Special Education News and Noteworthy

Inclusive Educational Practices

Special Education News & Noteworthy is a weekly podcast that breaks down what’s happening in the world of special education—across policy, funding, legal decisions, and community impact. Hosted by Paige Fitzgerald and Kate Magaldi, founders of Inclusive Educational Practices, each episode makes national headlines accessible and actionable for parents, educators, advocates, and anyone who cares about inclusive education.

  1. 4d ago

    October 2, 2026 | Civil Rights Enforcement, Disability Integration & Early Childhood Special Education

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: ⚖️ Civil Rights Enforcement: Cuts and restructuring at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights have left families facing questions about complaint processing and federal disability-rights enforcement. ♿ Disability Integration: The federal government has reversed its position on longstanding Section 504 integration regulations, raising questions about how the right of people with disabilities to live and receive services in integrated settings will be enforced. 🏫 Private School & Disability Rights: A Las Vegas family is suing to keep their autistic son enrolled in a private school’s disability program after a dispute involving his schedule and a proposed behavioral plan addressing stimming. 📊 Special Education Capacity: A New Jersey district says students receiving special education now make up about 20% of its population—and is highlighting why enrollment numbers alone don’t capture the staffing, space, and resources districts need. 🧸 Early Childhood Special Education: Texas has released a new four-year plan focused on helping families navigate early childhood supports, strengthening the workforce, and improving the transition into public-school special education. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Subscribe to the Special Education News & Noteworthy newsletter for: In-depth analysis of this week’s storiesOur Special Education Insight of the WeekOur Picks of the Week, featuring resources, products, and organizations worth knowing about ⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps more families, educators, and advocates discover Special Education News & Noteworthy.

  2. Sep 18

    September 18, 2026 | Federal Special Ed Changes, Placement Shortages & Rising Due Process Cases

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: 🏛️ Federal Special Education Leadership Changes 📊 New Federal Civil Rights Data 📹 Cameras in Special Education Classrooms in California 🏫 A Shortage of Specialized Placements ⚖️ Special Education Due Process Cases Rise in Georgia As always, we break down what these developments could mean for students with disabilities and the families, educators, and advocates supporting them. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Our free weekly newsletter includes: In-depth analysis of each storyOur Special Education Insight of the WeekPractical resources in our Picks of the WeekSign up for Special Education News & Noteworthy ⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps more families, educators, and advocates discover Special Education News & Noteworthy.

  3. Sep 11

    September 11, 2026 | Teacher Preparedness, Special Education Funding & Gaps in DoD Schools

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: 🍎 Teacher preparedness: A new national survey finds that fewer than half of general education teachers feel completely confident adapting instruction for students with learning disabilities. 🎖️ Special education in DoD schools: A new GAO review identifies gaps in screening, evaluations, interventions, teacher training, and support for military-connected students with learning disabilities. ⚖️ A Georgia special education lawsuit: A mother is suing her daughter’s school district, alleging that her daughter did not receive an appropriate education or adequate support for her significant physical and communication needs. 🏫 Special education pre-K funding: Tennessee education leaders are pushing for more consistent funding for preschool students with disabilities as districts say existing funding falls far short of the cost of required services. 💰 The rising cost of special education: A new national analysis examines increasing special education enrollment, persistent funding gaps, and the financial pressure facing states and school districts. As always, we break down what these developments could mean for students with disabilities and the families, educators, and advocates supporting them. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Subscribe to our free weekly Special Education News & Noteworthy newsletter for: In-depth analysis of the week’s biggest storiesOur Special Education Insight of the WeekPicks of the Week for parents, educators, and advocatesJoin the Newsletter ⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps more families, educators, and advocates discover Special Education News & Noteworthy.

  4. Sep 4

    September 4, 2026 | “Wait to Fail,” Special Education Classroom Oversight & Private-School Services

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: ⚖️ A special education case appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court 🏫 North Carolina families push back against a “wait to fail” approach 🚨 Another staff member charged at a New York autism care facility 🔎 Disability Rights Texas sues a school district over classroom monitoring 🍎 Michigan invests in training paraprofessionals From questions about when schools should respond to signs that a student needs additional support to who gets access to special education classrooms when there are concerns about abuse or neglect, several of this week’s stories come back to a similar issue: what meaningful protection and support for people with disabilities looks like in practice. As always, we break down what these developments could mean for students with disabilities and the families, educators, and advocates supporting them. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Subscribe to the free Special Education News & Noteworthy newsletter for: In-depth analysis and contextOur Special Education Insight of the Week, this week examining the “wait to fail” myth in special educationPicks of the Week, including our free September parent workshop on eligibility and triennial evaluations and a free IEP Goal Bank for educatorsSign up here ⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps more families, educators, and advocates discover Special Education News & Noteworthy.

