Look around your classroom.
The students who need the most are already there.
15%
67%
32%
of all U.S. public school students receieve special ed services under IDEA
of IDEA students spend 80%+ of their day in general education classrooms
of all IDEA students qualify under Specific Learning Disabilities - the single largest category
Source: NCES, Condition of Education 2024, U.S. Department of Education · nces.ed.gov
In a class of 30, you likely have 4–5 students with IEPs — and several more with unidentified learning differences. The majority of those students are in your room for most of the day. Under IDEA, you are part of their educational team whether you feel ready or not.
This isn't about doing more. It's about having the right tools to do what you're already trying to do.
What this means in a class of 30
Research suggests you likely have 1–3 students with dyslexia, 1–2 with dysgraphia, 1 with dyscalculia, and 1 each with auditory or visual processing differences — many of whom may not yet have a formal diagnosis.
These are not outlier students. They are your everyday classroom. The accommodations that help them — extended time, verbal instructions paired with written ones, graphic organizers, reduced copying from the board — are the same strategies that support every learner. That is what this workshop builds.
The students in your classroom every day -and what they actually need from you.
Specific Learning Disabilities is not one diagnosis.
It is six distinct learning differences -and at least one of them is sitting in your classroom right now.
Dyslexia
Dysgraphia
Dyscalculia
Auditory Processing Disorder
Visual Processing Disorder
Language Processing Disorder
Affects how the brain processes written language - decoding, word recognition, and spelling. Not a reflection of intelligence or effort.
Affects the ability to produce written language - handwriting, spelling, and written expression. Often co-occurs with dyslexia.
Affects the ability to understand numbers, number relationships, and mathematical reasoning. Not simply being bad at math.
Affects how the brain processes what the ears hear. Not a hearing problem - a processing problem. Can pass a standard hearing test.
Affects how the brain interprets visual information - separate from eyesight.
Affects the ability to attach meaning to language - both receiving and expressing it. Different from speech disorders, which affect articulation.
In the classroom:
"The student whose hand shoots up during discussion but shuts down the moment you ask them to read aloud - or whose written work never matches what they can tell you verbally."
"The student who works hard and still turns in something illegible - or who avoids writing tasks entirely, not out of defiance but because the physical act of writing is genuinely exhausting."
"The student who can't remember math facts despite drilling them daily - or who gets lost in multi-step problems not because they don't understand the concept, but because holding numbers in working memory is genuinely harder from them."
"The student who says "what?" constantly even from the front row - who does the better one-on-one than in whole-group instruction, and who gets lost the moment you give more than two directions at once."
"The student who copies from the board incorrectly, loses their place while reading, or can't make sense of a chart or diagram even when the concept is clear - and who no one suspects because their vision tested fine.
"The student who understands everything when you show them but gets lost the moment you explain it verbally - who gives one-word answers not because they don't know, but because finding and forming the right words takes more than the conservation allows."
If you recognized even one of these students -
this workshop was built for you. And for them.
You have IEP accommodations on paper but no clear picture of what they look like in practice
You're not always sure which behaviors are disability-related and which need a different response
You sit in IEP meetings uncertain about what you're supposed to contribute - and what you shouldn't say
You're collecting data because someone told you to, but you're not sure what matters or how to use it
You want the right tools for your most challenging students - you just haven't been given them yet
You received an IEP at the start of the year. Maybe a 504. Maybe a list of accommodations from a specialist you've never met. And somewhere between your other students, your pacing guide, and everything else — you're expected to know exactly what to do for each of them.
This isn't a failure on your part. Credential programs rarely teach disability-specific strategies. Annual compliance trainings focus on process, not practice. The gap between what's written on an IEP and what actually happens in a classroom isn't a reflection of your commitment — it's a reflection of missing training.
This isn't a knowledge gap. It's a training gap.
And three mornings can close it.
"She provided support to teachers in regard to instruction and classroom management. . . she is approachable and is a problem solver."
Catalina Chrest
Principal, Skyview Elementary
Practical skills you'll use every single week
You receive a student's IEP and know immediately what the accommodations mean - and what they look like in your specific classroom context.
Your data collection takes five minutes. Your SPED team can actually use it. And you can speak to student progress with confidence at any meeting.
You understand what's driving it - and whether the response needs an instruction adjustment, not just a behavior plan.
You know your role, your language, and your boundaries. You show up as a partner - and families feel it.
You have disability-specific strategies for the students who weren't reaching before - without redesigning your whole instructional approach.
The accommodations that help your most complex learners - graphic organizers, chunked directions, reduced copying - make your instruction stronger for everyone.
Understanding your students' specific learning profiles
Implementing accommodations - not just acknowledging them
Collecting
meaningful data - and knowing what to do with it
IEP meetings - what to say, what never to say, and how to be a genuine partner
Go beyond the label. Learn what each disability actually means for how a student receives, processes, and demonstrates learning. Read an IEP like a roadmap - not a compliance document. Understand the difference between SLD subtypes and why that difference changes your instruction.
