Coaching that supports the teacher, not just the practice.
Special educators are not leaving because they don't know how to teach. They are leaving because no one is holding the whole of their work — the documentation, the instruction, the relationships, the time. This tool will hold all of it.
You can spend months trying to develop specially designed instruction from a poorly written IEP, and it will still suck. That's why the IEP Builder had to come first — it is the foundation everything else stands on. With that document in place, teaching, coaching and instruction can finally focus on the teacher, the student, and the work between them.
Coaching that starts with the whole teacher.
The teacher is a person first
Special educators are carrying caseloads, paperwork, family meetings, and the emotional weight of advocacy. A coaching tool that ignores that reality is just one more thing on the list. Ours starts with the human.
Growth is not surveillance
Most "instructional coaching" is observation paired with critique. That is not how adults learn — and it is not how teachers stay. Real growth comes from reflection, choice, and a coach who already trusts you.
No one does this work alone
The hardest part of being a SpEd teacher is the isolation — being the only one in the building who carries this specific load. Connection is professional development. The platform builds the cohort that makes the work survivable.
Three ways we'll hold the whole of your work.
Connected modules — built to support a special educator across the parts of their work no one else is paying attention to.
The competencies and practices you actually need in the classroom.
We are not building a checklist of every skill in special education. We are building around the competencies and high-leverage practices that move outcomes for students with disabilities — the ones grounded in research and tested in real classrooms. Nothing you don't need.
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Core competencies
Seven domains, mapped to CEC standards.
Seven domains, mapped to CEC standards.
- ◈Learner development & individual differencesHow disability, language, culture, and lived experience shape what each student needs.
- ◈Learning environmentsBuilding classrooms where students with disabilities are safe, included, and asked to do meaningful work.
- ◈Curricular content knowledgeTeaching grade-level content with the supports that make it accessible — not in place of it.
- ◈AssessmentReading the data that already exists, gathering what's missing, and making it usable for instruction.
- ◈Instructional planning & strategiesDesigning specially-designed instruction that connects to IEP goals and grade-level standards.
- ◈Professional learning & ethical practiceHolding the legal, ethical, and professional standards the work actually requires.
- ◈CollaborationWorking with families, paraprofessionals, related-service providers, and gen-ed teachers as the team this work needs.
02
High-leverage practices
The 22 practices research says move the needle.
The 22 practices research says move the needle.
- Collaborate with professionals
- Lead effective IEP meetings
- Collaborate with families
- Use multiple sources of data
- Interpret & communicate assessment information
- Use student progress to make instructional decisions
- Establish a consistent, organized environment
- Provide positive & constructive feedback
- Teach social behaviors
- Conduct functional behavioral assessments
- Identify & prioritize long- and short-term goals
- Systematically design instruction
- Adapt curriculum tasks & materials
- Teach cognitive & metacognitive strategies
- Provide scaffolded supports
- Use explicit instruction
- Use flexible grouping
- Use strategies to promote active engagement
- Use assistive & instructional technologies
- Provide intensive instruction
- Teach students to maintain & generalize
- Provide positive & constructive feedback to guide learning
03
What we do, and don't
What you won't find here — and what you will find instead.
What you won't find here — and what you will find instead.
- Generic teacher-evaluation rubrics designed for whole-class observation.
- "Engagement" scores generated from classroom video.
- Mood or well-being check-ins treated as a measurable metric.
- Generalist instructional walkthroughs that ignore the Individualized Education Program.
- Compliance dashboards pointed at the teacher.
- Observation tools built specifically for special education — every visit checks alignment with the student's Individualized Education Program.
- Coach + AI feedback on real teaching moments, never a single score.
- Protected time for the work itself — not a wellness rating.
- Evidence linked to specific high-leverage practices and Individualized Education Program goals.
- Compliance support for leaders, so the teacher can focus on teaching.
Built around competency, not compliance.
A first look at the modules in development. The work shapes the tool — not the other way around.
Grow against practices, not points.
The 22 high-leverage practices are what research says actually moves outcomes for students with disabilities. So the platform is built around them — not around a course grade, not around a rating scale, not around hours logged. You demonstrate the practice. You move forward.
Why competency over grades? Because a "B" in instructional planning tells you nothing about whether a teacher can write an aligned, measurable IEP goal. "Demonstrated · across three IEPs · with two students" tells you everything.
- Mastery is shown through artifacts from your real work — not a quiz
- You move forward when the practice is demonstrated · not when a semester ends
- No GPA · no rank · no curve · no compare-against-peers
- The record is yours · portable · always shareable, never extracted
Grow on your terms, at your own cadence.
