Founded in 2022 by Diana R. Williams, the SPEDucated Leader has provided coaching and professional development to K-12 charter school organizations throughout the US. We work with educators, both teachers and leaders, to increase their special education content knowledge, capacity, and overall impact within their role. We offer professional development and training, cohort coaching intensives, and leadership coaching aligned to our SPEDucated Leadership Framework. Additionally, in 2024, we launched self-paced online courses for educators to continue their understanding and education in special education.

Our name, the SPEDucated Leader, embodies both the literal and figurative aspects of leadership that is needed to transcend the traditional confines of special education roles.  We aim to inspire educators to see themselves as leaders who actively work towards removing the special education burden by reframing their belief that teaching all learners is something extra, something more, or something hard. The term “leader,” conveys the essential mindset that educators need to adopt to disrupt the status , create equitable learning experiences, and advocate for their students.

At The SPEDucated Leader, we believe that every educator is a leader in their own right, and so our work aims to empower them with the tools, confidence, and expertise needed to meet the diverse needs of students within their school communities, regardless of their ability or disability.