Our heads are spinning as we rapidly approach the end of the school year. Fresh off the first couple of post-COVID years, it is important to change things in education and revamp what’s not working well. Today’s guest helps us gain a fresh perspective on our kids as individuals, neurodiversity, and inclusive education. Join us!

Dr. Rina Bliss is a genetics expert, sociologist, and the author of three books. She is also the mom of three kids under 7 years of age. A former teacher in the Oakland Unified School District, she also taught as a long-term substitute in San Francisco during her grad school years both in general ed and special ed classrooms. All of these experiences helped redefine for her what intelligence means with a more inclusive outlook. She currently teaches as an Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. 

Show Highlights:

• What “neurodivergent” means 
• Why each student (and each person) should be treated as the individual they are and valued as the person they are
• Why the numbers that indicate academic progress should NOT be the sole factor for elementary students
• Why each student should have an individualized plan and not be grouped together and labeled
• What Rina sees in the treatment of neurodivergent children
• Why standardization in education should be removed in favor of individualization all the way through the school years
• How our educational system is set up on standardized education over individualized learning
• Why we are ALL neuroplastic in our learning and intelligence 

Links/Resources:

Connect with Dr. Bliss: Website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

Get Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential by Dr. Rina Bliss. 

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

Thank you for listening! 

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