Instructional growth in special education is not one-size-fits-all. A first-year teacher writing their first IEP needs something completely different from a tenth-year teacher refining transition planning. We are building a learning library that meets you where you are — and a coach who follows your lead, not a checklist.
- Self-selected micro-lessons paired with the goals you're actually writing
- Reflection prompts you choose to share, or keep private
- A portfolio of your own evidence — built by you, not extracted from you
- No score. No rating. No surveillance. Just a record of how you are growing
End the isolation that breaks special educators.
Most SpEd teachers are the only person in their building doing exactly what they do. The platform builds quiet, ongoing connection to other educators carrying the same load — across districts, across grade bands, across the country. This is the part general coaching tools cannot offer.
- Small cohorts grouped by what's actually on your caseload, not your job title
- Async conversation threads that respect your school day
- "In your corner" — a small circle of peers who see your wins as they happen
- Direct access to the Lab — the people who built this, working alongside you
Anyone written a measurable goal for self-regulation that doesn't sound like a behavior plan? I'm stuck.
Special educators are not leaving because they cannot do the work. They are leaving because no one is holding the whole of it with them. That's the gap we're closing.
For teachers first.
The teacher is not the user we designed around — the teacher is the person we designed for. Coaches and leaders get a tool that supports them in supporting teachers well.
A tool that holds your work — the whole of it.
Not a productivity tracker. Not an evaluation tool. A place where the parts of your job that no one else is paying attention to finally have somewhere to live — and someone alongside you while you do them.
The information you need to coach well — without surveillance.
See where teachers are asking for help, what they're choosing to learn, and where they want a thought partner. Coaching becomes a conversation, not a report card.
A way to invest in your people that actually retains them.
The platform connects to the IEP Builder so quality and well-being travel together. Build the conditions teachers stay for — and a system that grows your next generation of leaders from within.
Fewer than 10% of building leaders nationwide report feeling confident in special education requirements — yet they are most often the ones signing the IEPs.
That gap is what this apprenticeship was built to close.
An approved apprenticeship leading to national certification as an Assistant Director of special education.
Most special education leaders never planned to lead. They became coaches and directors because someone left, and they were the most experienced person in the room. That is not a leadership pipeline — that is a default.
So we built one. The Lab's Assistant Director of Special Education apprenticeship is already approved and currently running in a hybrid model. As the coaching platform develops, AI and this tool will be woven directly into the apprenticeship — so the leadership pathway and the day-to-day work of teachers stay continuous.
The program is formally titled Assistant Director of Special Education, but the audience is broader than the name suggests. We built it for:
- Building leaders — principals and assistant principals who support special education programs and want to expand their knowledge base.
- New special education coordinators — people stepping into the role who need a structured way in.
- Aspiring SpEd directors — the next generation of leaders growing into the work from within.
Call it the 30,000-foot view of IDEA, made operational — enough to lead with confidence, and to sign with understanding.
Approved & registered today
Already running in a hybrid model — not a future plan. Districts can enroll Assistant Directors now.
Designed for SpEd specifically
Not a general school-leadership program with a SpEd module bolted on. The work is the curriculum, all the way through.
Built to deepen with the platform
As the coaching tool develops, AI and platform-based evidence will be woven directly into the apprenticeship — leadership and teaching, on the same surface.
Eligible for IDEA Part B
Structured to qualify for federal IDEA professional development funding so districts can invest without competing with general budget.
One thing at a time. In the right order.
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Coming soon
The IEP Builder
The foundation. A workspace built specifically for writing IEPs that hold up to compliance review and lead to better instruction. You cannot get to good teaching in special education with a bad IEP. So we built this first.
See the IEP Builder → -
In development · Coming next
Instructional coaching tool
The teacher-first layer that holds the whole of the work — protected time, instructional growth on your terms, and connection to the people doing the same job in other buildings. This is the page you're reading right now.
Get launch updates → -
Approved & running · hybrid today
Assistant Director of Special Education apprenticeship
An already-approved registered apprenticeship pathway for Assistant Directors of special education — currently delivered in a hybrid model. As the coaching platform develops, we'll embed AI and this tool more deeply into the apprenticeship so the leadership pathway and the day-to-day work of teachers stay continuous.
Learn more about the apprenticeship →
This is being built in conversation with teachers. Yours included.
We are building this platform alongside special educators across the country. Sign up to follow progress, get early access when modules open, and have a direct line into what we're shaping. If you'd like a deeper seat at the table, we'd love to talk to you about joining our advisory council.
Want to help shape what comes next?
We are partnering with a small group of districts and individual teachers as we build. Tell us what you need, what you'd actually use, and what you've stopped trusting in tools that promised to support you.