The gap between what's on an IEP and what happens in a classroom is where students fall through. You'll leave with concrete, disability-specific strategies you can use the next school day - for dyslexia, ADHD, auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder, and language-based learning differences.
What data actually matters for IEP progress monitoring, how to collect it without consuming your planning time, and how to use it in productive conversations with your SPED team and families.
The exact language that protects you and serves students. Your role as the general education teacher of record. How to communicate with families confidently and collaborate with your SPED team - even when it's hard.
"Ms. Hunter was acutely aware of the hard work and dedication that our teachers put forth and was able to validate the work teachers have done while working side by side with them. . .giving teachers the tools necessary to support students on their path towards rigor."
- Emily Toone, Director of Educational Services
This is what the training actually builds -
not just in your knowledge, but in your classroom
WEEK ONE
EVERY MONDAY
WHEN BEHAVIOR SHOWS UP
AT THE IEP TABLE
WITH YOUR HARDEST STUDENTS
ACROSS YOUR WHOLE CLASSROOM
That's not compliance. That's a classroom that actually works for every learner. And that's what we build toward.
If your site is sending administrators to the leadership workshop, your whole school leaves with a shared language. Teachers know how to implement. Leaders know how to support and monitor. That alignment is where real change happens
Build shared understanding
Responsive Instruction & Systems
Inclusive Design
Defensible practices
Growth Through Collaboration
Ensure Access
- General education teachers with students who have IEPs or 504 plans
- Special education teachers who want a stronger classroom implementation framework
- Instructional aides and paraprofressionals supporting students with disabilities
- New teachers who never received adequate training on learning differences
- Experienced teachers ready to close the gap between what's on the IEP and what's happening in their room
- District and site leaders (see the leadership workshop)
- Teacher looking for a general awareness overview with no classroom application
Jennifer has spent over 20 years as a teacher, principal, and IEP advocate. She has sat in IEP meetings as the administrator, as the advocate, and as the person across from the table from a family who felt unheard. She knows what teachers need - because she's been one, and because she's seen what happens in classrooms when that training is missing.
"My advocacy work doesn't fight schools, it helps families and schools find the same answer. A child who gets what they need. A system that actually works. That's the outcome I build toward, from every side of the table."
"Her vast expertise and ability to share her knowledge in a comprehensible and respectful manner makes Ms. Hunter member of any team, school, or district partner."
- Christine Rich, Orenda Education
"She has a proven track record of successfully implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives in districts — working with teams of teachers, counselors, and administrators to develop progress monitoring systems that support equitable educational outcomes for all students."
- Bambi Smith, Orenda Education
Most districts fund teacher PD through Title II, Part A, LCFF Supplemental grants, or California's new Student Support & Professional Development Block Grant. At $497 per teacher, a team of 10 costs less than $5,000 — and we'll send you a complete funding guide with ready-to-use LCAP and SPSA language to share with your administrator when you register.
Will I get a certificate of completion?
Do I need to have students with IEPs to benefit?
Yes. All participants receive a certificate of completion that can be submitted for professional development hours.
You almost certainly do. 15% of U.S. students receive special education services, and many more have unidentified learning differences. This workshop prepares you for the classroom you have.
Can my whole grade-level or department attend together?
Yes - and it's the most effective way to use this training. When a team attends together you build shared language and consistent practices across classrooms. Contact us directly for groups of 4 or more.
I've already attended an inclusion training. How is this different?
Most inclusion trainings focus on awareness. This workshop is about implementation - what you do on Tuesday with the specific student in front of your. If you left your last training without disability-specific strategies you could use immediately, this is different.
What is the cancellation policy?
Registrations are transferable - you can send a colleague in your place at any time. Please contact us at least 7 days before the event for any changes.
Is ongoing support available after the workshop?
Yes. Follow-up coaching, on-site PD customized to your team's gaps, and district consulting are all available. Many participants continue working with Jennifer after the workshop.
Practical strategies grounded in research - for the students who are already in your classroom, starting day one.
Questions first? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation
RESEARCH SOURCES FOR THIS PAGE
NCES. (2024). Students with Disabilities. Condition of Education. U.S. Dept. of Education. nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg
International Dyslexia Association. Dyslexia Basics. ida.org
Katusic, S.K. et al. (2001). Incidence of reading disability. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Shalev, R.S. et al. (2001). Developmental dyscalculia. Journal of Child Neurology.
Bigras, J. et al. (2024). Interventions for school-aged children with APD. Healthcare, University of Ottawa. PubMed 11203214
Columbia University Irving Medical Center. (2020). Prevalence of NVLD. JAMA Network Open.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. (2024). Visual perceptual difficulties in schools. PubMed 11656488
Georgan, W.C. & Archibald, L.M.D. (2023). SLI or SLD? Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. PubMed 10023181
NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dysgraphia. ninds.nih.gov