De Facto Leaders

Executive functioning and financial literacy go hand-in-hand; which is why money management should be a part of any K-12 curriculum. Much of this has to do with self-evaluation, the ability to think into the future, and the understanding of quantitative and temporal concepts.There are endless digital tools designed to help people manage their finances, but these tools won’t be useful for people who don’t have a solid sense of the quantity or the value of money. That’s why I invited Ben Hockema to episode 145 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to discuss how we can talk to kids about money and help them develop financial literacy.Ben is a Certified Financial Planner and the founder and advisor of Illuminate Wealth Management. He works with individuals, families, and small business owners on their full financial picture; everything from cash flow and paying for education to saving and investing for big goals such as retirement, to individual and small business tax planning so that his clients can gain clarity and develop a path that is unique to their own goals, hopes and dreams. In this conversation, we discuss:✅How to overcome shame so you can teach kids about money, even if you’re not a financial expert (or don’t think you’re good at money management)✅How to have intentional conversations that help kids understand the value of money.✅Making money tangible: How to help kids learn the value behind the numbers✅What skills and abilities should someone have before they get a credit card? ✅How can families set up boundaries and expectations in their homes when it comes to responsibilities, chores, and earning money. ✅Helping kids navigate earning opportunities such as getting money for chores, getting a job, or starting a side hustle.You can learn more about Ben’s resources for talking to kids about money here: https://www.dollarsandkids.com/, and his financial planning services here: https://www.illuminatewm.com/. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhockemailluminate/, or learn more about the National Association of Financial Advisors College Affordability Project here: https://www.napfa.org/napfa-foundation-college-affordability-project In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design services that support executive functioning in K-12 settings. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many people working in K-12 education have ambitions to start their own company where they have the ability to redesign the way student learning happens.The motivation often comes from wanting to create a scenario where they feel less constrained, more innovative, and more impactful.When I ventured into self-employment, I found that many of the “how to start your business” programs focused on simple business models that allowed people without a business background to become profitable quickly, without loans or funding. This often included things like coaching and consulting, or things that could be built up “on the side”, like selling online training or products. These can be great options, but the process is often like peeling back the layers of an onion. You start one project thinking, “Once this is built, I’ll have solved all the problems I set out to solve.”But in the process, you realize you’ve uncovered a list of additional puzzles, challenges, and questions in the process. Anyone who cares about education reform understands this feeling of wanting to do more, something I grapple with on a daily basis. Solving problems in education requires a unique skill set, and I’ve found it difficult to find people who understand both business AND education, who can support educators creating their own program from scratch.Private practice is an option many consider, but not as many people think about founding their own school. That’s why I invited Tanya Sheckley to the De Facto Leaders podcast. Tanya is the Founder and Head of School at UP Academy. UP Academy is reinventing education by customizing learning for each student, integrating project-based learning throughout its curriculum, and supporting students with disabilities to attend alongside able-bodied students in mixed-age classrooms. Inspired by the will, drive, and desire of her daughter, Eliza, who was born in 2009 with cerebral palsy, UP Academy is proving that it’s possible to celebrate differences, change what’s broken in the American school system, and provide all children with a rigorous, well-rounded education.Tanya also hosts the Rebel Educator podcast, speaks across the country on the future of education, and leads professional development programs for school administrators and educators.She is a certified yoga teacher, and enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, camping, and going to the local farmers market. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband Chris, two kids, black labrador Bean, and canine ambassador Harold.In this conversation, we discuss:✅Become a school founder: Blending the right mindset with the right strategies✅How much vulnerability can you show to your team? Where can you go for support when your team needs you to show up confident as a leader? ✅What is project-based learning, and how does it fit in with traditional curriculum?