Episode 40: A Family's Journey to Inclusion, Part 2

This is part two of Arthur’s conversation with Maureen from IncludeNJ and a parent who is advocating for her child to be included in the classroom. Listen to find out what advice our guest has for districts and other parents who are working toward a more inclusive environment for their students.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 37: The Importance of Listening, Having Empathy and Awareness

On today’s episode, I welcome my guest Amara. Amara is an inclusion facilitator with NJCIE. During our conversation, we discuss how Amara has been applying her over 10 years of experience in education, and her interest in servant leadership in her role as an inclusion facilitator, and also what she is most looking forward to in this position with NJCIE.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 36: A Conversation About The New Jersey Inclusion Project

The Inclusion Think Tank Podcast is back with a brand new episode. Today, Arthur is joined by his guests Brittany Seeley and Dr. Kelli Petrone. Brittany and Kelli discuss the New Jersey Inclusion Project (NJIP) grant. If you are a school administrator in New Jersey, you can sign up for NJCIE’s Community of Practice meeting, training, and discussion session here:   https://www.njcie.org/cop

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Arthur Aston
Episode 34: The Power and Importance of Collaboration

On today's episode, I welcome my guests Monica Ahern and Maureen Picolli-Kerne, in this part one of our conversation, Monica and Maureen, share what has surprised them most having both worked in school districts and now as parent advocates. They also share some of the common challenges that parents face when they are pushing toward an inclusive education environment for their children.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 31: Special Education, Is Not a Place, It Is a Service

On today's episode, I welcome my guest, Christopher Conklin. Chris is the superintendent of the Caldwell-West Caldwell Public School District in New Jersey. This is part one of our conversation. Join me as I welcome Chris along with Fred from NJCIE. We discussed Chris's 30 years as an educator and we found out his thoughts on the topic of what characteristics make a good leader.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 30: Creating An Inclusive Culture

On today’s episode, I welcome my guest Dr. Jessica Neu. Jessica is one of the NJCIE Honors recipients of 2023. Jessica is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Perth Amboy School District. Join our conversation as we discuss some of the inclusive programs Perth Amboy has implemented to create a district-wide culture of inclusion.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 29: Celebrating Each Success

On today’s episode, I welcome my guest Alison Zylinski. Alison is the Director of Special Services for Bradley Beach School District. She is one of NJCIE’s Honors recipients of 2023. Join our conversation as we explore what inclusive education means to Alison, and what advice she has for districts that think inclusion is difficult to achieve.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 28: Rising to the Occasion

On this episode of the podcast, I welcome my guest Dr. Teresa Herrero-Taylor. Teresa is the Director of Special Services In Jackson New Jersey. During our conversation, we discuss the challenges and barriers of inclusion from a statewide perspective, and also how schools can support parents who believe that separate placement is better for their children who have disabilities.

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Arthur Aston
Episode 26: The Characteristics of a Good Leader

MaryAnn Joseph joins me on this episode of the Inclusion Think Tank Podcast. MaryAnn is a National Board Certified teacher and is a teacher-leader as a current college professor and a former special education consultant with the New Jersey Department of Education. During our conversation, we discuss some important characteristics of what makes someone a leader, and the three essential leadership components of inclusive education

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Arthur Aston