Claim OwnershipDiveIn: Diving into Special Education's Most Complex and Pressing Debates
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Join Dr. Federico Waitoller for DiveIn, the podcast that explores the most complex and pressing debates in Special Education. Sponsored by the Division of Research of the Council for Exceptional Children, this series tackles critical and timely topics, including current policy debates, instructional design, disciplinary disparities, school choice, workforce diversity, and funding disparities. DiveIn does not shy away from tough conversations. Through thought-provoking discussions with experts and changemakers, DiveIn will challenge your current perspectives and deepen your understanding, offering actionable insights to drive equity in special education teaching, research, and policy. Tune in and be part of the movement to transform special education through an equity-driven lens. Are you ready? Let's DiveIn!
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This podcast episode explores the unique experiences and strengths that special educators with disabilities bring to their classrooms. Host Federico Waitoller and guests discuss how disabilities are valuable cultural repertoires of teachers that enrich work and the learning experiences that provide to their students. Insights from special educators, such as Hannah Benson, shed light on the transformative power of diverse identities in teaching. The episode delves into ongoing research by Dr. Amy Tondreau and Dr. Laurie Rabinowitz, highlighting the crucial role that acknowledging and supporting teachers with disabilities plays in fostering inclusive and effective educational environments.TranscriptRecommended readingsSustaining Cultural and Disability Identities in the Literacy Classroom, K-6Sustaining Disabled Youth: Centering Disability in Asset Pedagogies
In this episode of DiveIn, we bring you the third part of Learning to Live Together, our special miniseries about school integration and inclusive education. Learning to Living Together is a four-part podcast series about inclusion and school integration in the twenty-first century. Across the four episodes, we delve into the meanings, tensions, and practices of integration and inclusion in today’s context. In episode 3, we focus on the practical aspects of integration and inclusion, focusing specifically on how to go about achieving integration and inclusion in school communities. We learn about the importance of funding, community buy-in, and the need to change mindsets if we are to experience integration. We also learn about a specific framework for integration developed by youth organizers that focuses on race and enrollment, resources, relationships, restorative justice, and representation. And perhaps most importantly, we hear about the importance of listening to students and involving them in school decisions and solutions, as well as developing relationships and caring for one another.EPISODE TRASNCRIPT
In this first episode of the third season of DiveIn launch of this four-part mini series called Learning to Live Together. The mini series was originally produced for the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance (MAP) Center with Sarah Diem, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri. Learning to Live Together is a four-part podcast series about inclusion and school integration in the twenty-first century. Across the four episodes, we delve into the meanings, tensions, and practices of integration and inclusion in today’s context. In this first episode, we discuss different understandings and terms that are used to describe similar longings. Terms such as inclusion and integration, and inclusive education are used depending on individuals’ social struggles and what kind of social group they may be discussing. In episode one, we hear from our interviewees as to how they define integration and inclusion, and how their experiences and identities impact these definitions. EPISODE TRNSCRIPT
In this episode, I sit down with Naomi N. Shelton and Jennifer Coco to unpack the complex realities facing students with disabilities (SWDs) in the charter school sector. We explore the persistent patterns of exclusion that keep SWDs on the margins—and, more importantly, spotlight the powerful efforts underway to disrupt these inequities. Our conversation highlights community-rooted charter schools led by Black, Brown, and Indigenous educators and leaders, revealing the transformative potential of these models to redefine charter schools.We also examine the shifting political landscape, discussing how recent policies and the Trump administration’s influence could reshape the capacity of charter schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Finally, we take a critical look at the growing movement for religious charter schools and the risks they pose for equitable, accessible education.This is a must-listen for anyone invested in educational justice, disability rights, and the evolving charter school movement.EPISODE TRANSCRIPTSome of my work on this topic Excluded by Choice: Urban Students With Disabilities in the Education MarketplaceCan Charter Schools Address Racial Inequities Evidenced in Access to the General Education Classroom? A Longitudinal Study in Chicago Public SchoolsA Longitudinal Comparison of Enrollment Patterns of Students Receiving Special Education in Urban Neighborhood and Charter Schools
In this episode of 'DiveIn,' host Federico Waitoller explores the current tumultuous changes affecting the Department of Education under the Trump administration. With guest experts Kuna Tavalin and Kareem Thompson, the discussion focuses on proposed plans to dismantle the department, move IDEA programs to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and how these shifts impact students with disabilities. As administrative and legal staff faces drastic reductions and uncertainty looms, the podcast delves into the legal implications, congressional responses, and the overarching political landscape that affects special education across the U.S.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In this podcast, we tackle a pressing and timely issue: the growing role of AI in education. With Mary Rice, Joaquin Arguello, and Richard Carter Jr., I explore the potential benefits and hidden risks of AI technologies. Can AI help address long-standing inequities faced by students with disabilities and other marginalized learners—or could it deepen existing disparities? We examine questions of transparency, standardization, and the evolving relationship between AI, teachers, and students. Beyond critique, we also imagine what AI could be: a tool for transforming schools into more equitable, just, and inclusive learning spaces.TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE Resources Let’s CHAT About Artificial Intelligence for Students With Disabilities: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-AnalysisThe Use of Artificial Intelligence with Students with Identified Disabilities: A Systematic Review with Critique
