Home Podcasts A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education
A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education

A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education

Robin Fabiano, Abigail Hanscom, Angela Smagula 165 Episodes Oct 9, 2026

This podcast explores special education from multiple perspectives. Hosts Robin Fabiano, Abby Hanscom, and Angela Smagula share information, lessons learned, and interviews with experts and important figures in the field. They bring diverse viewpoints and some humor to an otherwise serious topic. The show is aimed at teachers, administrators, lawyers, parents, and anyone interested in special education.

Episodes

The Power of Parent Advocacy
The Power of Parent Advocacy Oct 9, 2026 2212 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:   Th
Robin's a published author!
Robin's a published author! Oct 2, 2026 2364 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
Welcome to Season 7!
Welcome to Season 7! Sep 25, 2026 1608 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 d
July Pod: A (Very) Cautionary Tale
July Pod: A (Very) Cautionary Tale Jul 31, 2026 2357 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 updateHere 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. BrooksTake care and see
It's a Wrap on Season 6
It's a Wrap on Season 6 May 22, 2026 1838 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 surveyEmail us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Charter Chatter Pt. 2
Charter Chatter Pt. 2 May 15, 2026 3065 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.orgPlease tell us how you found us by completing this surveyEmail us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @astalpod
EL Evaluations
EL Evaluations May 8, 2026 2065 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 surveyEmail us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
The Science of...Math
The Science of...Math May 1, 2026 2024 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
When Feedback Crosses the Line
When Feedback Crosses the Line Apr 17, 2026 2500 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 LinePlease tell us how you found us by completing this surveyEmail us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Mail Bag
Mail Bag Apr 10, 2026 1678 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 surveyEmail us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @astalpodcast
Clickbait
Clickbait Apr 3, 2026 1512 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/C
Location, Location, Location
Location, Location, Location Mar 27, 2026 2088 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 articleRuling PDFPlease tell us how you found us by completing this surveyEmail us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @a

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