This week I interview Mrs. Doreen Engel, Director of the Benilde Program out of St. Raphael’s Academy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Doreen will highlight her diverse career in Catholic School education. She speaks about the Benilde Program at her school and how she services those students in that program. Doreen also offers strategies for working with students with disabilities. For more information about Doreen, please email her at dengel@saintrays.org. For more information about St. Raphael’s Academy, please visit http://www.saintrays.org.
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This week I interview Ms. Renée Stoeckle, Director of Catholic School Initiatives for Step Up for Students. Renée highlights her journey from the classroom to Step Up. Renée discusses how school choice scholarships can benefit students with special needs in the state of Florida and other programs available nationwide including Maryland and Illinois. For more information on Ren and her work, please email her at rstoeckle@stepupforstudents.org. If you’d like more information on Step Up for Students, please visit www.stepupforstudents.org.
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This week I interview Dr. Christie Bonfiglio, Director of Professional Standards & Graduate Studies and the Director of the Program for Inclusive Education (PIE) for the Alliance for Catholic Education & Institute for Educational Initiatives (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Christie speaks about her background in education along with the all wonderful programs available at ACE. Christy discusses the pillars at ACE which form the program and her views on Catholic special education. For more information on Christie, please email her at cbonfiglio@nd.edu and for more information about Ace, please visit http://ace.nd.edu.
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This week I interview Mr. Timothy Reilly, School Principal at St. Ignatius School in Cincinnati, Ohio and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA). Tim speaks about the successes in his school including their academic and social achievements. Tim gives practical advice to principals who are considering implementing a program for students with special needs. For contact Tim, please email him at treilly@saintischool.org. For more information about the St. Ignatius School, please visit their website http://www.saintischool.org/pages/Saint_Ignatius.
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This week, I interview Dr. Jim Rigg, Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools. Jim speaks about the diverse experiences that led him to be a superintendent of 80,000 students in Chicago. He also speaks about his vision and strategic plan for Chicago and supporting students with disabilities. His passion for serving students with disabilities shines through especially when speaking about his own son. For more information about Jim, please email him at jrigg@archchicago.org or follow him on Twitter @RiggJim. For more information about the Archiocese of Chicago and its schools, please visit https://schools.archchicago.org.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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