Episode 400

full
Published on:

15th May 2025

Ensuring That Students With Disabilities Don’t Fall Through The Cracks - A Systematic Approach

Summary: Join C.T. and guest Franklin Day, Director of Student Support Services for Cheney School District in Washington, as they explore the district’s inclusive and systematic approach to supporting all students. This insightful conversation delves into Cheney’s focus on building an effective Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), balancing inclusionary practices with targeted interventions, and fostering collaboration among general and special education staff.

Key Takeaways:

  • Inclusive Vision: Cheney School District aims for all students to graduate with skills for post-secondary education or work, and to be engaged, contributing community members.
  • Balanced Inclusion: After moving to full inclusion, the district found some students needed more intensive, skill-based support before returning to general classrooms, leading to a more balanced approach.
  • MTSS & Co-Teaching: The district is redeveloping its Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), focusing on tier one and two interventions delivered by classroom teachers, often in co-taught settings.
  • Mindset Shift: A major challenge is moving staff from a “pass off” mentality to shared responsibility for all students, supported by regular professional development and collaborative planning.
  • Targeted Professional Development: Ongoing, site-level PD and co-teaching training-often during lunch hours-have increased teacher participation and improved instructional collaboration.
  • Leadership & Accountability: Principals are empowered as site leaders responsible for implementing PD and co-teaching practices, with district support and clear accountability.
  • Community Diversity: Cheney serves a diverse population across three communities, including a college town, an Air Force base, and a higher-income area, requiring tailored approaches and resource allocation.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Today's Episode

00:54 Meet Franklin Day: Director of Student Support Services

01:21 Understanding the Cheney School District

04:04 Challenges and Strategies for Inclusivity

07:19 Implementing Inclusionary Practices and MTSS

15:37 Leadership and Mindset Shifts

22:10 Franklin Day's Leadership Journey


Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with Franklin Day: cheneysd.org/services-support/student-support-services/department-directory

Music Credit: Shake it Up - Fesliyanstudios.com - David Renda



Join us at Engaging Leadership to learn and connect with a community of leaders in education just like you. This is the space where top people leaders share actionable insights and practical playbooks in fostering a high-performing workplace of the future.

Sign up as a member today for community updates on the latest leadership resources and exclusive event invites: www.engagingleadershipshow.com/subscribe

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Principal Office Hours

About the Podcast

Principal Office Hours
Real principals. Real talk. No hall passes required.
Finally—a podcast that proves school principals have personalities (and killer insights, too). Every week, join us for candid conversations with K-12 principals who are navigating the beautiful chaos of educational leadership without losing their minds or sense of humor.

Each 40-minute episode features real principals sharing what actually works in school leadership—from handling helicopter parents and budget nightmares to building school culture that doesn't make everyone roll their eyes. Consider this your professional development that doesn't feel like professional development.

Our guests aren't afraid to share their epic fails alongside their victories. They'll tell you about the initiative that spectacularly bombed during assembly, right before revealing how they turned their school's reading scores around. It's educational leadership with the BS filter turned off.

Whether you're currently wearing the principal badge, aspiring to the big chair, or teaching while secretly taking notes on what you'd do differently, Principal Office Hours delivers actionable strategies you can implement faster than a student being sent to detention.

Subscribe now and join the faculty lounge conversation that's too real for the school board meeting. New episodes drop every week. Warning: May cause spontaneous leadership growth and occasional inappropriate laughter during staff meetings.

About your hosts

CheeTung Leong

Profile picture for CheeTung Leong

Jim Kanichirayil

Profile picture for Jim Kanichirayil
Your friendly neighborhood talent strategy nerd is the producer and co-host for The HR Impact Show. He's spent his career in sales and has been typically in startup b2b HRTech and TA-Tech organizations.

He's built high-performance sales teams throughout his career and is passionate about all things employee life cycle and especially employee retention and turnover.