✅How to use experiential learning to build deep conceptual knowledge that’s engaging for students and teaches real-life application✅The homework debate: How do we distinguish between unproductive busywork vs. when it’s helpful to do work outside of school? To connect with Tanya, you can reach out to her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheckley/You can learn more about her podcast, Rebel Educator at: https://www.rebeleducator.com/Learn more about UP Academy at: https://www.upacademysf.com/To learn more about Tanya’s availability for professional development program offerings, check out her website at: https://tanyasheckley.com/In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design services that support executive functioning in K-12 settings. You can learn more about the program at drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many clinicians are trained to focus on checklists and evaluations so we can walk in to work confident; knowing exactly what our protocols are. And while systems and processes are extremely important, we have to know how to use them flexibly. When we think about this in relation to cultural competency; we often think of eliminating biases in our evaluations and materials; but it goes so much deeper than that. We also need to think about how we interact with coworkers, how policies are impacting our students, or what’s going on in the community we’re working in. When we’re too rigid in the way we do things or the way we think about our work, we may unintentionally make students, clients, families, or even our coworkers feel unwelcome.That’s why I invited Melanie Evans to the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about the concept of “cultural competemility”, and how it can help teachers, leaders, and therapists think about cultural responsiveness.Melanie Y. Evans, M.S. CCC-SLP is an ASHA-certified bilingual pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist licensed to practice in Texas and Oklahoma. She is also the founder of Pediatric Speech Sister, whose mission is to assist other speech-language pathologists on their cultural competency journeys and bring more inclusion in the field. Melanie dedicates her career to serving Black and Latinx populations and closing the academic achievement gap.In this conversation, Melanie shares:✅How professionals can better support black and brown children✅What is the school to prison pipeline, and what are some reasons it’s persisting?✅Why being culturally responsive is a journey and not a set of rules✅How we can “read the room” and ask better questions when working with both clients and coworkers✅What is cultural competemility and how can teachers and therapists apply it to practice?In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design services that support executive functioning in K-12 settings. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipYou can connect with Melanie on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieyvonneevans/ follow her on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@PediatricSpeechSisterNetwork and follow her on Instagram @pediatricspeechsister (https://www.instagram.com/pediatricspeechsister/)You can read her post on “5 Ways to Support Black and Brown Children in Clinical Settings” here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBWI-YNBOmZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Other experts mentioned in this episode relating to the School to Prison Pipeline:Dr. Valencia Perry: https://www.speakwritethink.com/Dr. Shameka Stanford: https://www.instagram.com/drjuvenile_forensicslp/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

People working in the schools are often expected to make everything a priority all the time, without consideration of how they might be able to manage the backlog of projects. They have to say “No” to people who need help in the interest of saying “Yes” to others. They have to see the faces of the people their decisions are impacting. While there is an understanding that prioritization is part of the methodology in other industries and agencies, it's viewed with much more skepticism when it’s done in education. When teachers, school therapists, and school administrators have to say “No” they’re accused of focusing too much on test scores, being obsessed with funding, making it all about the grades and the standards, or not being inclusive and individualized enough for students. These concerns come with good intentions because they’re focused on STUDENTS. But how often do we ask, “What is the best scope and sequence for supporting the adults?”There are endless debates about what is and isn’t evidence-based, what is developmentally appropriate and reasonable to expect from students, and how we should design programs and services.Yet sometimes the research and developmental models don’t give us clear answers. Sometimes the “best” intervention plan on paper isn’t feasible (which means it really wasn’t the best after all). Making good decisions for students and clients isn’t JUST about what the research says. It’s about what’s going to help the adults get from point A to point B without burning out. That’s why I’m proposing an unconventional way to answer the question of, “What should I prioritize in instruction/therapy”? in episode 142 of the De Facto Leaders podcastI discuss answers to questions like:✅What are “child-focused” questions, and when should we settle for “good enough” answers?✅Core/content area knowledge versus problem-solving and application: Which is higher priority for teachers?