In this session, participants will be introduced to the laws requiring the integration of the histories of LGBTQ people and people with disabilities. The session will primarily focus on reviewing and selecting classroom materials to meet this inclusive mandate.

Meet Our Presenters

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Michelle Damiani, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education at Rowan University. She is also a professor-in-residence at a local early childhood elementary school. She received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Syracuse University. Formerly, she was a public school elementary special education teacher and a new teacher mentor. In her teaching and research, she uses a disability studies in education framework to support building capacity in schools by expanding the use of inclusive pedagogy and practices. She is also specifically engaged in research around understanding the experiences of teachers with disability and diversity in the teacher workforce.

Cathy A.R. Brant, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Equity in Teacher Education at Rowan University. A graduate of Rutgers University (B.A. & M.Ed.), Cathy began her educational career as an elementary teacher in New Jersey. After six years teaching, she attended The Ohio State University for her doctoral degree. Her research involves two strands: LGBTQ+ topics in education/teacher preparation and elementary social studies education. Cathy is currently researching the experiences of gender diverse youth in schools. She is also currently involved in a project helping elementary grade teachers integrate social studies and English language arts instruction (ELA).

This session is for educational leaders who are interested in promoting effective co-teaching practices in their school or district, whether they are an administrator, Child Study Team member, guidance counselor, teacher, or other educator. Participants will deepen their understanding of the important roles educational leaders play in this endeavor, as well as prevailing co-teaching models; engage in collaborative, solution-based problem solving around common challenges; and walk away with ideas, strategies, and resources for their community’s next steps on the co-teaching journey.

Meet Our Presenter

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Taija Haller, MA, is a Technical Assistance Specialist with the Learning Resource Center-South dedicated to supporting educators as they implement inclusive practices and cultivating a professional learning community for novice teachers. Previously, she was a middle school special educator in a Title I school for thirteen years. During this time, she also served as the Special Education Department Chair and a new teacher mentor. She has extensive experience with co-teaching, having partnered with over 20 co-teachers in multiple grade levels and content areas. She has a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies.

Session will review the types of brain states and the application to academic and social emotional learning. We will explore the connection to classroom behaviors educators are seeing across classrooms, and strategies to maximize student learning. Participants will engage in an experiential process that can be utilized with all educators and students.

Meet Our Presenter

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Kara Ieva, PhD (she/her/ella) holds many identities. In addition to being a wife, mom, school counseling advocate, and co-conspirator in working to dismantle oppressive educational practices, policies, and systems, she is a Professor in the Counseling in Educational Settings program at Rowan University. Her educational career spans over 20 years as a former Spanish teacher, administrator, and professional school counselor, and counselor educator. Kara uses her research for advocacy by using asset-based approaches to empower student agency while promoting equity and wellness (academic and mental health). Her specific interests include social emotional development (with students, in classrooms, embedded in content, educator SEL, and systemic tiered interventions centered on promoting healthy identities), group counseling, and post-secondary/career development (First Gen & STEAM). She consults and delivers professional development nationally to PK-12 counselors, teachers, and administrators on strategies for cultivating a safe, equitable, and inclusive mental health and neurodiverse cultures in schools.

Using resources and discussion strategies applicable to ELs/EBs in P-12 settings, participants will learn and apply action possibilities for increasing ELs’/EBs’ engagement with and access to content and language.

Meet Our Presenter

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Brooke Hoffman, PhD is a Lecturer of Multilingual and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Coordinator of the ESL Certificate and Bilingual Endorsement graduate programs at Rowan University. She taught English in China for 3 years; third grade in Elizabethtown, PA for 1 year; and Math and Science to middle school English Learners (ELs) in inclusive classrooms for 10 years with the School District of Philadelphia.

Disproportionate representation of students of Color in special education is well documented. In this session, we will engage in intersectional pedagogy by exploring students' accounts to understand power and privilege, and disrupting the deficit perspectives about students of Color’s multiple identities in the classrooms through mini-lecture and exploratory activities.

Meet Our Presenter

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Shehreen Iqtadar, EdD, is an Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education at Rowan University. She received her EdD in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Disability Studies and Inclusive Education from University of Northern Iowa. Formerly, she taught as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Urban Education Preparation program at Indiana University-IUPUI. As a female researcher of Color, and recent immigrant to the United States, she is specifically sensitive to the issues of power, justice, and students’ intersectional identities within the education system. In her teaching and research, she uses intersectionality framework to discuss and support inclusive education in schools. Her research is focused on student voice and identity work in urban education systems at the intersections of race, immigration, class, gender, and dis/ability.

