Bright Spots in Education: Recent Episodes
The El Dorado Charter SELPA
Welcome to the Bright Spots Podcast, where The El Dorado Charter SELPA gives a microphone to content experts and practitioners doing timely and innovative work to support students across the state of California and beyond. In each episode, Program Specialist Jeremiah Whitten and Program Coordinator Moises Buhain interview an expert from the field of education and staff members from a district/LEA implementing a promising practice. To learn more about this podcast and access Charter SELPA resources, visit charterselpa.org
In Episode 13, Jeremiah interviews Assistant Superintendent of Tehama County DOE Veronica Coates on statewide dispute resolution trends and parent voice in the ADR community. Then, he interviews a live panel at the 2026 ADR Conference in Riverside, CA. Our panel features parent Andrea Rodrigues and other ADR SELPA and district practitioners, who share their perspectives on school/family collaboration and takeaways from the conference.
Resources:
For more conflict resolution resources visit www.pathways2partnership.org
For custom resources and walk throughs designed to help parents with the IEP process, visit https://highqualityieps.net/iep-journey/resources-for-families
For special education guidance, free online learning, and additional resources, visit www.charterselpa.org
Our host records live at the 2026 El Dorado Charter SELPA Inspiration to Action Symposium where the theme is Unlocking Doors, Opening Opportunities. Jeremiah sits down with renowned educator, storyteller, and inclusion rights advocate Dr. Shelley Moore to give listeners a preview on her keynote presentation for the conference, talk about rethinking curriculum and assessment to address needs instead of complete tasks, and share practical next steps to help unlock doors and remove barriers for students and their families.
Show Notes:
www.drshelleymoore.com
https://www.outsidepinconsulting.com/
Instagram: @drshelleymoore
Bsky: @drshelleymoore.bsky.social
Facebook: Dr. Shelley Moore
For additional resources, webmodules, and more, visit:
https://charterselpa.org/
Jeremiah interviews a live panel of charter leaders at the 2025 Charter SELPA Leadership Academy in Sacramento California. New Charter SELPA program coordinator Grace Ridgeway shares her favorite SELPA sped resources, and panelists give insight into challenges, solutions, and successes from the 2024-2025 school year.
Show Notes:
El Dorado Charter SELPA Special Education Procedural Guide
2025-2026 Annual Special Education Playbook
Charter SELPA Staffing Shortages and Credentialing Resources padlet
To access guidance documents, professional learning opportunities and other El Dorado Charter SELPA resources, visit www.charterselpa.org
More about our panelists:
Kerry Hinsche is a special education leader at iLEAD Exploration, an independent study charter school program celebrating the passions and interests of students through personalized learning. The independent study model supports learners with unique needs with an innovative educational approach.
Tim Drury
X - @TheTimDrury and @Chrysalis_CS
Facebook: Chrysalis Charter School
LinkedIn - Tim Drury
Instagram: chrysalischarter
chrysalis
In Episode 10, sponsored by Pathways to Partnership, Jeremiah sits down with David Dowling, live at the 2025 SELPA Administrators of California ADR Conference to discuss how important active listening, managing your own perspective, and intentional communication can be when resolving or managing disagreements.
Show Notes:
David Dowling
https://www.dowlingdisputeresolution.com/
https://law.pepperdine.edu/straus/ (Pepperdine Institute for Dispute Resolution)
Book Recommendation:
Getting To Yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury)
For more about Pathways to Partnership, visit www.Pathways2Partnership.org
Jeremiah records live at the annual Charter SELPA Leadership Academy in Long Beach, CA. In the Charter SELPA’s first collaboration episode with Pathways to Partnership, Jeremiah sits down with Aubrie Fulk and the P2P crew to learn more about their organization and how they support school leaders, parents, and IEP team members with proactive conflict resolution. Next, he interviews a panel of leadership academy attendees on initiatives at their school, how they support each other in their school communities, and developing stakeholder relationships.
Pathways To Partnership:
Aubrie Fulk, Director of Student, Family, & District Support
Alternative Dispute Resolution & Prevention, Tehama County Department of Education
https://pathways2partnership.org/
California Family Empowerment Center contact map
LEA Administrator Panel:
Cynthia Austin, Director of Special Education, New West Charter School https://www.newwestcharter.org/
Lizzie Downes, Special Education Program Administrator, https://greendot.org/
Tania Gómez- (She/Her/Ella)- Special Education Program Administrator
Green Dot Public Schools, California tania.gomez@greendot.org
Shalene Wright, Ed.D., Director of Student Services, Environmental Charter Schools
https://ecsonline.org/
Mrs. Ashlee Patel, Westlake Charter School, Coordinator of Special Education
www.westlakecharter.com
In Episode 8, we were able to record live at the 2024 El Dorado Charter SELPA Inspiration to Action Symposium. Our theme was The Power of Hope, and I got to sit down with keynote speaker and disability rights advocate Jennifer Wolfsheimer, as well as our morning speaker, best-selling author and professor Dr. Emad Rahim. Hundreds of educators from across the state were in attendance on location in San Diego, and the SELPA was able to recognize and celebrate several amazing schools, and educators for their innovation and dedication to creating hope and bright futures for their students.
Dr. Emad Rahim, PMP, OMCP, A-CSM, CMgr - FCMI
Lifecycle Capacity Consultant - Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute
Website: www.EmadRahim.com
Website: www.Inclusive360LLC.com
Featured: Huffington Post and Post Standard
Jennifer Wolfsheimer, MS, JD
Senior Program Associate (WestEd)
Linkedin profile: www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-wolfsheimer-9a52a87
For Episode 7, Moises and Jeremiah sit down with Diana Pastora Carson, the keynote speaker for the upcoming El Dorado Charter SELPA "A Time to Thrive" Symposium in Sacramento on Friday, January 27th, 2023. Diana speaks on the topic of inclusion and provides practical tips on how listeners can serve as allies for individuals with disabilities in their fight for equal rights and access. Diana also shares important inclusion resources and provides tips on how listeners can shift from inspiration to action for individuals with disabilities in their fight for equal rights and access.
