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 grade levels simply because assessments haven’t been done in a timely fashion. It’s not just academics that warrant an IEP meeting; social and emotional struggles should be documented and addressed as well. Don’t be afraid to be the “squeaky wheel” when it comes to advocating for your child’s educational services!

Show Highlights:

1. When there is a problem, be proactive, not reactive.
2. Don’t be afraid to raise the alarm and raise the questions to get support in place for your child.
3. Transition IEP meetings should be robust and address ALL the student’s needs.
4. Amanda’s tips for IEP meetings for students transitioning to middle or high school
5. Specific problems with providing IEP services and accommodations amid the current teacher shortage
6. Handling RSP hour shortages and makeup times (Ask for the logs to verify the required hours.)

Resources:

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns via Facebook, Instagram, X, ​​the IEP Website, and Email.

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 conversation with Dr. Bolton!

Dr. Doug Bolton is a clinical psychologist who has always been drawn to working with kids who experience behavioral problems. Knowing that being in schools gives him the best vantage point from which to help kids, Doug became a school psychologist and later a principal at a therapeutic school. He is currently a consultant working with families to help vulnerable kids become more resilient. From his unique perspective and extensive experience, he wrote the book Untethered.

Show Highlights:

1. Recognizing rhythms to the school year, especially as a new semester begins
2. The correlation between mental health issues and the school year (for students AND teachers)
3. Our system is stressing everyone out because of the over-focus on test scores.
4. A focus on test scores makes us lose the connective tissue of learning and community.
5. Our best learning requires emotional regulation and connection in relationships.
6. What we know about deep learning and where it happens
7. The value of a teacher who is willing to put ego aside and TRY to implement the IEP accommodations for a student
8. Brain breaks are essential for emotional regulation.
9. Music, art, recess, and vocational planning are brain breaks that help decrease stress hormones.
10. Proactive breaks vs. reactive breaks (Not all breaks are equal!)
11. Being curious about misbehavior (“Misbehavior is stress behavior.”)
12. Disruptive students are dysregulated students.
13. Key takeaways from Dr. Bolton about the power of belonging, connected relationships, and emotional regulation
14. Connect with us on social media with your questions for Dr. Bolton for a future episode!

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Doug Bolton: Website and Untethered

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns via Facebook, Instagram, X, the IEP Website, or Email.

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 proactive. One of the biggest problems is the lack of services for the kids who need them most; so many are struggling to learn and function, but they are deemed ineligible for IEPs. Join us to learn more!

Show Highlights:

1. Understanding the federal law and its interpretation of IEP eligibility
2. Decisions are made in various ways and based on various criteria from state to state
3. Accommodations and supports are wonderful, but how would that child do without those in place?
4. Being the squeaky wheel has its advantages.
5. What the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) provides
6. Digging deeper into social skills and problem-solving skills can help identify special needs.
7. Parents can ask for additional assessments and evaluations from their school district.
8. Special education analysis needs to be done from a holistic perspective that considers each child as a whole person.

Resources:

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

​​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 Behavior Consulting and NESS Cares, a nonprofit in New York. NESS Behavior Consulting provides resources for mental health and special education, targeting children with a primary diagnosis of autism. Dr. Sykes collaborates with local school districts in the Long Island, NY, area, providing support and services tailored to meet a student’s IEP. Her passion is to enlighten, uplift, and empower, while changing the narrative around mental health and providing accessible resources to those who need them.

Show Highlights:

1. Being sensitive and intuitive when behavior signals a deeper mental health issue
2. Bridging the gap between home and school behavior: A look at the big picture
3. Parents should speak up in IEP meetings and ask questions confidently.
4. Identifying your “starting point” in getting real about behavioral responses
5. The challenge: Turning functional behavioral plans into doable bits
6. Importance of concrete, objective data about student behavior
7. “How does the child feel about their environment?”
8. Look at the big picture, not just the IEP meeting.
9. Implementation of the needed supports is the key!
10. One thing Dr. Sykes wants educators and parents to know
11. Services available through NESS Behavior Consulting

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Desirie Sykes

NESS Behavior Consulting

NESS Cares

DesirieSykes.com

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

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 happenings in our world. Please keep in touch! Today’s topic is behavior and discipline with our guest, Dr. Doug Bolton. Join us!

Dr. Doug Bolton is a clinical psychologist who has always been drawn to working with kids who experience behavioral problems. Knowing that being in schools gives him the best vantage point from which to help kids, Doug became a school psychologist and later a principal at a therapeutic school. He is currently a consultant working with families to help vulnerable kids become more resilient. From his unique perspective and wide range of experience, he wrote the book Untethered. 

Show Highlights:

• When it comes to discipline and punishment with our kids, we are getting it wrong.
• Incentives, motivations, and punishments
• Regulation and dysregulation show up differently for different kids. (“Misbehavior is stress behavior.” –Stuart Shanker)
• Figure out the “why” of the stress—and help them learn to cope.
• How punishments reinforce failure and create shame
• Understanding upstream vs. downstream behaviors
• Our expectations of students under the guise of “academic rigor”
• The results of our insensitivity to kids’ developmental needs
• An issue of development: Kids born in August are 31% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than kids born in September.
• Steps to create upstream solutions to help kids build resilience when they misbehave:
• Focus on assisting them to get regulated.
• Get curious, and listen to what’s going on with them. 
• Get them talking to each other to create a community of belonging.
• The value of taking a classroom to “pause and ponder.”

