“It starts with each of us and our own willingness to grow and be lifelong learners, and extend that to our children, and then extend that to our neighbors...working with our schools and making certain that our schools are inclusive and that the programs that are offered in our school buildings..." 

Dr. Cynthia Stadel is an educational consultant out of Portland, Oregon and has worked in federally funded literacy programs for adults on probation and parole.  

In our discussion, Dr. Stadel discusses how students with disabilities and students of color are more likely to be affected by the school to prison pipeline, and speaks on what communities and families should be doing to help these students to succeed. 

78 year old Ann Johnson went through school without knowing what a learning disability was. It wasn’t until she was testing students with learning disabilities that she realized the term may apply to her. Johnson talks about navigating her life with a learning disability, and offers advice based on her own experiences. 

Dr. John King Jr, former U.S. Secretary of Education, and President and CEO of the Education Trust, talks about the role education has played in his life, and touches on topics such as diversifying educators, improving the student teaching experience, and allocating resources to the students that need it most. 

A special thanks to Learning Disabilities Foundation of America for making The LDA Podcast possible.