De Facto Leaders Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan

Helping families feel involved in their children’s education goes beyond checking the boxes to make sure you’re following legal guidelines.
That’s why I invited Dr. Kristin Vogel-Campbell to De Facto Leaders to talk about how school teams can make the IEP process more welcoming to families, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 
Dr. Kristin Vogel-Campbell (she/her/hers) is a veteran Special Educator with over 20 years in the field. She has served in various roles from paraeducator to Director of Student Services and Special Education. She was a classroom teacher for a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area, working with students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. She is a systems-focused educator, working at the district level with school teams to ensure that students with disabilities are provided high-quality, research-based instruction and that all students are treated with dignity and respect in the Least Restrictive Environment. In addition, she has supported new site leaders in deepening their understanding of Special Education, including laws and protections for students and families. 
Kristin is a practitioner-researcher, working with families to share their experiences and perspectives. Informed with this familial knowledge, teams can make practical shifts needed to move to a collaborative partnership with culturally affirming, sustainable, and equitable families. She has presented at AERA (American Educational Research Association), NAME (National Association of Multicultural Education), and ACSA (Association of California School Administrators, among others. Articles have appeared in Leadership (ACSA magazine), The Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research, and the KQED Education blog. Her book “Partnering with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families in Special Education” was published in December 2023 by Rowman & Littlefield.
In this conversation, we discuss:
✅You’ve provided the “procedural safeguards”, but do families really understand their rights? 
✅What’s going on when parents don’t show up for parent-teacher conferences and IEP meetings?
✅Why environmental set-up matters during IEP meetings; including seating arrangements and how/when the team enters the room. 
✅Navigating language barriers, transportation issues, and logistical constraints. 
✅Finding the balance between family schedules and staff contractual time when setting up IEP meetings.
✅Tips for managing nerves during IEP meetings so you can make your report feel conversational (and less technical).
You can connect with Dr. Vogel-Campbell on LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drvogelcampbell/), and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/drvogelcampbell/). Be sure to check out her book “Partnering with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families in Special Education” here (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538180365/Partnering-with-Culturally-and-Linguistically-Diverse-Families-in-Special-Education).
Be sure to check out these other episodes of De Facto Leaders where I talked about how to improve community and family engagement:
EP 113: Making literacy accessible and equitable (with Cassandra Williams) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-113-making-literacy-accessible-and-equitable-with-cassandra-williams/
EP 118: Coaching aspiring leaders in school turn-around and community outreach (with Edward Gordon II) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-118-coaching-aspiring-leaders-in-school-turn-around-and-community-outreach-with-edward-gordon-ii/
EP 96: Supporting bilingualism in K-12 kids (with Briana Wagner) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-96-supporting-bilingualism-in-k-12-kids-with-briana-wagner/
EP 143: Developing a cultural competemility mindset (with Melanie Evans) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-143-developing-a-cultural-competemility-mindset-for-educators-and-clinicians-with-melanie-evans/
I also mentio

About The Authority Podcast:
Hosted by leadership coach, storytelling strategist, and edtech advisor Ross Romano, The Authority provides education leaders with proven ideas to increase your influence, hire and develop an excellent staff, build a stronger culture, lead meaningful change, form a strong foundation for teaching and learning success, and more. 

The show features interviews with the authors you already admire, up-and-coming voices, and experts from the worlds of business, personal development, and beyond — including Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers — to take a deep dive into their wealth of practical insights. To become a listener of The Authority:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4a3Fer1 Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/40sZzRr Subscribe on other platforms: https://bit.ly/48dhakQ In this episode, I mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers put executive functioning support in place on their school teams. You can learn more about the program here. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

