The Future of Special Education and How to Prepare

Presented by Dr. Jean Blosser, President, Creative Strategies for Special Education (CSSE); Michael Towey, CCC-SLP, Manager of the Speech-Language Pathology Department, Waldo County General Hospital; and Dr. Luann Purcell, Executive Director (Ret.), Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)
Moderated by Dr. Gabe Soumakian, Former Superintendent, Oxnard Union High School District (CA), and CEO, Sup Du Jour Consulting Group

Sponsored by Amplio

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In recent years, the world of special education has undergone significant change. Between educator shortages and turnover, student learning loss, and the growing demand of students needing service, special education is struggling to provide effective academic and specialized intervention support. Students are making slow progress towards mastering their goals and educators are burdened with large class enrollment, therapy caseloads, and limited resources. It is time to think outside the box and find solutions that give students the skills and support they need to reach their full potential.

View this edWebinar to learn about:

• Evidence-based practice and helpful resources including individualized, ready-made learning paths designed to accelerate student learning 
• Tools to reduce time spent on documentation, daily prep, reporting, and IEP compliance so educators have more time for direct instruction, building student relationships, and collaborating with colleagues
• Advanced technologies that address many of special education’s core challenges and inefficiencies to personalize student learning

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to special education administrators, speech-language pathologists, dyslexia interventionists, and school and district leaders. 

About the Presenters

Dr. Jean Blosser is passionate about creating service delivery systems that are educationally relevant, collaborative, and outcomes based. She consults with schools and organizations to build interprofessional teams and to develop innovative solutions to difficult special education challenges. Her numerous publications include books and resources for SLPs, educators, and parents including School Programs in Speech-Language Pathology: Organization and Service Delivery; Pediatric Brain Injury: Proactive Assessment and Intervention; and Let’s Talk Today: A Calendar of Daily Activities for Teaching Language Skills at Home. She is a fellow of The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and The National Academies of Practice.

Michael Towey is the manager of the Speech-Language Pathology Department at Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast, ME. He teaches courses in voice disorders and speech therapy telepractice for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Maine and other programs throughout the country. He has many years of professional experience working with children and adults with communication disorders. He has expertise in voice and swallowing disorders. He also provides telepractice services internationally, coordinates the speech therapy telepractice program at Waldo County General Hospital, and recently published a chapter on speech therapy telepractice in the book, Telerehabilitation.

Luann L. Purcell, Ed.D. is President of Luann Purcell, LLC. She consults with and is a strategic analyst for education and professional organizations. She recently retired as the executive director of the international Council of Administrators of Special Education, Inc (CASE), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). In that role, she consulted with and advised administrators on best practices for leadership and development of quality programs for students with disabilities. She has presented nationally and internationally on educational issues and proactive leadership. Previous positions included teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, coordinator of a regional resource center, and assistant district superintendent.

About the Moderator

Dr. Gabe Soumakian is the retired superintendent from Oxnard Union High School District in Ventura County, CA. He has been actively involved with and presented at numerous leadership organizations at the state and national levels on personalized digital learning and school transformation. Dr. Soumakian has served on the Future Ready Leader Panel of Visionary Educators, is a National Academy Foundation Leadership Fellow, and participated with the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. His passion is supporting districts with digital transformation and preparing students for college, career, and life readiness. Dr. Soumakian has over 40 years of education experience, including 18 years of high school teaching and coaching. Dr. Soumakian serves as the CEO of the Sup Du Jour Consulting Group focusing on college and career readiness, innovative technology solutions, and resources that support automation to repurpose funds and help districts function efficiently. He has moderated numerous edWeb presentations with highly recognized educators and professionals.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Supporting Students with Special Needs community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

The Amplio special education solution combines a learning management system with built-in programs and evidence-based curricula designed to deliver intensive instruction that helps prepare students for success. The Amplio Learning Platform gives educators tools to help increase practice intensity and improve data-driven decision-making while saving time and expanding teaching capacity.