Digest

This podcast episode provides daily leadership advice for school communities, sponsored by AWB Education and Grundmeyer Leader Services. The main focus is on effectively including special education teachers in professional development initiatives. The episode highlights the importance of creating interdisciplinary Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) that bring together teachers from various subject areas. It emphasizes the value of offering universally applicable professional development sessions that benefit all staff, regardless of their specific role. Furthermore, the podcast advocates for empowering special education teachers to lead professional development sessions, leveraging their unique expertise. Strategies for facilitating horizontal collaboration among special education teachers across grade levels are also discussed. The episode concludes with a call to action, encouraging listeners to learn more about the sponsoring organizations.

Outlines

00:00:00

Inclusive Professional Development for School Leaders

This podcast introduces daily leadership advice for school communities and focuses on the crucial role of inclusive professional development, particularly for special education teachers. It discusses strategies to ensure all teachers benefit from professional growth opportunities.

00:00:17

Strategies for Engaging Special Education Teachers in PD

This section details practical strategies for including special education teachers in professional development, such as creating interdisciplinary PLCs, offering universally applicable PD sessions, and empowering special education teachers to lead sessions. Horizontal collaboration is also emphasized.

00:04:59

Conclusion and Call to Action

The podcast concludes with a thank you to listeners and encourages them to learn more about AWB Education and Grundmeyer Leader Services.

Keywords

Q&A

• How can schools ensure special education teachers are fully integrated into professional development?

  Create interdisciplinary PLCs, offer universally applicable PD sessions, empower specials teachers to lead sessions, and facilitate horizontal collaboration.

• What are some examples of universally applicable professional development topics?

  Classroom management strategies, positive behavior intervention, cultural responsiveness, and effective communication techniques.

• Why is it important to involve special education teachers in leading professional development?

  They possess unique expertise that can benefit all teachers, and it empowers them and validates their contributions.

• How can schools facilitate horizontal collaboration among special education teachers?

  Schedule dedicated time for collaboration across grade levels to discuss curriculum alignment and assessment strategies.

Show Notes