MASTERMINDS
A Professional Development Series for Current & Emerging Leaders in Education
Caplan & Earnest’s Masterminds Program offers a haven for special education and Section 504 administrators, where they can learn information and skills while building camaraderie with a cohort of the best-and-brightest peers who understand the demands of this work. In your sessions, engage in refreshing, action-oriented conversations with seasoned attorneys and fellow education administrators, and gain the clarity you need to deliver the support and leadership your colleagues and school communities deserve.
- Improve morale for yourself and others
- Hear and understand different viewpoints
- Define, refine, and recommit to your priorities
- Learn the risk factors that lead to legal disputes
- Play with ideas you’ve encountered nowhere else
- See your familiar territory in a new and positive light
- Form connections with bright and dedicated leaders, just like you
- Participate in engaging lectures with Caplan & Earnest attorneys
Space is limited—sign up today to reserve your seat in the 2025-2026 Caplan & Earnest Masterminds Program.
Students with Disabilities
Since the foundation of the Masterminds Program, energetic, supportive Masterminds have built this track into a treasured marketplace of ideas for special education leaders throughout the state. These professionals face weighty challenges and overwhelming complexities day after day. Masterminds promotes camaraderie and procedural acumen for these leaders, who serve as essential intermediaries between schools, districts, and families. Attorneys Beth Friel and Hope Griffin facilitate a Masterminding process that offers invaluable perspectives and actionable ideas for navigating the ever-evolving landscape of education for students with disabilities.
Mini-Lecture Topics
- Abbreviated School Days (September 25-26)
- Meaningful Parent Participation, Navigating Disagreements, & Finalizing IEPs (October 23-24)
- Top Ten IEP Meeting Mistakes (2-Part Series) (November 6-7)
- Top Ten IEP Meeting Mistakes (2-Part Series) (November 20-21)
- Progress Monitoring & Reporting (December 4-5)
- FAPE & Extracurricular Activities (January 8-9)
- Students with Disabilities in Foster Care & Mental Health Placements (January 29-30)
- Parent Support and Training as a Related Service (February 12-13)
- Transportation Services, including unique considerations for preschool students (March 5-6)
- Collaborating with Special Education Advocates (April 23-24)
Mega-Masterminding Mini-Lecture Topics (Special Education Directors and Executive Directors Only)
- Navigating Disability Laws in Concurrent Enrollment Programs (October 16*)
- IDEA & Section 504 Implications for Student Removals for Criminal Charges (December 18*)
- You received a State Complaint, Due Process Complaint, or OCR complaint. Now what? (February 19*)
- Service Animals in Schools (March 12*)
- Special Guest Speaker – Looking Ahead (April 9*)
*Dates subject to change to accommodate other statewide director events.
Masterminds In-Person Closing Ceremony for All Masterminds & Guests – May 7
New This Year: Masterminds Plus One
Receive three guest passes to invite members of your team to join you for your Masterminding session. You choose the session(s); you choose the guest(s) from your team; we deliver a great Masterminding experience for everyone.
Mix and match the passes in the way that serves your team best.
- You may invite the same guest to three sessions.
- You may invite three different guests to one session.
- Guests must be employees of the same district/BOCES that employs you.
- Guests must abide by Masterminds meeting norms and expectations.
Please note that participation in the Masterminds program does not create an attorney-client relationship with Caplan & Earnest. Presentations do not constitute legal advice, and discussions during monthly meetings are not protected by attorney-client privilege.
Schedule
The Masterminds Program is a professional development series running from September through May. The Special Education program track includes 10 virtual one-hour sessions, plus an additional five, one-hour sessions for directors and executive directors. All meetings of the Masterminds Program run on Thursday and Friday mornings. Mega-masterminding sessions run on Thursdays at noon.
Final schedules are built after the registration window closes and attorneys complete the group assignment process. C&E attorneys hand-select the small groups based on scheduling preferences and with an eye toward ensuring a great mix of complimentary experiences within each group. (Sorting Day is a great day at the C&E office—imagining the dynamics between the Masterminds as each group comes together is such a joy!)
Your small group will be assigned to a regular timeslot for the year. However, we are committed to accommodating your demanding schedule as best we can. You are always welcome to “guest” in another session when your schedule poses an unavoidable conflict with your assigned group.
Facilitators
Beth Friel
Hope Griffin
Hope specializes in finding simplicity within chaos, allowing Masterminds to cut through distraction and to act with clarity and purpose. Her Masterminds amplify their impact month after month as they sharpen their acumen and approach to emerging issues.
The fee for the Masterminds special education program track is $1,500 for special education directors and executive directors, which includes 10 standard Masterminds meetings plus exclusive access to five Mega-Masterminding sessions. The pricing for all other special education administrators is $1,200. The Masterminds Plus One program adds an additional $150 to the participant’s total annual cost. All fees can be paid up front or in equal monthly installments, as selected on the registration page.
Licensed school and district administrators are eligible to participate in Masterminds. Special Education Directors and Executive Directors are eligible to participate in MegaMasterminds. A registered mastermind participating in the Masterminding Plus One program may utilize the mastermind’s guest passes for a teacher, administrator, or special service provider employed by the mastermind’s school, district, or BOCES.
Attorneys, board members, non-employee parents, and community members are not eligible to participate in Caplan & Earnest’s Masterminds Program during the 2025-2026 school year, either as Masterminds or as guests. Caplan & Earnest staff will verify the accuracy of registration information and will refund any payments made on behalf of ineligible participants.
Please note that participation in the Masterminds program does not create an attorney-client relationship with Caplan & Earnest. Presentations do not constitute legal advice, and discussions during monthly meetings are not protected by attorney-client privilege.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about the Masterminds program, please email Beth Friel.