Special Needs

Jane Pedersen, EdD, is the director of student services in Fremont School District 79 in Illinois. She has previously served as assistant director of educational services, an elementary school assistant principal, and a school psychologist for Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois.

Megan Clarke is the superintendent of a special education collaborative serving four school districts in Illinois. In addition to supporting the collaborative, her work focuses on building partnerships with parents, community agencies, and other districts.

Hillary Woest is a presenter, staff developer, and practitioner with over 24 years of experience in public education. She specializes in supporting Professional Learning Communities at Work® and Response to Intervention at Work™ in schools by helping them assess, refine, and optimize current systems of support for special populations and challenging demographics.

Matthew Rhoads, EdD, is an expert and innovator in educational technology and instructional strategy integration within online, blended, and traditional classroom settings. With a background in special education, he co-teaches regularly while coaching teachers and presenting professional development.

Discover how high school teacher Victoria Francis partnered with dyslexia tutor Yvonna Graham to integrate research-based supports for students struggling to read and comprehend high school texts. Learn how even the most resistant students responded when given access to readily available, low-cost tools that enabled full participation in classroom work.