In this interactive workshop, we will explore strategies to support co-planning, co-instruction, and co-assessing students in middle and high school STEM classrooms. Participants will engage in activities that focus on applying co-teaching models, Universal Design for Learning, and differentiated instruction in their current practice, as well as tips for navigating a true partnership with their co-teacher.

Meet Our Presenters

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Alicia Drelick EdD, is a Lecturer for the Department of Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education (IIE) at Rowan University. She is a certified Assistive Technology Professional and former special education teacher. Dr. Drelick's interests are in assessment in special and inclusive education, and leveraging instructional, accessible and assistive technologies to support students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom.

Jill Perry, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education committed to collaborating with middle and high school educators to create inclusive learning spaces where students are positioned as capable young mathematicians. Her research focuses on students’ mathematical communications and representations as they negotiate understanding independently and in small and large groups.

Providing a top 10 list of what you should know about neurodiversity with critical reflection questions and time to connect to rethinking school policies and procedures and reviewing LRC resources.

Meet Our Presenters

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Amy Accardo, EdD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education, at Rowan University's College of Education. The focus of Dr. Accardo’s teaching and research is promoting equitable education opportunities for individuals with disabilities grounded in neurodiversity and critical inclusion. Current projects include increasing access to postsecondary education for the growing number of autistic young adults, and reducing the literacy research to practice gap.

Madeline P. Boehning, M.S.Ed, is a graduate assistant in the Educational Services and Leadership Department, and a second year PhD student in the special education concentration. Prior to joining Rowan, she worked as a secondary English language arts and humanities teacher in co-taught and inclusive classrooms. Ms. Boehning’s research interests include the policies, school structures, and teaching methods that support both general and special education teachers as they work to create inclusive classrooms. She is also interested in the representation of neurodivergence and dis/ability in the K-12 curriculum.

Interdisciplinary curriculum connections provide rich learning opportunities for students to engage in social studies and literacy content and practices. In this session, we will explore ways to use notable and high-quality children’s literature to open up inclusive practices in elementary social studies content.

Meet Our Presenters

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Cathy A.R. Brant, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Equity in Teacher Education at Rowan University. A graduate of Rutgers University (B.A. & M.Ed.), Cathy began her educational career as an elementary teacher in New Jersey. After six years teaching, she attended The Ohio State University for her doctoral degree. Her research involves two strands: LGBTQ+ topics in education/teacher preparation and elementary social studies education. Cathy is currently researching the experiences of gender diverse youth in schools. She is also currently involved in a project helping elementary grade teachers integrate social studies and English language arts instruction (ELA).

Brie Morettini, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education at Rowan University. She began her career in education as a kindergarten teacher. As a teacher, she had the privilege of teaching young children from a wide variety of backgrounds. Her students spoke many different languages and presented a wide range of skills, interests, and learning preferences. During her time in the classroom, she became an advocate of inclusive educational settings and humanizing, person-centered pedagogies. After a number of years in the classroom, she continued her own education in graduate school, studying teaching, learning, and curriculum. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for her Master's degree and the University of Maryland for her PhD. At Rowan, you can find her teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses with a critical lens. Her teaching philosophy and research reflect a commitment to better understanding teachers' perceptions and needs in an effort to develop educational settings that embrace children, families, communities, and teachers.

In this session, participants will have an opportunity to learn from a school leadership team about the steps they have taken to shift their school toward inclusive practices and programming, and their reflections about the experience of doing so. Join the conversation!

Meet Our Presenters

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Marques Stanard, MA, has served as an adminstrator in the Mount Laurel School District for 13 years and 7 years as a Principal. He has a Biology degree from Hampton University and a masters in Educational Leadership from Wilmington University.

Mary Anne Vastardis, MA, is an Assistant Principal at Mount Laurel Township Schools. She has a degree in Early childhood Education from the University of Rhode Island and her masters in Educationnal Leadship from TCNJ.

Shawn Blackshear, MA, serves as an Assistant Principal is Mount Laurel School District. He has a degree in Science Education from Delaware State University and a Master's degree in School Leadership from Wilmington University. Mr. Blackshear is also currently earning a Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership.

Michelle Damiani, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education at Rowan University. She is also a professor-in-residence at a local early childhood elementary school. She received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Syracuse University. Formerly, she was a public school elementary special education teacher and a new teacher mentor. In her teaching and research, she uses a disability studies in education framework to support building capacity in schools by expanding the use of inclusive pedagogy and practices. She is also specifically engaged in research around understanding the experiences of teachers with disability and diversity in the teacher workforce.