✅Language therapy vs. executive functioning therapy: Can school clinicians address both? ✅Can schools borrow methods from business and tech companies to better serve students? ✅Scaffolded adult learning: What information and support do adults working in the schools need to do their jobs well?In this episode, I mentioned my Language Therapy Advance Foundations program that teaches SLPs how to create a language therapy system. Learn how to become a member here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/ I also mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers put executive functioning support in place on their school team. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipI also mentioned the following De Facto Leaders episodes:EP 113: Making literacy accessible and equitable (with Cassandra Williams) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-113-making-literacy-accessible-and-equitable-with-cassandra-williams/EP 122: Executive functioning for college students: Beyond checklists and planners (with Jill Fahy) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-122-executive-functioning-for-college-students-beyond-checklists-and-planners-with-jill-fahy/EP 123: Creating equitable systems for K-12 math (with Jonathan Regino) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-123-creating-equitable-systems-for-k-12-math-jonathan-regino/EP 129: Professional learning communities and curriculum reform in public and private education (with Tom Conroy) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-129-professional-learning-communities-and-curriculum-reform-in-public-and-private-education-with-tom-conroy/EP 131: What are tech and curriculum companies doing for K-12 education? (with Meg Hearn) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-131-what-are-tech-and-curriculum-companies-doing-for-k-12-education-with-meg-hearn/EP 138: Increasing access to instructional programs in rural districts (with Chris Dodge) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-138-increasing-access-to-instructional-programs-in-rural-districts-with-chris-dodge/EP 148: Unclicking success through sensory processing and team collaboration with Maude Le Roux): https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-148-unlocking-success-through-sensory-processing-and-team-collaboration-with-maude-le-roux/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Skeptics of the Science of Reading claim that the current push for evidence-based reading instruction is just another pendulum swing. Yet if you look at the research, we haven’t so much been “swinging” as much as we’ve been building, evolving, and expanding on what we know about how we learn to read.Even though the Science of Reading is “trending” as I write this, there are still many kids without access to quality instruction. Part of that has to do with teacher preparation programs and professional development available to teachers. Those responsible for teaching reading need to know how effective instruction looks.They ALSO need to be able to spot ineffective practices that actually encourage students to read poorly. That’s why I invited Melanie Brethour to episode 141 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about her personal and professional transformation as a special education teacher and literacy advocate. Melanie Brethour, is a full-time resource teacher from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is an advocate for dyslexia awareness and the Science of Reading. Her deep commitment to this cause was sparked by her son Benjamin's dyslexia diagnosis at the age of 9, which ignited a personal mission to understand dyslexia and support her and her students.Motivated by her son's journey, Melanie embarked on extensive research and training, achieving Orton Gillingham associate-level certification, CERI structured literacy classroom teacher, and won Nessy Dyslexia Aware teacher of the year in 2023. She gives presentations to colleagues, teachers and parents on dyslexia and the Science of Reading.Driven to help others facing similar challenges, Melanie established Decoding Dyslexia Quebec, a grassroots movement dedicated to raising awareness and providing support. In addition, she launched Soar With Dyslexia on social media, offering resources and information to teachers and parents navigating the complexities of dyslexia and the science of reading. Melanie also volunteers for Dyslexia Canada, lending her support to parents on this difficult journey and is a board member of Teacher’s For Reading Canada, which offers free Orton-Gillinghan training to Canadian teachers.In this conversation, we discuss:✅Ineffective reading strategies that are taught in teacher education programs, and why they encourage kids to be poor readers.✅Can you assume someone has expertise in reading curriculum just because they have an advanced degree? Why do educated people promote methods that don’t work? ✅The answer to common objections like, “But why do SOME of my students seem to learn reading “naturally”?✅How teachers and clinicians can make change from the “bottom-up” when “top-down” changes aren’t happening fast enough. You can connect with Melanie on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-brethour-a8155b200/ and follow her on Instagram @soarwithdyslexia (https://www.instagram.com/soarwithdyslexia/). You can learn more about Decoding Dyslexia here:https://www.decodingdyslexia.net/  and find out about Decoding Dyslexia-Quebec here: https://www.facebook.com/decodingdyslexiaquebec In this episode, I talked about Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program for SLPs and literacy interventionists who want to support the language strand of the reading rope. