruction that truly engages individual students. In this session, Allison Posey—a curriculum and design specialist at CAST and author of Engage the Brain: How to Design for Learning That Taps into the Power of Emotion—will show you how you can help your special education teachers leverage emotion—one of the key components of engagement—to deliver more effective instruction that is aligned to an IEP. Throughout this session, you’ll learn:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a proven framework to improve specially designed instruction and inclusivity for special education students. Yet, implementing this powerful framework in classrooms is challenging. In this webinar, Allison Posey will help you dive deeper into UDL and show you how you can help your special education teachers align their practice with the latest brain science to meet the diverse needs of all learners. By attending this session, you’ll learn:
Please click each session that interests you and register for each session separately.