This session focus on how educators can support and advocate for community and school based adapted physical activity for their K-12 students​. 

Meet Our Presenters

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Maria Lepore-Stevens, EdD, is a lecturer in the STEAM department at Rowan University with a specialty in adapted PE. Dr. Lepore-Stevens is certified as a health & physical educator, adapted physical educator, and orientation & mobility instructor. She currently serves on the board of directors for Penn-Del AER and is a member of SHAPE New Jersey. In the summers, she spends her time teaching at sports camps for youth with disabilities. Dr. Lepore-Stevens’ research interests include community-based adapted physical activity programs, sport as a means of empowerment for youth with disabilities, and youth development through educational physical activity programming.

 

Step into the classroom of a former middle school co-teaching team, who will share their most successful tools for co-planning and instructional strategies for meeting the needs of all learners in the English Language Arts and Social Studies co-taught class. Participants will engage in activities that focus on applying co-teaching models, Universal Design for Learning, and differentiated instruction in their current practice, as well as tips for navigating a true partnership with their co-teacher.

Meet Our Presenters

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Taija Haller, MA, is a Technical Assistance Specialist with the Learning Resource Center-South dedicated to supporting educators as they implement inclusive practices and cultivating a professional learning community for novice teachers. Previously, she was a middle school special educator in a Title I school for thirteen years. During this time, she also served as the Special Education Department Chair and a new teacher mentor. She has extensive experience with co-teaching, having partnered with over 20 co-teachers in multiple grade levels and content areas. She has a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies.

Tanya Kidd, MEd, currently Assistant Principal at a local elementary school, was a middle school teacher in a Title I district for fourteen years, the majority of which were spent in a co-taught classroom. Tanya has contributed to both ELA and ESL curricula and led the Middle School Summer Learning Academy. She has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Elementary Education and Communication: Writing Arts from Rowan University, a Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with ESL Specialization from American College of Education, and has completed additional coursework at both Rowan and NJPSA/FEA in order to obtain Supervisor and Principal Certification.

Exploring and engaging with common assistive technology options that can serve all students. Benefits, considerations, and implementation ideas will be discussed.

Meet Our Presenter

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Alicia Drelick, EdD, is a Lecturer for the Department of Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education (IIE) at Rowan University. She is a certified Assistive Technology Professional and former special education teacher. Dr. Drelick's interests are in assessment in special and inclusive education, and leveraging instructional, accessible and assistive technologies to support students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom.

NJ Law C.18A:35-4.36a requires that K-12 schools incorporate instruction on diversity and inclusion as part of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. In this session, Elementary Teachers will learn how to include diversity topics in their classroom toward the goal of encouraging safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for all students.

Meet Our Presenters

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Cathy A.R. Brant, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Equity in Teacher Education at Rowan University. A graduate of Rutgers University (B.A. & M.Ed.), Cathy began her educational career as an elementary teacher in New Jersey. After six years teaching, she attended The Ohio State University for her doctoral degree. Her research involves two strands: LGBTQ+ topics in education/teacher preparation and elementary social studies education. Cathy is currently researching the experiences of gender diverse youth in schools. She is also currently involved in a project helping elementary grade teachers integrate social studies and English language arts instruction (ELA).

Michelle Damiani, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education at Rowan University. She is also a professor-in-residence at a local early childhood elementary school. She received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Syracuse University. Formerly, she was a public school elementary special education teacher and a new teacher mentor. In her teaching and research, she uses a disability studies in education framework to support building capacity in schools by expanding the use of inclusive pedagogy and practices. She is also specifically engaged in research around understanding the experiences of teachers with disability and diversity in the teacher workforce.

There’s more to teaching than assigning grades. Assignments are opportunities for students to learn when teachers provide meaningful, fair, equitable, and inclusive feedback. In this session, we will examine our own current grading policies and practices and analyze them for equity, access, and inclusion.

Meet Our Presenters

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Jill Perry, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education committed to collaborating with middle and high school educators to create inclusive learning spaces where students are positioned as capable young mathematicians. Her research focuses on students’ mathematical communications and representations as they negotiate understanding independently and in small and large groups.

Beth Wassell, EdD is a Professor in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Education Department at Rowan University. She teaches courses in the ESL, Bilingual, World Language, and Secondary Education programs. Her research focuses on language education in inclusive contexts.