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Sadly, things are getting spooky at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the leadership vacuum at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) isn't looking much better. Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby break down the recent leadership changes and underlying political machinations at the Department of Education. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin and Abby discuss the role of parent advocacy in the Team decision making process.  Sparked by an editorial in The 74 titled: Why Access to Special Education Depends Too Much on Parents, Robin and Abby unpack the dynamics that race, class and English language facility can have on outcomes for students.  If you are interested in reading the original article it is linked here:   The 74 from 9/20/26 Editorial: Erica Richards. Happy Listening! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

This September, Robin joined two amazing colleagues, Elizabeth Hamblet and Kelley Challen, as they wrote an article about key Transition (14 -22) skill development. The article is featured in the September 2026 journal of Teaching Exceptional Children the leading journal of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Robin's article focuses on misconceptions about transition skill instruction and important strategies to increase student independence.  Listen in to hear more about the article's content. Learn more about Elizabeth Hamblet here Learn more about Kelley Challen here Here's the citation/link to the article on Sage Publishing. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Welcome to Season 7!  We are so glad to be back and to share information about communication and ways to access support as we kick off the school year. Facilitated IEP's are a great way to support parents and school based team members in completing the process to generate a complete IEP for a student if the process has begun to fray.  Multiple states offer this add on to the required types of dispute resolution and we break down the who/what/when/and WHY for how it might support your Team meetings too! Listen in as Abby, Robin and Angela kick off the new season and discuss a 2025 grant from the state of Vermont that offers free Facilitated IEP meetings. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Thanks for listening to our summer pod!! If you want to read the legal brief directly from Perry Z. - here is a link: Perry Zirkel's July 2026 legal update Here are the book's Robin is reading this summer.... Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good Peopleby Mahzarin R. Banaji (Author), Anthony G. Greenwald (Author) The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life by Arthur C. Brooks Take care and see you all in September! Robin, Angela and Abby Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Thank you for listening in this year! This week if our final week of Season 6. LIsten in as Robin, Angela and Abby look back and ahead to key topics in the world of inclusive public schools. Have a great summer all! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby interview Brian Harrigan  and Deb Westaway from the Parker Charter School in Harvard, MA about their experience with the provision of special education in charter schools. Learn more about Parker and their mission here. Www.theparkerschool.org Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss a recent Chalkbeat article about the Newark, NJ public schools and the possible over evaluation of students who are English Language Learners. Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Tonight Abby and Robin talk about the science of Math. This movement is a response to ongoing math achievement gaps for all students and suggests that it is just as important to teach procedural fluency (Facts/algorithms) as it is conceptual understanding. There are many echos of the science of reading approach to be seen and lots of implications for students with disabilities as well. Here is the website where many of the articles and discussions of this topic get started. https://www.thescienceofmath.com/ Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in when Angela, Robin and Abby discuss a recent article from the Harvard Business Review about the power of feedback - especially when it crosses a line and becomes destructive. When Feedback Crosses the Line Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Join Robin and Angela as they answer questions from listeners. Can you think of an out of the box acronym? Let us know! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss an article from 2023 that questions the effectiveness of Inclusion. While it is a couple of years old, it has recently resurfaced in the discussion threads on the internet.  Here is the 2023 article from the Hechinger Report. That article references a 2022 study about the impact of inclusion - that is linked here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36908836/ Check it out and let us know what you think! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Angela breaks down a very recent Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling (linked below) clarifying the "place regulation". This regulation informs how the location of services is determined for students who do not attend public school. Universal Hub article Ruling PDF Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Listen in as Robin and Abby jump into the Homework Debate! The article below is a great resource for the research referenced in their convo! Is Homework Necessary?  Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

During this podcast, Robin and Angela talk about the nuanced depiction of Shane's autism in the hit show Heated Rivalry (HBO).  Time article Thriveworks article Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast