Dr. Miriam Ortiz is the CEO and Chief Consultant of K12 Matters, LLC. She also is the Executive Director of the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). She earned her Ph.D. in Education and Human Development from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with a focus on Special Education and Response to Intervention. She is passionate about improving academic outcomes for children with or at-risk for disabilities, teacher training and professional development, as well as assisting struggling readers of all ages. In this conversation, Miriam shares so many wonderful things from her experiences as a first generation college student, a Hispanic woman, and a champion for on-going teacher training and coaching to help make a sustained, positive impact for students in schools. Her positivity and gratitude are contagious. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Resources from this episode:

Websites to visit:
K12 Matters https://www.k12matters.com/
DLD https://www.teachingld.org/

To read: (Check out your local bookstore or favorite online provider)
Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster W. Cline

David Scanlon is an Associate Professor at Boston College. He is also the editor of Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, the journal published by the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD). In this conversation, David shares his love of plants, reminds us of the power of connection and opportunity, and emphasizes the importance of a hand-written note. 

Resources (Clickable links) from this episode:
David’s faculty page
www.TeachingLD.org
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (journal)  

Books to read: (Check out your local bookstore or favorite online provider)
Anything by Ernest Hemingway
The Talented Mr. Ripley

“I’m a better pastor because I’m a more authentic Paul.” Paul Klepees is a pastor, a nurse, and a parent of a child with disabilities. This episode highlights the power of connection with - and truly seeing - the people in our space. There’s a message here of hope, peace, and the power of being authentically and intentionally present. It seems like the perfect episode to share in this back-to-school time. 

Resources Paul shared:

Scholastic's "The Magic School Bus" follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they set off on field trips. Based on the best-selling book series of the same name, "The Magic School Bus" takes kids on a virtual bus ride. Magically transforming into a plane, submarine, spaceship or surfboard, this bus carries Ms. Frizzle and her students on super adventures and teaches them about science. You can find clips and episodes online.

Dream Like Jesus by Rebekah Simon-Peter

Dr. Matt Burns is a Professor in the Department of Special Education in the College of Education & Human Development at the University of Missouri. He is the Director of the Center for Collaborative Solutions for Kids, Practice, and Policy (SKiPP). He is also the Co-Director of the Missouri Partnership for Educational Renewal (MPER). Matt is a prolific researcher (with more than 200 articles and book chapters, as well as 12 books), and is dedicated to positively influencing practice in K-12 schools and mentoring the next generation of thought leaders in education. Matt’s shares how his “accidental path” led to doing the work of his passion. 

Resources (Clickable links) from this episode:
Matt’s Faculty Page
Special Olympics
Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) website
Missouri Council of Administrators of Special Education (MO-CASE) website
Center for Collaborative Solutions for Kids, Practice, and Policy (SKiPP)
Matt’s YouTube Channel
Bernard Cornwell’s books: www.bernardcornwell.net   
E=mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation

This is Ep. 22 about SELS2022, so it only seemed right to release it on 7/22/22!

This special episode is all about advocacy in special education! It’s a review of the Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS2022) with Marlena Walley, the President of MO-CASE. We discuss the big issues and ways for people to get involved today!

“Don’t ever think it’s too late to try.”

Dr. Cathy Thomas is an Associate Professor at Texas State University. Cathy’s is a wonderful educational journey with unexpected twists and turns, yet a constant thread of advocating for education and opportunities for those who are marginalized. Every one of us can connect to aspects of her story.

Resources from this episode:

Cathy’s Faculty page

The Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Journal of Teacher Education

CEEDAR Center

Learning Policy Institute (Stanford)

University of Michigan High Leverage Practices (HLPs)

Johnathan Kellerman’s work

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Kim Nuetzmann is the Director of Field Experiences at the University of Missouri and the Co-Director of the Missouri Education Partnership for Renewal (MPER). She shares such wisdom around passion for teaching (not just in a classroom), the influence of your support system, and the importance of partnership.

Resources from this episode:

Kim’s Mizzou page: https://education.missouri.edu/person/kimberley-nuetzmann/ 

MPER: https://education.missouri.edu/mper/ 

Bob Garmston’s books:https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/author/robert-j-garmston 

As educators are wrapping up the spring semester at the college level and the school year at the PreK-12 level, enjoy this inspiring conversation with Dr. Chad Rose. Chad is an Associate Professor in Special Education at the University of Missouri and the Director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab. 

Chad’s story will surprise and motivate you. It’s a good one. In fact, after you listen to it now, you might save it to listen again in August... just sayin'.

Resources from this episode:

Chad’s faculty page

Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab

website: https://www.mizzoubullypreventionlab.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BullyPreventLab/

If you are a teacher, want to be a teacher, and/or care about someone who is a teacher, you are going to LOVE this conversation with Dr. Maria Peterson-Ahmad! Maria is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Texas Woman’s University. This episode is so special, I don't want to spoil it with more words. Listen now! Then check out the resources below:

Resources from this episode:

Maria’s faculty page

Universal Design for Learning https://udlguidelines.cast.org 

CEC’s High Leverage Practices https://highleveragepractices.org 

CEEDAR Center https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu 

Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart https://brenebrown.com 

Maria’s most recent book, Collaborative Approaches to Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Future Teachers for the Field