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Doug Bolton:  Website and Untethered

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. 

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show. 

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

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 perspective on anti-DEI sentiment and the current state of our country, affecting both education and the corporate world. 

Nadine Jones is a 2003 graduate of Howard Law School, with a background in antitrust and corporate law as a general counsel. In January of 2025, she left that corporate position to work from home as a consultant. As the mother of a special-needs son, she has insight into what parents in the US face today. 

Show Highlights:

• Nadine’s perspective on the most immediate risks to legal compliance in the shutting down of DEI programs
• Anti-DEI sentiment, which causes major problems for contractors whose top customer is the federal government
• Diverse workforces and better marketplace competition
• Nadine’s advice for educators who want to do the right thing for their students (in lower and higher education)
• Ethical considerations when funding is not available
• What was so attractive about eliminating DEI?
• Nadine’s thoughts about what’s coming and what our attitudes should be
• The importance of letting the data ground what we do
• DEI work can go on, even when it’s not termed “DEI.”

Resources:

Connect with Nadine Jones

Website and LinkedIn 

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. 

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show. 

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

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 Stevens Institute of Technology, a little-known but premier engineering school in Hoboken, NJ. Seeing extremely bright students every day who don’t understand the basics of our government prompted her to write How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It's Up to You to Do It). The guidebook is geared toward parents to help them produce good citizens who are active and knowledgeable participants in our government and politics. 

Show Highlights:

• Lindsey’s extensive research and writing process
• Identifying the deficit and what can be done about it
• Our educational plan in civics and government is NOT working.
• The “We don’t talk about politics” attitude is not helping our children.
• Two ends of the spectrum about politics in the US
• It’s not fair (or true) to say that all politics are bad.
• Kids need to see specific behaviors modeled, like collaboration through difference, information-seeking techniques, normalizing disagreement, and how to consider another perspective.
• The beauty of American democracy is based on collaboration and compromise, and our kids need to learn this.
• “Raise an athlete—not a fan.”
• Parents should be the agents of change.
• An overview of Lindsey’s book
• Key takeaways from Lindsey

Resources:

Connect with Lindsey Cormack: Website and How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It's Up to You to Do It)

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. 

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show. 

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

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, and jail time for parents of chronically truant children or for a student over 18 with chronic truancy. The problem is that the law disproportionately affects low-income students and those with disabilities, some of whom are fighting for the accommodations and support they need. The new law repeals the 2011 law and sets forth a plan for supportive strategies instead of punishments. Join us to learn more!

Show Highlights:

• The backfiring of the 2011 law: The first case prosecuted a person of color with a child with sickle-cell anemia while she was trying to get additional accommodations in place.
• Governor Newsome’s perspective on the new law, effective January 2026, is that this is a social issue and not a criminal problem.
• The problems families face in receiving attendance letters when they are actively trying to get their kids into school
• Many parents are trying to find ways to ensure it is safe for their child to go to school. 
• Local change CAN happen!
• The new law offers a more collaborative approach to the truancy problem. 
• The ramifications of the CA law that might spread to other states

Resources:

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. 

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show. 

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

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 possible. In this episode, we refer back to the Supreme Court decision from earlier this year, in which $65 million in educational funding was cut. Join us to learn more!

Dr. Annalies Corbin is the founder and CEO of The PAST Foundation. Her work focuses on educational research and development, aiming to be not only a thought leader but also a thought partner with school districts, states, and the federal government. The overriding question driving Dr. Corbin’s work is, “What do our kids really need?”

Show Highlights:

• A breakdown of the Supreme Court’s decision to withhold $65M in teacher grant funding
• Inclusion is EVERYTHING!
• The implications of withholding the $65M, specifically relating to ongoing research
• Ramifications for national security, citizenship, the future economy, and other aspects
• What can we do to forge educational reform?
• The current state of affairs: “Education is to be controlled by the states.”
• Dr. Corbin’s call-to-action: “We need to spend the time, energy, and work at the state levels to advocate for the things kids need.”
• Understanding a frustrating system for educators
• The next great iteration of our educational system

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Annalies Corbin: Website, Instagram, and the Learning Unboxed Podcast 

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. 

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show. 

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, and Email.

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 beginning of August regarding five school districts in northern Virginia. Join us to learn more.

Show Highlights:

• $50 million is being withheld from the states in the form of formula funding, discretionary grants, and impact aid grants.
• The example of attempted resolutions for trans kids—and the stance of VA school districts who won’t back down
• The far-reaching budget impacts of the withholding of this funding 
• The chilling fact: Our children are the ones who suffer the most.
• Practical results in terms of staffing, programs, hiring, and critical services
• The legal perspective and ramifications of this decision
• Look out for the domino effect! Contact your representatives.
• Key takeaways about the federal government’s power and our fragile system
• What you can do today to help

Resources:

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org.

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. 

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help other listeners find this show. 

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions or concerns: Facebook, Instagram, X, IEP Website, or Email.