This week, I interview Dr. Michael Boyle, Director of the Andrew M. Greeley Center for Catholic Education at Loyola University, Chicago. Mike speaks about his background in Catholic special education and the NCEA White Paper which he co-authored with Dr. Pamela Bernards from NCEA.  Mike elaborates on the systems and frameworks (from the national level to the school level) that are necessary to ensure successful special education programs, He also speaks about the certificate programs that are available from the Greely Center for administrators and schools.  For more information about the Andrew M. Greeley, please visit their website at http://www.luc.edu/gcce/index.shtml  or follow Mike on Twitter @MJBoyle3. If you would like more information on the NCEA White Paper: One Spirit One Body, please visit the website http://www.ncea.org/NCEA/Learn/Resource/Academic_Excellence/Expectional_Learners/Exceptional_Learners_White_Paper__One_Spirit__One_Body.aspx

This week, I interview Lynn Hire, Executive Director for the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education (FIRE) Foundation and Maura Nulton, one of the six couples that founded the FIRE Foundation. They discuss the history, vision, and role the FIRE Foundation plays in assisting students with special needs attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Kansas City   For more information on the Fire Foundation, please visit their website at https://firefoundation.org or follow them on Twitter @FIREdupinKC

This week, I interview Mr. Henry Fortier, Secretary of Education and Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Orlando, FL. Henry speaks about his role as secretary and superintendent in the diocese of Orlando where he also oversees the mission office for a sister diocese in the Dominican Republic. He also speaks of how the diocese of Orlando schools is meeting the needs of students with special needs and his own personal story. While Henry wears many hats, his role as advocate for students with special needs shines through in this interview. To reach Henry, please email him at Hfortier@orlandodiocese.org or follow him on Twitter @SupOrlandoDio

On the back to school episode this week, I interview Mr. Jonathan Doyle, husband, father, author and creator of the Going Deeper being featured in Catholic schools worldwide. Jonathan will speak of the mission and vocation of Catholic school teachers and how that intersects with special education. For more information about Jonathan and the Going Deeper series, please click on the link: http://www.jonathandoyle.co. You can follow Jonathan of Twitter @beingcatholic1 and on Instagram at jonathan_doyle_catholicspeaker

This week, I interview Dr. Michelle Lia, Assistant Director of Professional Development for the Andrew M. Greely Center for Catholic Education. Michelle speaks about the services that the Greely Center provides for Catholic schools. We also discuss universal design for learning (UDL), differentiated instruction (DI), and response to intervention (RTI). Michelle provides strong arguments for UDL, DI, RTI, and their place in the Catholic classroom.  For more information on the Andrew M. Greely Center, please click on the link http://www.luc.edu/gcce/index.shtml. To contact Michelle, please email her at mlia@luc.edu or follow her on Twitter @mliaCCE.

 This week, I interview Mrs. Kelly Noda, owner and managing director of Proactive Life Skills. Kelly is also a social skills teacher as well as a life skills teacher. Kelly will speak about all aspects of behavior in the classroom, as well as the functions, and consequences for behavior. She will also discuss a bit about social emotional learning and her background working with middle school students. For more information about Kelly, please visit the website http://www.proactivelifeskills.org. For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.proactivelifeskills.org/program.html.

This week, I interview Mrs. Beth Foraker, founder of the National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion, professor at UC Davis and inclusion advocate. Beth will share the story of her family especially her son Patrick and what led her to start the National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion. Beth and I also discuss practical ways to begin an inclusion program in Catholic schools along with the Growth Mindset. For more information on Beth, you can check out her website at http://fullinclusionforcatholicschools.org or follow her on Twitter @inclusionchick

This week, I interview Mrs. Brooke Taylor, Catholic wife, mom, speaker, radio personality, writer and host of Good Things Radio Podcast. Brooke will speak about her family especially her daughter Karolina whom they adopted from Poland when she was very young and has since been diagnosed with autism. Brooke will discuss the graces and struggles of being a Catholic mom with a daughter who has special needs. She will also discuss the role of both the Catholic Church and Catholic schools in the formation of her family. For more information on Brooke Taylor, please click on the following link: http://brooketaylor.us

This week, I interview Mrs. Eileen Murtha, Special Education Director for the Archdiocese of New York. Eileen will speak about her background with working with students with special needs and their families. She will also discuss the wonderful programs available to families of students with special needs in the Archdiocese of New York. or more information on Eileen or the Archdiocese of New Your Catholic Schools, please click on the following link: https://buildboldfutures.org/elementary/special-education/

For the first episode, I interview Dr. Pamela Bernards, NCEA Director of Professional Development. Pam will share her background with the show as well as how she came to work with NCEA. Additionally, she will discuss the role NCEA plays in special education for Catholic schools.