DiveIn: Diving into Special Education's Most Complex and Pressing Debates

As we gear up for DiveIn's upcoming season 4 and a new series on inclusive education, we're revisiting a conversation that offers the perfect starting point: a global perspective on inclusion, disability, and educational equity.In this episode, Federico talks with Maya Kalyanpur, professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of San Diego. Dr. Kalyanpur began her career teaching children with intellectual disabilities in India, served as an advisor on inclusive education to Cambodia's Ministry of Education, and has conducted research throughout South Asia and the United States.Together, they explore:What we mean when we talk about the Global South and why the term is more political than geographicHow disability and inclusion are understood differently across cultural contextsWhy educational models developed in the United States and other Western countries do not always translate well to other parts of the worldThe tensions between international inclusion policies and local knowledgeLessons from India and other countries about community, family, work, and disabilityHow educational systems can unintentionally create new forms of exclusion while attempting to promote inclusionWhat scholars and practitioners in the United States can learn from the Global SouthWhy humility, collaboration, and listening to communities are essential for advancing equity in special educationThroughout the conversation, Dr. Kalyanpur challenges us to rethink some of the assumptions we take for granted about disability, schooling, independence, and inclusion. Rather than exporting solutions from the Global North, she argues for building educational systems that emerge from the cultural values, histories, and lived experiences of local communities.As DiveIn prepares to launch its new series on inclusive education, this episode provides an important reminder: before debating how inclusion should happen, we need to ask whose perspectives are shaping our understanding of what inclusion means.

In this first episode of the third season of DiveIn launch of this four-part mini series called Learning to Live Together. The mini series was originally produced for the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance (MAP) Center with Sarah Diem, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri. Learning to Live Together is a four-part podcast series about inclusion and school integration in the twenty-first century. Across the four episodes, we delve into the meanings, tensions, and practices of integration and inclusion in today’s context. In this first episode, we discuss different understandings and terms that are used to describe similar longings. Terms such as inclusion and integration, and inclusive education are used depending on individuals’ social struggles and what kind of social group they may be discussing. In episode one, we hear from our interviewees as to how they define integration and inclusion, and how their experiences and identities impact these definitions. EPISODE TRNSCRIPT

In this episode, I sit down with Naomi N. Shelton and Jennifer Coco to unpack the complex realities facing students with disabilities (SWDs) in the charter school sector. We explore the persistent patterns of exclusion that keep SWDs on the margins—and, more importantly, spotlight the powerful efforts underway to disrupt these inequities. Our conversation highlights community-rooted charter schools led by Black, Brown, and Indigenous educators and leaders, revealing the transformative potential of these models to redefine charter schools.We also examine the shifting political landscape, discussing how recent policies and the Trump administration’s influence could reshape the capacity of charter schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Finally, we take a critical look at the growing movement for religious charter schools and the risks they pose for equitable, accessible education.This is a must-listen for anyone invested in educational justice, disability rights, and the evolving charter school movement.EPISODE TRANSCRIPTSome of my work on this topic Excluded by Choice: Urban Students With Disabilities in the Education MarketplaceCan Charter Schools Address Racial Inequities Evidenced in Access to the General Education Classroom? A Longitudinal Study in Chicago Public SchoolsA Longitudinal Comparison of Enrollment Patterns of Students Receiving Special Education in Urban Neighborhood and Charter Schools

In this podcast, we tackle a pressing and timely issue: the growing role of AI in education. With Mary Rice, Joaquin Arguello, and Richard Carter Jr., I explore the potential benefits and hidden risks of AI technologies. Can AI help address long-standing inequities faced by students with disabilities and other marginalized learners—or could it deepen existing disparities? We examine questions of transparency, standardization, and the evolving relationship between AI, teachers, and students. Beyond critique, we also imagine what AI could be: a tool for transforming schools into more equitable, just, and inclusive learning spaces.TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE Resources Let’s CHAT About Artificial Intelligence for Students With Disabilities: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-AnalysisThe Use of Artificial Intelligence with Students with Identified Disabilities: A Systematic Review with Critique

This is the trailer for DiveIn.