Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

• Ask the Advocate: IEP Signatures, ESY Services, Compensatory Time & More

  Feeling lost in the maze of special education? In this Ask the Advocate episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham answers rapid-fire questions about IEP signatures, extended school year (ESY), RTI, para support, compensatory time, evaluations, and more. Get clear, direct, and empowering guidance every parent and advocate needs.Inside this episode:✅ Why there’s no such thing as implied consent in an IEP✅ What schools must provide when a student is suspended or placed elsewhere✅ The truth about 504 vs. IEP (and why one doesn’t replace the other)✅ When and how to request compensatory services✅ What to know about evaluations, IEEs, and timelines✅ Understanding para support, self-contained programs, and out-of-district placements✅ Accommodations vs. modifications explained✅ The role of assistive technology and communication devices✅ Tips on ESY, dyslexia services, and caseloads✅ How to find and train as an advocate📌 Resources Mentioned:Federal Code of Regulations for IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)U.S. Department of Education: ed.govSpecial Education Academy Trainings: https://specialeducationacademy.com/training✨ Ready to get trained and empowered?Join The Academy today for 250+ hours of on-demand trainings, live weekly coaching, and a supportive advocacy community.👉 Join The Academy📧 Need an advocate? Email: [email protected] Support the show✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources🔗 Learn more at The Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...

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• What Is Specially Designed Instruction? | Part 1

  What is Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) — and why is it the foundation of special education?In this brand-new series, Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, breaks down one of the most misunderstood (and misused) concepts in IDEA: special education is specially designed instruction.In Part 1, we cover:✅ Why SDI is different from accommodations or modifications✅ How to ask teachers the right questions to uncover whether SDI is really happening✅ Why strong IEP goals are the foundation of effective SDI✅ The three SDI elements: Content, Methodology, and Delivery✅ How IDEA defines SDI — and what that means in practice for your child✅ Common mistakes schools make✅ Why data collection, baselines, and progress monitoring matter Karen also shares real-life stories from IEP meetings, due process hearings, and advocacy experiences that highlight how schools get SDI wrong — and what parents and advocates can do about it.📌 If a school can’t describe what they are doing differently than a general education teacher, then your child has not received Specially Designed Instruction.✨ Join us for this powerful series and come back for Part 2 where we’ll go even deeper.📣 Want step-by-step training to navigate IEPs, 504s, and advocacy? Join The Academy:👉 https://specialeducationacademy.com/training🎥 Watch replays and trainings on YouTube:👉 https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos🎧 Listen to more episodes on Buzzsprout or your favorite podcast platform.✨ Remember: We’re not giving legal advice. We’re educating you.“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources🔗 Learn more at The Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...

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• Your Top Special Education Questions Answered | Rapid Fire with the Special Education Boss®

  It’s one of our most popular formats—rapid-fire Q&A straight from TikTok Live! In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, answers your biggest special education questions with her signature mix of clarity, humor, and straight talk.We cover everything from:✅ Do you need a meeting to add accommodations to an IEP?✅ Can dyslexia teachers serve without special ed certification?✅ What to do when services are missing or reduced without consent✅ Retention, transportation, behavior, and related services✅ The difference between 504 and IEP—and why schools often blur the line✅ Compensatory services, child find, prior written notice, and state complaints✅ And so much more pulled directly from parent and advocate questionsThis is your playbook for navigating the tricky situations families face every day inside IEP and 504 meetings.📣 Want step-by-step training to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes? Join The Academy today:👉 https://www.skool.com/special-education-academy/about🎥 Watch more trainings on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos🎧 Listen to more episodes on Buzzsprout or your favorite podcast platform.✨ Remember: We’re not giving legal advice. We’re educating you.“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources🔗 Learn more at The Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...

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• Demystifying Prior Written Notice (PWN) in Special Education: What Parents Must Know

  In this episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham unpacks one of the most overlooked yet powerful safeguards in special education: Prior Written Notice (PWN).Most parents don’t realize that a PWN is not optional—it’s federally required. And it’s the school’s responsibility to complete it whenever they propose or refuse changes to your child’s identification, evaluation, placement, or services.Here’s what Karen covers in this training:✅ The eight required components every PWN must include✅ Why deliberations and signatures do not substitute for a proper PWN✅ What to do if a PWN contains inaccurate testing procedures✅ The timeline for receiving a PWN after an IEP meeting (and how to respond if delayed)✅ Why legal documents should never be sent home in a child’s backpack✅ How PWNs connect to procedural safeguards, state complaints, and appealsKaren shares advocacy strategies, real-life examples, and the straight talk you need to hold schools accountable and walk into meetings prepared.📌 Next Steps & ResourcesJoin The Academy for 250+ hours of advocacy training and community supportExplore more trainings on evaluations, complaints, and procedural safeguardsWatch and subscribe on YouTube for weekly episodes and resources💡 Remember: A Prior Written Notice is one of your strongest advocacy tools. Don’t overlook it.“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources🔗 Learn more at The Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...

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• Ask the Advocate: School Shenanigans, Paraprofessionals, and IEP Questions Answered

  It’s a Marvelous, Amazing Monday with Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, back with another Ask the Advocate episode!This week’s Q&A is packed with real parent and teacher questions covering IEP services, paraprofessionals, afterschool programs, behavioral supports, and yes—school shenanigans.Here’s what Karen answers:✅ What evaluations parents can request when schools say “everything is fine”✅ Do paraprofessionals need to be in the classroom at all times?✅ Can schools place a student with an IEP in virtual-only after a fight?✅ Can schools send a child home for half days instead of providing support?✅ Do 504 accommodations carry into college?✅ What to do if your child is head banging (and why FBAs matter)✅ Amending IEPs without a meeting — what’s allowed and what’s not✅ How to find and become an advocate (and why the 2-Day Intensive is the best first step)✅ Teacher questions: missing IEPs, unsafe caseloads, co-teach concerns, and moreKaren shares advocacy strategies, humor, and the straight talk you need to sit at the IEP/504 table prepared.📌 Next Steps & ResourcesJoin The Academy for live weekly coaching + 250+ hours of trainingExplore our trainings on evaluations, complaints, and procedural safeguardsDownload the Special Education Academy App to learn on the goAdvocacy takeaway: If it doesn’t make sense, there’s a reason it doesn’t make sense. Sit at the table prepared.“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources🔗 Learn more at The Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...

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