Episode 2 - Leadership for a New Era in Special Education

As special education demands continue to grow, district leaders are balancing program quality, compliance, and student outcomes, all while navigating evolving workforce realities.

In this episode of Leading for Impact, Keith sits down with Dr. Kara Anderson, Director of Special Programs at St. Joseph School District, to explore how leaders can move from short-term problem-solving to intentional, system-level decision-making. Serving more than 10,000 students, St. Joseph reflects the complexity many districts face today.

With experience spanning the full continuum of special education — from classroom teacher, to elementary and middle school special educator, to principal of Bessie Ellison Elementary, and now district-level leadership — Dr. Anderson brings a full, grounded perspective to this conversation. She also holds a Doctorate in Education and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, along with advanced training in Special Education Administration.

Drawing on that breadth of experience, Dr. Anderson shares how her team evaluated their options, prioritized continuity for students, and implemented a virtual solution through Huddle Up to strengthen program stability and maintain instructional quality across the district.

This conversation explores:

What gives hope about the future of special education?
What must endure to ensure stability and program quality for students?
What must change in how districts respond to growing special education demands?

Join us for this live conversation!

Districts everywhere are facing the same crisis: rising caseloads, shrinking provider pools, and students waiting for the services they're entitled to. What happens when a leader decides to stop waiting?

In this episode of Leading for Impact, we sit down with Dr. Kara Anderson, Director of Special Programs at St. Joseph School District in Missouri. When she stepped into her role, the district needed 28 speech pathologists — they had 14. One position had been open for four years.

Dr. Anderson didn't wait for the pipeline to catch up. She piloted virtual therapy, won over skeptical parents and staff, and built a service model that now reaches 361 students with over 3,000 sessions delivered in a single school year.
Together with host Keith Kostrzewski, we explore what it takes to stop accepting the constraints everyone else has agreed to live with — and what becomes possible when you lead with both urgency and honesty.

What must change? What must endure? And what gives you hope?

Leadership for a New Era in Special Education

Navigating Change With Clarity, Stability, and Purpose

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Case Study: St. Joseph School District

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