In this episode, I discuss with David DeMatthews the Texas Vs. Becerra court case- a case that threatens the existence of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. We explain the case's history, present, and potential implications. We also contextualize the case amid broader ongoing efforts to weaken civil rights protections for children, youth and adults with disabilities.Related EpisodesWhat Does a Trump Administration Mean for Special Education?School Vouchers and Students with DisabilitiesTranscript of Episode 7
This is a clip from episode four in which Mitch Yell and David Bateman talk about the implications of dismantling the Department of Education. Transcript
In this episode of DiveIn we discuss with Mitchell Yell and David Bateman what a Trump administration means for special education. Is the IDEA or the Department of Education going away? Will special education experience severe budget cuts? What do expanding voucher programs and charter schools mean for students with disabilities? And How other policies, such as Title IX, can also affect the educational experiences of students with disabilities? We discuss this and much more in this timely episode. Transcript
Do you know that there are various federally funded technical assistance (TA) centers around the US that offer free services to states, districts, and schools? In this episode, you will learn about these technical assistance centers and the free services you can receive from them. We will discuss the work of TA centers with Seena Skelton, director of the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistant Center. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jamie Pearson to explore the unique experiences of Black students with autism and their families. We discuss the systemic inequities these students face, the barriers they encounter in accessing services, and how they navigate life within their communities. Additionally, we delve into the complexities and tensions surrounding ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) practices, particularly when applied to Black children and youth. This conversation offers valuable insights and recommendations for school administrators and researchers.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In this episode of DiveIn, I talked to Dr. Elizabeth Bettini about the persistent challenges in special education teacher recruitment and retention. Dr. Bettini details the longstanding issues since the 1970s, addresses the implications of the teaching shortage for BIPOC communities, and provides recommendations for administrators and researchers.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In this episode, I interview Dan Losen, the senior director of the education team at the National Center for Youth Law. We discuss pressing issues regarding disciplinary disparities in special education. Losen emphasizes the lack of adequate support and quality services for students with disabilities and the profound consequences this has on educational outcomes. We also delve into how the discipline gap and achievement gap are interconnected, highlighting how lost instructional time from suspensions severely impacts students, particularly those of color and those with disabilities.TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE
This episode explores the challenges, perspectives, and implications of scholars engaging with the evolving issue of anti-woke culture in special education research. We interviewed Erica McCray, Associate Dean at the University of Florida College of Education, who sheds light on her experiences and provides guidance for working in an anti-woke environment. McCrae discusses the need to confront inequities and foster conversations within the field while emphasizing the importance of self-care and restTRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE
1In this episode of DiveIn, host Federico Waitoller interviews Dr. Maya Kalyanpur about the term 'the Global South' and its importance for understanding inclusive education. Dr. Kalyanpur shares insights from her experiences teaching and conducting research in South Asia and translate her work into lessons for conducting education research in the USA that foregrounds equity and inclusion for students with disabilities and beyond.
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In this episode, we talked to Dr. Martínez Álvarez about how to best teach emergent bilingual students with disabilities so that their linguistic and ability repertoires are positioned as assets rather than deficits. We also discussed her latest book, Teaching Emergent Bilingual Students with Disabilities, in which Dr. Martínez Álvarez writes about what it means to adopt a humanistic approach to teaching and learning and how to train teachers to serve best emergent bilingual students with disabilities.
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In this episode, we talk to the new National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) commissioner, Dr. Nathan Jones. We ask about how NCSER addresses equity, diversity, and inclusion issues, provide tips for those seeking funding in NCSER, and much more.
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In this episode, I talk to Endia Lindo and Kathleen King Thorius, two of the new editors of one of the most important journals in special education research: Exceptional Children. We discuss how the editorial team came together, their vision for the journal, and discuss advice for authors submitting papers, and much more.
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In this episode of DiveIn, we converse with María Cioè-Peña about her research with BIPOC mothers of students with disabilities. We discuss the importance of centering these mothers' narratives in special education research and offer some guidance for designing research projects that privilege such narratives.
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In this episode of DiveIn, I talk to LaRon Scott, William Hunter, and Jonte' C Taylor about their edited volume The Mixtape Volume 1: Culturally Sustaining Practices Within MTSS . We discuss how to use Hip-hop pedagogy in special education research to improve student learning and engagement. We also discuss the tensions that emerge from using culturally sustaining pedagogy with more traditional forms of special education research. LaRon, William, and Jonte end the episode with great recomendations for future of special education research.
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