One of my favorite things to think and learn about throughout my graduate studies was the topic of organizational change. It is a topic that is rich with theories, research, action plans, buzz words and reams and reams of paper written about what it is, how it manifests itself, and how to be a leader within it. I love thinking about it, and even more, I love talking to people in schools about how to attain it, and what it could look like. Continue reading
A great deal of my consulting work has come about through parents of kids with disabilities inviting me to be a part of their son or daughter’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings. IEPs are the central paperwork portion of the special education services that students receive in schools, and are filled with loads of information that is used throughout a school year to meet the needs of kids with disabilities.
It has been my experience that IEPs can be beautifully written and executed. I have also experienced IEPs that are basically useless paperwork that follows a child through their school years without much meaning. The intent is for it to be the former, but that is, unfortunately in many cases, not how they are written or used. Continue reading
Jennifer Sommerness 