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many leadership initiatives in education need to come from the top…But change can happen when direct service providers emerge as leaders on their teams without waiting for permission from someone else. School administrators and other people making decisions at the district and policy level are constantly pulled in different directions. The further up the chain you go and the more people you’re managing, the longer it takes to make things happen.Good leaders WANT their teachers and therapists to come to them with ideas and show initiative. In fact, they often need their team members to show this leadership. But this can be scary to do if you don’t see yourself as a leader. When I first considered adding the school administration credential to my doctoral program, my initial gut response was “I’m not cut out for that” Seeing myself in that position seemed really difficult, and I don’t think this experience is unique to me. When people don’t pursue career transitions or leadership roles, it’s often NOT because they aren’t interested in the work. It’s often because they don't think they’ll be successful or they aren’t sure what their options are. It’s both a confidence issue and a clarity issue. That’s why I wanted to invite Meg Niman to the “De Facto Leaders” podcast to talk about working in education and the tech world, as well as the concept of an alter ego. Meg Niman (she/they) is the facilitator and founder of The Alter Ego Project. Her session, "Design Your Alter Ego: Who do you need to be?," was one of the most popular workshops at SXSW 2023. She works with companies as well as individuals to bring play, creativity, and curiosity to professional and personal development.Meg was a user experience designer for 17 years in San Francisco, Seattle, and Philadelphia. She worked for Microsoft, Fitbit, LeapFrog and many startups. Prior to tech, Meg taught elementary school with Teach For America.The Alter Ego Project blends Meg’s expertise in design thinking, personas, and creativity with her passion for helping people pursue a more authentic life.In this conversation Meg shares:✅What it was like working with Teach for America and why teaching is the hardest job she’s ever done.✅How she transitioned from education to tech, and how to leverage transferable skills and experiences. ✅Why many K-12 education problems are really just “human problems” that also exist in other agencies and fields.✅How team members can separate work-related disagreements from their personal relationships outside of team meetings.✅The Alter Ego Project: How to use alter egos to decrease burnout, level up in your career, and live a more intentional life.You can connect with Meg on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/megniman/ and at www.alterego-project.com.In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design services that support executive functioning in K-12 settings. You can learn more about the program at drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Learners in K-12 settings have changed over the past 25 years, and what were considered best practices in the 1990s may no longer work for learners in the 2020s.Much of this is due to technology, the invention of the Iphone, and the skills young adults need when entering the workforce.There’s a large amount of debate on how to address these evolving needs effectively, and that’s why I wanted to invite Dr. John Burkey to the “De Facto Leaders” podcast to talk about his experiences on the forefront of technology initiatives in the schools.Dr. John Burkey is the executive director of the Large Unit District Association of Illinois. The organization represents and supports 55 of the largest unit school districts in Illinois. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University where he teaches aspiring superintendents and school business managers. Burkey was previously the superintendent in Huntley Community School District in Illinois for 12 years. He also served as a middle school teacher and principal earlier in his career. He has three degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.In this episode, he discusses:✅How the invention of the Iphone has impacted students’ mental health and ability to be engaged in the learning process.✅How do we address concerns about attention span while allowing opportunities to build self-discipline and allowing access to phones for unexpected emergencies.✅Considering learner needs, age, and brain development when establishing classroom cell phone rules.✅What questions should we be asking to determine the impact and effectiveness of 1:1 device initiatives in schools? ✅Homework policies: Why asking “Is homework effective?” is the wrong question, and what we should be asking instead. You can learn more about how to connect with Dr. Burkey at the Large Unit District Association website here: https://www.ludaillinois.org/ You can listen to his podcast for school leaders, Forward to the Future here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-to-the-future/id1563555302 In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design services that support executive functioning in K-12 settings. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