There’s a lot of "us vs. them" thinking happening relating to what’s going on in the school systems.
Parents feeling like teachers don't want to accommodate students with diverse learning needs.
Teachers feeling like administrators don't understand because they aren't in classrooms anymore. 
Therapists feeling like teachers don't want to reinforce strategies in their classrooms, or that administrators don't value their expertise. 
It’s easy to default to thinking the worst of the person on the other side of the table, but what if we approached interactions assuming the BEST? 
When we assume the worst, we may miss opportunities to form partnerships; or at the very least, have compassion for other people who are most likely trying to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. 
Giving someone the benefit of the doubt is a challenge when you’re burnt out, or if you feel the person you're interacting with has more authority and power than you.
That’s why I wanted to have a conversation about this topic with Dr. Barbara Flowers, an elementary principal and life coach for educators and administrators. 
Barb Flowers is an elementary school principal and an educator life coach with 14 years of experience in the field of education. Holding a Ph.D. in K-12 Leadership and currently pursuing certification as a Confidence Coach, her passion lies in supporting educators to reduce burnout and enhance their confidence in their roles. Drawing from her personal journey as a teacher and early administrator, during which she struggled with confidence issues and self-doubt, she is driven to help others in overcoming similar challenges. Now, her mission is to empower educators, ensuring they navigate their professional journeys with resilience and self-assurance. Barb also is the host of The Teacher Burnout Podcast and The Principal's Handbook Podcast.
In this conversation, we discuss common conflicts that happen in K-12 education and how to resolve them, including:
✅Finding time to pull kids out for therapy; considering both the therapist’s and teacher’s point of view.
✅Determining when kids should receive support in a special education setting versus when they should stay in general education with support. 
✅Navigating co-teaching: Does it make things easier for general education teachers, or does it add more work to their plates? 
✅When being good at your job becomes a hazard: How to avoid overloading staff who are good at supporting students with complex needs.
✅Why therapists are hesitant to co-teach, and how to have conversations with your building administrator about making inclusion intentional.
You can connect with Barb on her website here (https://barbflowerscoaching.com/) or on Instagram @barbflowerscoaching (https://www.instagram.com/barbflowerscoaching/).
Listen to The Teacher Burnout Podcast here (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teacher-burnout-podcast/id1680061535).
You can listen to my conversation with Barb on The Principal’s Handbook Podcast here (https://cp.bepodcast.network/episodes/effective-strategies-for-collaborating-across-multidisciplinary-teams-with-karen-dudek-brannan). I also mentioned The School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers guide their teams to support students’ executive functioning across the day. This program will help you plan direct therapy, but will also help you lead change management on your team, no matter your job title. You can learn more about the School of Clinical Leadership here (https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership). 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliab

When kids need support with language, reading/writing, and executive functioning, they often have multiple diagnoses.
This makes both treatment planning, diagnosis, and determining eligibility for educational programming complicated; especially when it comes to legal guidelines as well as state and local policies. 
That’s why in episode 159 of De Facto Leaders, I’m sharing a Q & A session I did about comorbidities in my Language Therapy Advance Foundations member’s group. 
In this episode I talk about the simple view of reading and how it aligns with the essential 5 framework.
I also talk about common comorbidities, including: 
✅Developmental language disorder + dyslexia
✅ADHD + dyslexia
✅Dyslexia + ADHD
I wrap up by discussing clarification from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of terms like “dyslexia” and “developmental language disorder” and the difference between schools being PERMITTED to use a term vs. being REQUIRED to provide services aligned with FAPE. 
In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here (https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/).
The following are evaluation tools that can help guide you in evaluating and treating individuals with ADHD, dyslexia, DLD, and other diagnoses that impact reading, writing, language, and executive functioning. 
I cover a complete framework for executive functioning intervention in the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to emerge as the executive functioning lead on their school teams. You can learn more about that program here (https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership). 
Keep in mind when you view this list that formal evaluation tools should be used in conjunction with other non-standardized tools. It's best practice to utilize a portfolio process when doing an evaluation which can consist of a combination of observations, stakeholder interviews, work samples, data from non-standardized protocols, and formal assessments. 
You can read the full list of assessments in this article here (https://drkarenspeech.com/co-morbidities-and-differential-diagnosis-adhd-dld-dyslexia/).

