When the System Fails the System: Using Data, Courage, and Collective Voice to Drive Change in Special Education Technology Implementation

Data-driven advocacy: systematic staff surveying, financial impact modeling, IDEA compliance risk framing, and coalition-building as tools for special education administrators navigating system-level decisions outside their direct control. Includes internal staff support strategies — structured training programs, two-year mentoring, and sustained live virtual office hours — that kept a team functional while advocacy work was underway.

Melanie Hackett, South Bend Community School Corporation

Coaching for Success: Systems, Data, and Support in Special Education

-Introduction- Background information about our district and how our department functions -Purpose of Special Education Instructional Coach

-Developing routines in teachers to analyze data and information about students to drive recommendations and improve student outcomes strategically.

-Coaching Model (consult, couch, observe, model, reflect)

-Support teachers in organization models to track services, progress monitoring, and in general the flow of Special education paperwork

-Coaching support in IEP Development

-Data organization- turning ILEARN Checkpoint data around quickly using AI and formulas

-Special Education Instructional Coach Dashboard and Special Education Playbook (shared resources)

Chrissy Giraud, Valparaiso Community Schools

Sue Foster, Valparaiso Community Schools

Beyond the Spreadsheet: Building a K-8 Blueprint for Systemic Data and Targeted Intervention

To move from being "data rich" to "data ready," we must convert raw scores into high-impact instructional responses. This session introduces a solid K-8 framework designed to seamlessly bridge grade-level trends with individual student needs.

Laura DelVecchio, Plainfield Community Schools

Justin Tobey Plainfield Community Schools

Courage in Action: The Behavior Bootcamp Blueprint

Student behavior challenges continue to be one of the most pressing issues facing today's schools, while staffing shortages and high turnover create additional barriers to providing consistent support. How can schools retain valuable staff and equip them with the confidence and skills needed to work effectively with students with the most significant behavioral needs?

Dana Williams, Exceptional Children's Cooperative

Shelly Reckelhoff, Exceptional Children's Cooperative

Book Study

Description Coming Soon!

Susan Mahoney, ICASE Opportunity and Accessibility Committee

Shifting Upstream: From Reactive Supports to Proactive Design

Move beyond reactive supports and compliance-driven systems. This session helps leaders design learning environments that proactively reduce barriers using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Participants will gain practical tools to increase access, reduce behavior challenges, and strengthen instructional systems for all learners.

Raihanne Garrett, MSD Steuben County

Coaching Teachers to Become Self-Directed Leaders

Participants will receive practical resources and implementation tools to support the coaching strategies presented during this session. The presentation will provide an overview of collaborative problem-solving coaching, Hall and Simeral's four stages of teacher self-reflection, and Cognitive Coaching practices that foster self-directed learning and leadership. Resources will include coaching conversation starters, observation and reflection tools, stage-identification guides, sample coaching scenarios, and action-planning templates. These materials are designed to help Special Education Directors, Assistant Directors, and Coordinators build teacher capacity, strengthen instructional practices, and develop sustainable coaching systems that improve student outcomes.

Melissa Dubie, Melissa Dubie Consulting LLC

Beyond the Office: Structured Resets That Restore Regulation, Engagement, and Accountability

This session will explore how structured resets can transform time out of class into purposeful, accountable opportunities that support student regulation, maintain instructional control, promote task engagement, and ensure successful re-entry into the learning environment. Without clear systems in place, time out of class can become inconsistent and unstructured, reducing staff confidence and instructional continuity. Participants will learn the differences between unstructured breaks, traditional office referrals, and structured resets, and will be provided with practical strategies and tools for implementing structured resets in response to student escalation and maladaptive behaviors to improve both student outcomes and classroom effectiveness.

Kris Baker, Shelbyville Central Schools

Megan Clem, Greenwood Community Schools

The Courage to Lead: Lessons Learned in Special Education Leadership

an actionable professional development session designed to equip special education administrators with the essential skills to navigate high-stakes conflict, foster collaborative family partnerships, respond effectively to state compliance investigations, and rebuild staff morale. It focuses on the following core areas:

Navigating Conflict with Colleagues:

Learn practical strategies for facilitating ""courageous conversations"" and mediating professional differences. Leaders will discover how to move past defensive roadblocks, align differing perspectives, and keep the focus squarely on student outcomes.

Developing Positive Relationships with Parents:

Explore methods for establishing mutual trust and ensuring IEP meetings are positive, solution-oriented experiences. This section emphasizes active listening, respecting family expertise, and maintaining a collaborative focus on the student and their individual needs.