If you’re providing therapy or tutoring services, contracting with schools, or offering professional development to K-12 professionals, you won’t want to miss this episode.As someone who has explored the possibility of school contracts, I’m always looking to learn more about how school leaders make decisions regarding budgets and staffing. I grew up in the Chicago area; which meant I lived in a community with an abundance of organizations, transportation systems, and districts with a variety of programming options. But when I relocated to a different part of the state, I found that the communities around me were way different than where I’d grown up. While there are several large districts near me, the surrounding communities were smaller, with fewer resources. Public transportation can be minimal, if it exists at all; which makes it difficult for certain families to access medical and therapy services. Some communities don’t have stop lights, let alone grocery stores or daycare centers. This makes it difficult for families to give kids a variety of experiences.School districts face similar challenges, because they’re less able to liaise with community organizations for field trips, after school programs, or educational placements for students needing special education. Serving high-needs populations becomes a challenge because many districts don’t have experts on-staff to conduct evaluations and provide specialized services. This means paying for outside consultants, service providers, and transportation fees for out-of-district placements. As a result, special education budgets for small districts can become unmanageable, putting school leaders in a very difficult situation. Cutting budgets can be devastating to all parties involved.Students may lose access to services, or at the very least need to switch providers.District staff have the burden of providing additional services or wearing multiple hats, adding additional responsibilities to their already full plates.What people don’t often realize is the emotional impact this has on the leaders who carry the burden of making these difficult decisions.  I often see negative comments about school leaders on various influencer accounts or in discussion groups. It can be very “us vs. them”. A lot of finger-pointing and assumptions about people in jobs that have an extremely high turnover rate (eg., directors, principals, superintendents). But I’ve yet to interact with a school leader who didn’t care about helping kids. That’s why I was so excited to talk with Chris Dodge, who’s had experience leading in both rural and urban districts. As lead learner in elementary school settings for ten years and currently the principal at the Thorndyke Road School is Worcester, MA, Chris works to create collaborative structures and systems that bring stakeholder voice into school level decision making, as well as strategies that promote student success and achievement. His schools utilize these systems to promote a vision of serving the whole child, ensuring that students' social-emotional and academic needs are being met. Most notably, in 2014, Christopher led the Dexter Park School in Orange, MA to become a MA Department of Education appointed Innovation School, awarded for its inclusionary practice work. Aside from the role as principal, Christopher has served on DESE's Principal/Teacher Advisory Cabinet, Commissioner Riley’s Return to School Teaching and Learning Working Group during COVID19, as well as on the MSAA (Massachusetts School Administrators Association) Executive Board. In this conversation, Chris shares common, but misunderstood barriers to school success that are prevalent in rural communities.He shares:✅Why transportation issues cause barriers to community engagement, educational placements, field trips, and instructional programming. ✅Challenges small districts face when hiring contractors and consultants, and professional development providers.✅Why districts cancel contracts with service providers and consultants, even when they have a strong working relationship.✅What school leaders look for when selecting a contractor or professional development provider for their staff.✅Why getting leadership training (e.g., degrees, certificates, experience) can be an asset to you, even if you don’t see yourself as a school administratorYou can connect with Chris on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/principaldodge1/, on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/PrincipalDodge1, and on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-dodge-a33343204/ In this episode, I mention my free training called, “How to be Evidence-Based and Neurodiversity-Affirming (by Supporting Executive Functioning)”. You can sign up for the training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Social skills groups have been widely criticized recently. They’re often labeled as ableist and not neurodiversity-affirming.I also take issue with the way social skills interventions are often delivered, but for a different reason. When social skills intervention is done, it’s often delivered via 1:1 therapy, in a “pull-out” model; where the child receives intervention in therapy or small class setting.I get regular emails from readers who tell me they see poor generalization, despite using these models.That’s because there’s a mismatch between the skills and the model. Back when I was in the schools, I did social skills groups. But I started to question my own practices when I had the opportunity to teach an autism course for teachers earning a masters degree with a specialization in autism. This was the first time I started to question my original assumptions about how to address things like social