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

The most effective reading instructional practices aren’t always the ones that gain traction.
It’s the ones with the most successful marketing campaigns. 
The best marketer wins; but this certainly isn’t a win for the students who go without effective instruction or the school staff struggling to support them. 
That’s why I was so excited to talk with Dr. Pamela Snow about the growing body of research relating to literacy and its impact on life outcomes; as well as how we can improve the discourse surrounding effective instruction and improve instructional practices.
Pamela Snow is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology in the School of Education at the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University, Australia. She is also Co-Director of the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab. Pamela is a registered psychologist, having qualified originally in speech-language pathology and has taught a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate education and health professionals. Her research has been funded by nationally competitive schemes such as the ARC Discovery Program, ARC Linkage Program, and the Criminology Research Council, and concerns the role of language and literacy skills as academic and mental health protective factors in childhood and adolescence. She has conducted research on the profiles and needs of high-risk groups such as youth offenders, children and adolescents in the state care system and flexible education systems, as well as research advancing evidence in the language-to-literacy transition in the early years of school. 
In 2020, Pamela established, with her colleague, Professor Tanya Serry, The Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab in the School of Education at La Trobe University. Pamela’s research has been published in a wide range of international journals and she was a member of the 2017 National Year 1 Literacy and Numeracy Panel, convened by the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Federal Education Minister. She is a Life Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a past Victorian State Chair of the Australian Psychological Society. 
Pamela has over 170 publications, comprising refereed papers, books and book chapters, monographs and research reports. In addition to these academic outputs, Pamela writes a popular blog for teachers, parents, and clinicians: The Snow Report - https://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/ and is a founding Associate Editor of The Reading League Journal. 
In this interview, we discuss:
✅The impact of social media on the dissemination of research in education.
✅Can the discussion of reading research become an ongoing feedback loop between people teaching reading and those conducting research?
✅Comprehension and application are the end goals when it comes to the goal of education. But how do we define what “comprehension” is and how we work on it? 
✅Play-based learning vs early reading instruction: Why they aren’t in opposition.
✅Using explicit instruction to build skills needed for problem-solving and successful project-based learning.
✅Whose job is it to work on reading? How much is the responsibility of the schools, and what is the parent’s job?
You can connect with Dr. Snow on X (formerly Twitter) @pamelasnow2 (https://twitter.com/PamelaSnow2) or on her blog at: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/
We mentioned the following articles on her blog in this episode including:Balanced Literacy Bingo (Link here: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2022/11/balanced-literacy-bingo.html)
School leaders and reading instruction: Time to demand LESS rather than more autonomy (Link here: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/school-leaders-and-science-of-reading.html)
You can also learn more about her work on her La Trobe University page at: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/pcsnow
You can learn more about the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) lab at: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/school-education/about/spotlight
The number of experts and resources were mentioned in this episode, inc

The literacy space has become increasingly polarizing since the reading wars began.
There are a number of debates and questions that continue, including:Will kids learn to read “naturally”? 
What did the whole language approach get right, if anything?
Is explicit phonics instruction just a pendulum swing (and is focusing on phonics enough)?Are we teaching kids to read too early? 
When we talk about “early literacy” instruction, what are we actually recommending and how does that look? 
I invited Jane Gebers, veteran speech-language pathologist and author to episode 157 De Facto Leaders to discuss these questions. 
I entered the field right around the time the National Reading Panel study was published, so there was a fair amount of research on evidence-based literacy intervention when I started practicing. 
But when Jane started practicing, much of this research hadn’t been done, and she had the experience of watching the fields of education and reading instruction evolve. She was also one of the early adopters of many approaches that are common practice today, and it was an honor to hear about her work. 
Jane L. Gebers is the author of the popular resource, Books Are for Talking, Too! (Link here: https://www.slpstorytellers.com/2023/09/11/slp-author-book-books-are-for-talking-too-by-jane-gebers/), first published in 1990, and now in its 4th edition as of March 2023. A practicing speech-language pathologist for over 40 years, she has worked in public school, hospital, private, and clinical settings. She has been an adjunct professor at St. Mary's College of California and other universities where she taught Language Development, Assessment, and Intervention courses to students pursuing special education credentials. She currently holds a private practice in Northern California.
In this conversation, Jane and I discuss:
✅Everyone’s talking about “scaffolding”, but what does this word actually mean?
✅Reading practices that have stood the test of time, despite attempts to disprove their effectiveness.
✅The battle between play-based learning and “sight words”; and how to emphasize the right skills at the right time.
✅When building language skills, do we focus on a developmental hierarchy or environmental demands? 
✅Mapping language to print symbols and what to address in the early years to set the stage for reading and writing. 
You can connect with Jane on her website here: https://soundingyourbest.com, and find her book, Books Are for Talking, Too! here: https://www.slpstorytellers.com/2023/09/11/slp-author-book-books-are-for-talking-too-by-jane-gebers/  
The following resources were mentioned in this episode:
Some of the work done by Dr. Carol Westby, Ph.D. (Link here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/152574019902100107)
The Neuroscience of Reading with Dr. G. Reid. Lyon (Link here: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/blog/2023/05/neuroscience-reading-dr-g-reid-lyon)
Teachers’ Use of Scaffolds within Conversations During Shared Book Reading (Dekshmukh, R.S., Pentimonti, J.M., Zucker, T.A., & Curry, B.) (Link here: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00020)
In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here:  https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/
I also mentioned The School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers guide their teams to support students’ executive functioning across the day. This program will help you plan direct therapy, but will also help you lead change management on your team, no matter your job title. You can learn more about the School of Clinical Leadership here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and