Conversations by IEP Assure

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Podcast by IEP Assure

Conversations by IEP Assure

Conversations by IEP Assure Where Special Education, Innovation, and Real-World Teaching Come Together Conversations by IEP Assure brings together educators, parents, leaders, and innovators who are reshaping what’s possible for students with disabilities. Each episode dives into the realities of special education—what’s working, what’s not, and what’s coming next—through honest conversations rooted in data, storytelling, and lived experience. Hosted by Allie Wilson, Special Education teacher, diagnostician-in-training, and founder of IEP Assure, the show spotlights voices from classrooms, districts, edtech, and research. From breakthrough tools that save teachers hours, to strategies that help families feel seen and supported, to the future of compliant, student-centered IEPs—this podcast is your hub for learning, advocacy, and meaningful change. If you care about equitable outcomes, teacher sustainability, and using technology ethically to improve the special education experience, you’ll feel at home here. Join the conversation. Reimagine what Special Education can be.

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Latest episodes

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05 June 2026

The Cost of Inclusion: Rethinking Funding, Staffing, and Support

What if the biggest challenge facing special education isn't funding—it's the systems surrounding it? Allie Wilson and Christina Santoro discuss inclusion, staffing shortages, teacher burnout, compliance, and how school leaders can create sustainable change that supports both students and educators.

School leaders everywhere are facing the same challenges: growing special education needs, staffing shortages, compliance pressures, and shrinking budgets. The common response is simple—schools need more funding.

In this episode, Allie Wilson, founder of IEP Assure, sits down with education consultant Christina Santoro to explore a bigger question: Are outdated systems preventing schools from effectively supporting students, teachers, and families?

Together, they discuss:

Why special education teacher shortages continue to grow
The hidden cost of underfunding inclusion
How districts can rethink resource allocation
The connection between compliance issues and system failures
Why teacher burnout is a leadership and systems challenge—not just a staffing challenge
How school leaders can begin building sustainable, long-term solutions

This conversation challenges the idea that more money alone will solve education's biggest problems and offers a fresh perspective on what meaningful change could look like.

Guest: Christina Santoro

Host: Allie Wilson, Founder of IEP Assure

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49:17

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05 June 2026

Why We Lose Students in Middle School And How to Change It

By middle school, many students have already started to disengage from their education—not because they can’t learn, but because they don’t understand themselves as learners.

In this episode of Conversations by IEP Assure, Allie Wilson is joined by Marjorie Archer to unpack what’s really happening during those critical middle school years. From students hiding their struggles to avoiding accommodations, they explore how a lack of self-advocacy leads to disengagement, behavior challenges, and missed opportunities.

You’ll walk away with practical strategies you can implement immediately, including how to:

Teach students to understand and name their disability
Normalize accommodations in the classroom
Build self-advocacy skills early
Use data to motivate and empower students
Shift from compliance to connection

If you’re a teacher, parent, or leader, this conversation will challenge how you think about support—and show you how to help students reconnect with their learning before it’s too late.

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46:28

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23 March 2026

If It’s Not Documented, It Didn’t Happen: The Legal Reality of IEP Compliance

In this episode of Conversations by IEP Assure, Allie Wilson sits down with Peter Kauffman to unpack the legal foundations of special education compliance.

With experience spanning teaching, school governance, and education law, Peter provides a rare, full-system perspective on how compliance actually functions—and where it breaks down.

This conversation focuses on helping educators, administrators, and families better understand the legal realities behind IEP implementation, documentation, and student rights.

What You’ll Learn

What legally qualifies as a denial of FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education)
The difference between procedural vs. substantive compliance issues
Why documentation (service logs, communication, progress monitoring) is critical in legal disputes
Common compliance gaps that occur across schools and districts
The role of educators vs. families in protecting student rights
How legal protections shift from IDEA (K–12) to ADA (college and beyond)
What proactive compliance systems should look like in schools

Key Takeaway

Strong compliance is not just about doing the work—it’s about being able to clearly show that the work was done.

Who This Episode Is For

Special Education Directors
School and District Administrators
General and Special Education Teachers
Parents and Advocates
Anyone navigating IEP implementation or compliance

Why This Matters

Compliance gaps are rarely caused by lack of effort—they’re caused by unclear systems, inconsistent documentation, and misaligned expectations.

Understanding the legal framework behind special education helps schools move from reactive problem-solving to proactive, student-centered support.

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50:00

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23 March 2026

Behind the Build: Introducing IEP Assure’s CTO, Eric Roma

In this episode, Allie sits down with Eric Roma, the Chief Technology Officer of IEP Assure, to officially introduce him to the community and share the story behind how the platform is being built.

Eric has been part of IEP Assure from the very beginning and formally transitioned into the CTO role in November. Together, Allie and Eric discuss what it takes to build special education software responsibly—from data integrity and compliance guardrails to why accuracy, trust, and educator workflows matter more than flashy AI features.

This conversation takes listeners behind the scenes of:

What a CTO actually does in an early-stage edtech company
How IEP Assure approaches AI with intention and safeguards
Why technical decisions directly impact teachers, students, and districts
How firsthand classroom experience shapes product architecture

Whether you are an educator curious about how edtech tools are built, a district leader thinking about compliance risk, or a founder navigating technical leadership, this episode offers a transparent look at how mission-driven education technology comes together.

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43:38

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23 March 2026

Adapting the Work: Mindset Shifts, Smart Automation, and Sustainable Systems in Education

In this episode, Allie and Joe explore what it really means to adapt your work to your needs — not the other way around.

Rather than chasing more tools or faster fixes, they talk through the mindset shifts educators and leaders need to make, how to identify where automation can genuinely help (and where it shouldn’t), and how to build systems that support sustainability instead of burnout.

They discuss:

How to identify pain points worth automating — and which ones aren’t
Mindset shifts that help educators work with systems instead of against them
Why personalization matters more than speed
How adapting workflows can reduce cognitive load and compliance stress
What “supportive automation” actually looks like in real classrooms

This conversation is reflective, practical, and grounded in lived experience — focused on making the work of education more humane and manageable.

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01:02:00

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09 March 2026

Mantha x IEP Assure

In this episode of Conversations by IEP Assure, Allie Wilson sits down with special education advocate and educator Mantha Camacho to discuss the real challenges educators face when supporting students with disabilities.

Together, they explore what it actually looks like to implement IEPs in real classrooms, the pressure teachers experience when balancing compliance with meaningful instruction, and why many current systems make special education harder than it needs to be.

Mantha shares her perspective from working directly with students and educators, highlighting the gaps between policy and practice and the importance of tools that support teachers rather than overwhelm them.

This conversation also dives into how technology, when designed correctly, can help educators stay compliant while focusing on what matters most: supporting students.

Topics we discuss:

The reality of implementing IEPs in busy classrooms
Why documentation and compliance create stress for educators
How special education systems can better support teachers
What meaningful progress monitoring actually looks like
The role of technology in improving special education outcomes

IEP Assure was created by educators to simplify documentation, track accommodations, and help schools ensure students with disabilities receive the support they deserve.

Learn more about IEP Assure:

www.iepassure.com

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