skills, pragmatic language, and executive functioning. My primary takeaway from that experience was that the SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL matters just as much as the intervention. There are many skills that can be adequately addressed in a “pull out” model. There are even some skills (even language skills) that can be MORE effectively addressed in a separate, more structured context in some situations. There are even times that SOME social skills intervention can happen in this setting. But ALL of the social skills intervention can’t happen in a pull-out model. A good portion has to happen outside of the therapy room with the right supports in place. This means we need to stop delivering siloed off services and instead work together as a team.I don’t believe ALL social skills interventions are ableist. I believe that INEFFECTIVE social skills interventions set kids up to experience social anxiety and miss out on opportunities to build skills and relationships. I recently released a training for speech-language pathologists, social workers, counselors, school psychologists and other related service providers who want to support executive functioning. In episode 137, I’m sharing a clip from that training. I start by talking about strategic planning, and why many kids can’t stay organized even though they’re using checklists and planners. Then I discuss why the “pull-out only” model doesn’t work for social skills.I wrap up by sharing what it really means to be neurodiversity-affirming.I share this information based on my many years of experience as a clinician, a mentor to therapists and teachers, and as a person who has experienced social anxiety.In this episode, I mention my free training called, “How to be Evidence-Based and Neurodiversity-Affirming (by Supporting Executive Functioning)”. You can sign up for the training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Most of us still don’t know what we want to be when we grow up, but at least we know more than we did when we wanted to be pro athletes or “movie stars” (the old people version of influencers). As we have conversations with kids and think about how to prepare them for adulthood, helping kids explore their passions and interests becomes challenging. Not all communities have access to the resources to be able to provide “real-life” career experiences to students. Transporting kids and prioritizing funding and resources becomes a logistical issue; which makes it hard to educate kids about their career options. On top of that, it’s difficult to help kids grasp what it might be like in a particular career; which means they might be missing out on opportunities to cultivate their skills and interests. But what if we had a way to bring career exploration TO students so they could explore their interests in an accessible, non-threatening way? With some of the new technology coming down the pipeline, it may be more possible that people think. That’s why I had Matt Chausee from Be More Colorful on “De Facto Leaders” for a special bonus episode to talk about innovative companies that are impacting K-12 education in a positive way. Matt Chaussee is the CEO of Be More Colorful, a midwest-based immersive media production studio whose platform, CareerViewXR, is rapidly gaining national attention. Matt, along with his wife (and company owner) Katie, lead an innovative team of creatives who are laser focused on making career exploration affordable, accessible, and fun! CareerViewXR provides students and adult career seekers across the country with an unprecedented opportunity to experience real-world careers through virtual reality technology. Recently selected from a field of over 2,000 applicants to be one of 33 Semifinalists for the prestigious Yass Prize, Matt will discuss the significance of the award, and how he sees tools like CareerViewXR transforming how we guide students on their educational journey.*If you have a vested interest in what’s happening in K-12 Education, take a look at some of the amazing work that’s being done by the Yass prize finalists. You can vote for 2 different organizations per day from now until November 25 to help select a winner of the parent choice awards. The winner of the prize will get $100,000, which they’ll devote to funding projects that support innovations in K-12 education. You can vote at: https://yassprize.org/voteIn this conversation we discuss some of the important work being done by Yass finalists, and how CareerViewXR is helping to educate kids on their career options, as well as align K-12 curriculum to foundational skills that impact future job skills. Learn more about the Yass Prize here: https://yassprize.org/You can vote for Yass Prize Parent Choice Award Winners at: https://yassprize.org/voteListen to other episodes about Yass Prize organizations on the BE Podcast Network. The principles of the Yass Prize are: Sustainable, Transformative, Outstanding, PermissionlessThis bonus episode was done to share how CareerViewXR aligns with the “Outstanding” principle. Learn how they’re aligning with other principles through accessibility and project-based learning on:Sustainable-The Principle PLN with Ross Romano. Link here: http://www.principalpln.com/Transformational-The Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones. Link here: https://transformativeprincipal.org/Permissionless-Rebel Educator with Tanya Sheckley. Link here: https://www.rebeleducator.com/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.