Reimagining Special Education: Creating Positive Change in Disruptive Times

Presented by Jenna Mancini Rufo, Ed.D., Founder and CEO, empowerED School Solutions; and Julie Causton, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Inclusive Schooling

Sponsored by Brookes Publishing

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more.

As schools reopen their doors and students return to the classroom, what will the “new normal” of special education look like? The pandemic exposed educational inequities and areas of urgent need—and now, schools have a unique opportunity to press pause and reimagine their practices.

This edWebinar highlights why an inclusive education framework supports school redesign in a pandemic world. Based on their book, Reimagining Special Education: Using Inclusion as a Framework to Build Equity and Support All Students, inclusion experts Drs. Jenna Mancini Rufo and Julie Causton share how inclusive education can shift our approach to instruction and educational equity to better meet student needs in a changing world.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to teachers, administrators, and school and district leaders of the preK through high school levels.

About the Presenters

Jenna Mancini Rufo, Ed.D. is an experienced public school leader turned inclusive education consultant. Having served as an assistant superintendent, director of special education, state policy specialist, special education teacher, and inclusion facilitator, Dr. Mancini Rufo has practical experience in leading systems change for inclusion. She has shared her knowledge at numerous events, including The Atlantic’s Education Summit and the National Principals Conference, and has been published in School Administrator. Dr. Mancini Rufo founded her own consulting business, empowerED School Solutions, with expertise in inclusion and special education. She was inspired by her sister, Nina, who has multiple disabilities, to enter the field of education. She views education as her calling and is passionate about providing quality programs for all students.

Julie Causton, Ph.D. is Founder and CEO of Inclusive Schooling. She is a former professor in the Inclusive and Special Education Program in the Department of Teaching and Leadership at Syracuse University. She has spent the past 20 years studying and creating best practices for inclusive education and, as a former special education teacher in elementary school, middle school, and high school herself, she knows firsthand how inclusion leads to better outcomes for students. Dr. Causton is an educational consultant who works with administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and families across the U.S. to help them promote and improve inclusive practices. Her dynamic presentations focus on engaging ways to educate all students within the context of general education. Dr. Causton is the author of many books about inclusive education and has published articles in over 30 educational research and practitioner journals. She lives in Manlius, NY with her wife, two fabulous teenagers, dogs, and cats.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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Founded in 1978, Brookes is an independent, highly respected educational publishing company with a strong focus on helping all people—with and without disabilities—reach their potential. We publish 50+ new titles a year on screening and assessment, early intervention, inclusive and special education, autism and other disabilities, literacy, behavior, communication, and more.