Catholic Ed 4 All

This week I am joined by Mr. Vincent Spadoni, Principal of St. Elizabeth School, Rockville, Maryland. Vincent details what his life as a principal looks like at St. Elizabeth and talks about his students. He also speaks about the resources available to students with exceptional needs and the different students that the school is able to service. He speaks about the role of his families at the school and offers advice to principals who might be considering an exceptional learners program. Finally, he discusses the value of social media and Catholic schools. For more information about St. Elizabeth please visit, http://stelizabethschoolmd.org.

On the first show for Season 2, I am joined by Sr. Dale McDonald, Director of Public Policies for NCEA. Sr. Dale talks about her background as well as what led her to NCEA. She spends some time detailing ESSA and IDEA as well as its impact on Catholic schools. Finally she discusses how school choice works and its effects on Catholic schools. For more information about Sr. Dale, please email her at [email protected].

On our last episode of the school year, I am joined by Mrs. Marcey Ayers, Director of Special Programs for the Archdiocese of Miami in Miami Florida. Marcey talks about all the different roles she held in special education and her journey to the Archdiocese of Miami. She details her passion for special education for the Archdiocese and her vision for inclusive education. For more information about, Marcey, please email her at [email protected]. For more information about the Archdiocese of Miami schools, please visit https://www.miamiarch.org/2013_adom/CatholicDiocese.php?op=Office_of_Schools

This week I am joined by Ms. Brighid McGann, Resource Director for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Bethesda, Maryland. Brighid discusses her background and what led her to work at Our Lady of Lourdes. She also discusses how the students are inclusively educated at the school and how the teachers differentiate the instruction for each student. For more information about Brighid, please email her at [email protected]. For more information about Our Lady of Lourdes, please visit https://www.bethesda-lourdes.org.

This week I am joined by Mr. David Faber, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan. Dave talks about his role as superintendent and what led him to that position for Grand Rapids. He also discusses his vision for special education and highlights some success stories of inclusion in the diocese. For more information about Dave, please email him at [email protected]. For more information about the Diocese of Grand Rapids Schools, please visit http://catholicschools4u.org 

This week I am joined by Mrs. Valerie Mara, Assistant Superintendent of Academics for the Archdiocese of Hartford's Catholic Schools. Val discusses all the various roads that led her to the Archdiocese of Hartford's Catholic schools from working with troubled youth to assistant superintendent. She details her academic and testing role in curriculum for the Archdiocese as well as her passionate vision for special education including her detailed plan for working with students with disabilities. For more information about Val, please email her at [email protected]. For more information about the Archdiocese of Hartford, Catholic Schools please visit http://catholicedaohct.org/about.

This week I am joined by Mrs. Kathy Mears, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston. Kathy discusses her role as superintendent for the Archdiocese of Boston and her journey to there as a former teacher and creator of special education programs in other dioceses. Kathy also discusses special education programs in her Archdiocese and the successes of their programs. She offers ideas to other dioceses for beginning special education programs. For more information about Kathy, please email her at [email protected]. For more information about the Archdiocese of Boston schools, please visit http://www.bostoncatholic.org/CatholicSchoolsOffice.aspx.

This week I am joined by Ms. Debbie Orr, Head of School at Notre Dame Academy, in Duluth, GA. Debbie discusses her journey to Notre Dame Academy and what led to the school's creation. She also discusses the students that are serviced at Notre Dame Academy from "diapers to diplomas" as she calls it. She talks about how the school is meeting the needs of their diverse populations as the move through the grade levels. For more information about Debbie, please email her at [email protected]. For more information about Notre Dame Academy, please visit https://www.ndacademy.org.

This week I am joined at the 2018 NCEA conference in Cincinnati by Dr. Shauna Adams, Associate Professor of Early Childhood at the University of Dayton. Shauna talks about Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP), what they are and what they look like in the early childhood classroom. She also discusses the difference between delay and disability and the five areas of delay. She also addressed ways delays can be addressed in the classroom and by parents at home. Finally, she offers advice to early childhood teachers on working with young children.

This week I am joined at the 2018 NCEA Conference by Dr. Timothy Uhl, Superintendent of Montana Catholic Schools. Tim presents a session at the conference on how to podcast including subscription services and how to publish. We also sit down and speak about the joys of podcasting and my background in special education. He also discusses past guests and takes questions from the audience. For more information about Tim, please email him at [email protected]. For more information about Catholic School Matters, please visit drtimuhl.com.