Getting your child the support they need at school shouldn’t feel like a fight. But for millions of families, it does. In Zero Reject, an investigative podcast from Understood.org, award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz looks at how changing federal policies are reshaping special education — and what’s at stake for families trying to access the support their children are legally entitled to.
Latest episodes
Showing 6 · updated from the feed
Waterline | 5
Ashley Jochim is an education researcher with a PhD, four kids, and two decades of experience studying what makes schools work. None of that prepared her for the day her
Oct 20 37 min
The chimichanga solution | 4
Kelly, a kindergarten teacher, knew her son McKay struggled with reading even before he started school. It took years and repeated pushback from the school before he was
Oct 13 33 min
The dumping ground | 3
Before 1975, there was no legal guarantee that a child with a disability could attend public school at all. Kids were hidden in attics and basements, sent to state instit
Oct 6 43 min
25,000 complaints, and 7 minutes | 2
When the Trump administration gutted the Office for Civil Rights, around 25,000 complaints from families were stuck in limbo. One of them was filed by a mom in southern I
Sep 29 39 min
Reduction in force | 1
Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found
Sep 29 30 min
Introducing “Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education”
Every year, millions of families fight to get their kids the special education services they’re legally owed. And right now, changes under the Trump administration are ma
Sep 10 1 min
Chart positions
Where Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 22, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I hear my son’s story in these episodes and it’s both conforming and disappointing to learn that our family is not alone in this experience. Thanks for creating such an important podcast.
lanathecat27 · Oct 2026
Whether you’re a parent, an educator, or just someone who cares about what is happening in education in this country this podcast is a crucial listen. Special Education was far from perfect before the recent changes that were designed to devastate it. There are warning bells sounding, it’s important that we listen!
WriterMomAngela · Oct 2026
This series is extremely good, illuminating an important and difficult topic that too many parents, myself included, don't invest enough in fully understanding. Anya does a fantastic job telling the human stories while also teasing out the policy implications and how they manifest on the national and local levels. Great listen.
EF52991 · Oct 2026
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
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About Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education on Reason.fm
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