  5. Sep 1

    100 Voices on Special Education | Voice #4: Selene Almazan – Presuming Competence, Protecting Rights & Raising Expectations

    What happens when we decide too early what a person with a disability will—or won’t—be capable of? In Voice #4 of 100 Voices on Special Education, Paige Fitzgerald sits down with Selene Almazan, longtime special education attorney and Legal Director of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), for a conversation spanning nearly four decades of disability rights, inclusion, special education law, and advocacy. Selene’s path into this work began during the era of deinstitutionalization, when a law school clinic exposed her firsthand to the realities of institutional life for people with disabilities. That experience helped shape a career centered on civil rights, agency, inclusion, and the presumption of competence. Paige and Selene discuss what meaningful inclusion really looks like, why the IEP process can still feel like “David and Goliath” for families, the importance of meaningful parent participation, and why federal protections under IDEA continue to matter. The conversation also becomes deeply personal. Selene describes how, even with years of representing families, sitting at the IEP table as a parent changed her understanding of the process. They also look ahead to transition and adulthood, including why students need greater agency in their own IEPs and why conversations about life after school should begin much earlier. And, as always, Selene answers the question that determines where the project goes next: Who should be the next voice in this series? Her answer: Denise Marshall, CEO of COPAA. THE REFERRAL JOURNEY SO FAR: Track A:Voice #1 Michael Gilberg (Attorney & Autistic Self-Advocate)↓ ReferredVoice #4 Selene Almazan (Special Education Attorney & Parent)↓ ReferredDenise Marshall (COPAA CEO) Track B:Voice #2 Jennifer Maloni (Parent of Adults with Profound Autism)↓ ReferredVoice #3 Rachel Souza (BCBA & Adult Disability Services Provider)↓ ReferredMelissa Cleveland (Transition Specialist & Support Broker) Every person experiences special education from a different place. The only way to understand the whole picture is to listen to all of them. Follow Special Education News & Noteworthy to hear the next voice.

  6. Aug 28

    August 28, 2026 | Disability Rights Enforcement, Predetermined IEP Placements & Electric Shock Gloves in Schools

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: ♿ The Justice Department’s shift away from longstanding disability rights enforcement positions 🧸 Philadelphia parents calling for a citywide ban on preschool suspensions, expulsions, and other forms of exclusion⚡ The use of electric shock gloves by school resource officers in Omaha schools🏫 An Arizona finding that placement decisions for students with disabilities were predetermined in violation of IDEA📚 Connecticut’s $10.6 million investment in in-district special education programsSeveral of this week’s stories raise an important question: Who gets to make decisions about where and how people with disabilities receive the services and supports they need—and what happens when those decisions are made before their voices are meaningfully considered? As always, we break down what these developments could mean for students with disabilities and the families, educators, and advocates supporting them. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Subscribe to our free Special Education News & Noteworthy newsletter for: In-depth analysis of this week’s storiesOur Special Education Insight of the Week, where we’re breaking down what predetermination actually means under IDEAPicks of the Week featuring helpful resources for families and educatorsSubscribe here ⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps more families, educators, and advocates discover Special Education News & Noteworthy.

  7. Aug 21

    August 21, 2026 | Head Start Changes, Michigan Seclusion Ban & School Choice for Students With Disabilities

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: 🧩 Proposed changes to federal Head Start standards that could affect developmental screenings, individualized supports, and other services for young children with disabilities.🏫 A new proposal in Michigan to ban seclusion and further restrict restraint in schools, following nearly 18,000 reported incidents in one school year—most involving students with disabilities.🎒 The challenges Texas families are encountering as they begin using the state’s new school voucher program, including tuition gaps, limited private-school options, and important differences in special education protections.🔎 A new Florida-based tool designed to help families of children with disabilities find schools based on their child’s individual needs and the supports schools provide.♿ Efforts by a growing number of Catholic schools to serve students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the continued barriers families face when seeking inclusive private-school options.Several of this week’s stories raise a bigger question: What does school choice really mean when not every option is accessible, affordable, or equipped to meet a student’s needs? As always, we break down what these developments could mean for students with disabilities and the families, educators, and advocates supporting them. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Subscribe to our free Special Education News & Noteworthy newsletter for: In-depth analysis of this week’s storiesOur Special Education Insight of the WeekPicks of the Week featuring helpful resources for families and educators⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps more families, educators, and advocates discover Special Education News & Noteworthy.

  8. Aug 14

    August 14, 2026 | Special Education Complaints Surge, NYC Legal Delays & San Diego Staffing Crisis

    This week on Special Education News & Noteworthy, we break down five important developments affecting students with disabilities, families, educators, and advocates across the country. In this episode, we discuss: 📋 A nearly 50% increase in written state special education complaints, and what may be driving more families and advocates to turn to formal dispute-resolution systems.🎓 Kentucky’s new alternative high school diploma for students with moderate to severe disabilities, including plans to better connect students with employment after graduation.⚖️ New York City’s continued struggle to implement special education legal orders on time, even as new data shows the city has made some progress.🍎 A Voice of San Diego investigation finding that some students with disabilities spent much of the school year with substitute teachers, many of whom did not hold special education credentials.🌟 Charleston County School District’s largest-ever investment in special education, including more than 40 new staff members and expanded behavioral health supports.As always, we explain what these stories mean for families and discuss the bigger questions they raise about accountability, implementation, staffing, transition, and access to appropriate special education services. 📧 Want more than just the headlines? Subscribe to our free Special Education News & Noteworthy newsletter for: In-depth analysis of this week’s storiesOur Special Education Insight of the WeekPicks of the Week featuring helpful resources for families and educatorsSubscribe here ⭐ If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a five-star rating. Your support helps us reach more families, educators, and advocates working to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

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Special Education News & Noteworthy is a weekly podcast that breaks down what’s happening in the world of special education—across policy, funding, legal decisions, and community impact. Hosted by Paige Fitzgerald and Kate Magaldi, founders of Inclusive Educational Practices, each episode makes national headlines accessible and actionable for parents, educators, advocates, and anyone who cares about inclusive education.

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