To register for the SELPA’s in-person A Time to Thrive Symposium in Sacramento on 1/27/22, visit the link below:
https://edcoe.force.com/edcoeevents/s/lt-event?id=a4Q3l000000OCSiEAO
To learn more about Diana’s work, please visit the following links:
https://www.dianapastoracarson.com/
TED Talk Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruXB3lbiD3U
(Podcast) Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness that Matters
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-awareness-disability-awareness-that-matters/id1599152885
Additional Resources
Author Paula Kluth (many titles)
Disability Visibility by Alice Wong
Care Work by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Black Disabled Art History by Leroy Moore
The Pretty One by Keah Brown
Being Heumann by Judy Heumann
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (documentary film)
Phoenix Rising (documentary film series)
Think Inclusive with Tim Villegas (podcast)
Jeremiah records live at the annual Charter SELPA Leadership academy in Sacramento CA and interviews a panel of leaders from across the state on new initiatives at their schools, their improvement plans for the new school year, and key takeaways from the conference. Next, he sits down with conference presenter Jasmine Vance from System Improvement Leads, a CDE and CCEE collaborative project between EDCOE, WSGV, and RC SELPAs. Topics include the science of school improvement, and prioritizing change efforts for maximum impact.
Show Notes and Resources
To Learn more about our panelist schools, visit:
Urban Charter Schools Collective: http://urbancsc.org/ (Sacramento area)
Howard Gardener Community School: www.hgcschool.org (Chula Vista, San Diego)
Olive Grove Charter: https://olivegrovecharter.org/ (Central Coast, Santa Barbara or SLO County)
To access data protocols, training videos, and other resources from System Improvement Leads, visit www.systemimprovement.org or email info@systemimprovement.org
El Dorado County Office of Education: www.edcoe.org
West San Gabriel Valley SELPA: https://www.wsgvselpa.org/
Riverside County SELPA: https://rcselpa.org/
For more El Dorado Charter SELPA webmodules, training videos, and resources, visit our online learning center at http://charterselpa.org/online-learning-center/
In this week’s episode recorded live at the Charter SELPA “Embrace What’s Possible” Symposium in Sacramento, we interview our keynote speakers including musician and inspirational speaker Sparsh Shah, youth advocate and educator Donovan Hall, and leadership coach Mickey Porter on the topics they shared at the conference. In addition, we hear from administrators from the Charter SELPA schools at the Language Academy of Sacramento and iLead schools, on current best practices in their programs, and how they are leveraging lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve student outcomes in the field. Enjoy the episode!
Resources: To access Donovan Taylor Hall’s content, visit https://donovantaylorhall.com or follow on social media, @donofriend on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok.
For more information on leadership and coaching with Mickey Porter, visit plusoneleadership.com.
To access Sparsh Shah’s music and learn more about his story, visit https://sparshshah.com.
To learn more about the Language Academy of Sacramento, visit www.LASAC.info.
For more information about iLead student services and supports, visit https://ileadstudentsupport.org/
Our guests Troy Beyer and Maria Osbourne share unique insights on self-care and creating a healthy school culture. We also pull back the curtain on Applied Behavior Analysis and the important role this methodology is playing for students in schools across California. Enjoy the show!
Jeremiah and Moises speak with a live panel of school leaders from across the state about the significance of building a school community, educator self-care, leveraging technology, and navigating the new normal of COVID-19 related challenges and student achievement. As a bonus, you will hear personal stories recorded from attendees at the El Dorado Charter SELPA Leadership Academy, held in July 2021 in San Diego, California. Enjoy the show!
To access Rachel De Bruin’s curated transition resource padlets, or sign up for upcoming workshops visit:
www.abilityeducation.org
Padlet code: workshop
Visit the California Transition Alliance website at http://www.catransitionalliance.org to access transition tools and resources for teachers, parents and educators.
Additional resources:
-California Career zone https://www.cacareerzone.org/
-California career center https://www.calcareercenter.org/
-Transition California https://www.chapman.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/thompson-policy-institute/transition-initiative/index.aspx
-National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: https://transitionta.org/
-Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center: http://www.wintac.org/topic-areas/pre-employment-transition-services
-Disability Benefits 101: https://ca.db101.org/ca/situations/youthanddisability/planning/program.htm
-JAN: Job Accommodation Network: https://askjan.org/
To learn more about the Bright Spots podcast and El Dorado Charter SELPA, visit the website at charterselpa.org.
To access resources for ELs and students with disabilities from Imperial County SELPA and the grant-based EL resources referenced in the episode, visit https://www.icoe.org/selpa/el-swd
For more information about San Diego Global Vision Academy, visit SDGVA.org
California Practitioner’s Guide for Educating English Learners with Disabilities (CDE)
San Diego Area Writing Project: Provides year-round professional learning in all content areas with a focus on writing, equity, and teachers teaching teachers.
Project GLAD: "evidence-based practices that help design classrooms and lessons where language comes alive through content."
SDSU CGI Collaborative: "The goal for students is to develop rich informal mathematical thinking and innate problem-solving abilities. Teachers learn how mathematical thinking develops and how to guide children toward deeper, more sophisticated levels of understanding."
Imagine Learning: "Imagine Language & Literacy is an adaptive learning solution that accelerates reading and language proficiency for students in grades PreK–6. Designed to supplement core literacy instruction, Imagine Language & Literacy provides instruction and practice in all four domains of literacy—reading, writing, listening, and speaking."