The Big ‘I’ in IDEA: What Individualized Education Really Looks Like - Dr. Patrick Gaffney

Is your school actually honoring the "individual" in the IEP? In this bold and deeply honest episode of Brighter Together, Dr. Patrick Gaffney, Director of Special Education at Clayton Valley Charter High School, invites us into a program where innovation meets integrity. From co-teaching models that started with failure to an 18–22 transition program born from one student's plea to stay, this conversation is a masterclass in servant leadership. Dr. Gaffney doesn’t sugarcoat the process. Mistakes were made. Systems were redesigned. But the results? A student-centered continuum of services that’s lifting both achievement and trust. If you care about equity, communication, and designing real opportunities for kids with special needs, this episode isn’t just insightful—it’s essential.