Effectively Responding to IDOE Complaints:

Understand the mechanics of formal IDOE complaint investigations. Leaders will learn best practices for gathering documentation, managing the complaint investigation process, and communicating transparently with all stakeholders during a formal inquiry.

Improving Staff Morale and Developing Positive Culture:

Tackle compassion fatigue and widespread cynicism. Discover actionable ways to support staff through developing positive relationships, recognizing achievements, and cultivating an emotionally safe, collaborative school culture.

Emily Dykstra, Mitchell Community Schools

Leading with Collective Courage: Building Sustainable Behavioral Support Systems Without Burning Out Your Workforce

Sustainable behavioral support depends on strong systems that support the adults implementing them. This session explores how leaders can use a behavioral and systems lens to build staff capacity, improve implementation fidelity, and reduce burnout. Participants will gain practical strategies to move from one-time training to sustained, supportive team practices.

Tiffany Neal, HANDS in Autism Interdisciplinary Training and Resource Center, Indiana Institute on Disability & Community, Indiana University

Kristan Sievers-Coffer

Larissa Hartley

Amy Gaffney

PowerSchool Special Programs: Tips & Tricks 2.0 

This interactive session will highlight practical PowerSchool Special Programs tips and tricks, including time-saving workflows, reports, compliance monitoring tools, district settings, and troubleshooting techniques that help directors and administrators work more efficiently and consistently. You'll leave with actionable ideas you can implement immediately and renewed confidence that we're better together as we strengthen systems that support both staff and students.

Amy Everhart, Liberty-Perry School Corporation

Attacking Middle School Literacy--It's Never Too Late!

Discuss the reading needs of our middle school students. Outline the screeners that have been used schoolwide to identify the individual struggles for each student. Then discuss how we structured the school schedule in a way that allowed for intervention time. The specific intervention we used will be discussed as well as the unique district level position that was created in order to facilitate support for students. How to build buy-in from staff and train them to provide this type of intervention. Finally, a follow up on the change in reading skills for students over the course of an entire school year and the dramatic increases that followed.

John Murty, MSD of Wayne Township Schools

Tamara Overpeck, MSD of Wayne Township Schools

Dr. Linda Dowell, MSD of Wayne Township Schools

Building Smarter Systems: Using Special Education Compliance Dashboards to Improve Decision-Making, Accountability, and Outcomes

The SBCSC’s Special Education Compliance Dashboards, recipient of the 2025 Strategic Data Excellence Award from the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research, demonstrate how districts can leverage interoperable data systems to strengthen oversight, improve decision-making, and proactively address compliance needs. This session will provide practical strategies for developing dashboard systems that improve data visibility, reduce administrative burden, and support stronger outcomes for students, staff, and district leadership.

Joel Boehner, South Bend Community School Corporation

Inclusion in Action: Practical Strategies to Support Every Learner

This interactive session explores practical strategies for creating inclusive classrooms where all students feel valued, supported, and included. Educators will learn approaches to strengthen peer relationships, reduce isolation, support diverse learning needs, and build effective communication with families. Participants will leave with actionable tools to improve student engagement, well-being, and classroom community.

Frances Rivera, Indianapolis Public Schools

Reset, Reregulate, and Listen - Creating a multi-tier system to address social and emotional needs

Avon High School developed a multi-tiered system of support designed specifically to address the increasing social and emotional needs of students while maximizing access to instruction. This session will provide educational leaders and special education administrators with a practical framework for designing tiered SEL supports within a secondary setting. Participants will learn how Avon High School implemented a three-tiered approach that includes a dedicated Reset Room, sheltered IMPACT classes, and individualized safety plans with push-in supports for students experiencing emotional or behavioral dysregulation. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies, implementation considerations, and systems-level structures that can be adapted to fit their own district needs.

Jennifer Dezarn-Lynch, Avon Community School Corporation

Robb King, Avon Community School Corporation

Holly Capps, Avon Community School Corporation

Mallory Hawkins, Avon Community School Corporation

Leading Without Losing Yourself: Sustainable Leadership for Special Education Leaders

Special education leaders are expected to lead through complexity, crisis, compliance demands, staffing shortages, and increasing student needs—often without the support structures necessary to sustain themselves long term. This interactive session equips leaders with practical strategies for reducing burnout, strengthening emotional resilience, improving decision-making, and building sustainable leadership practices that support both adult wellness and student success.

Dr. Tijana Davis, Indianapolis Public Schools