Real Jobs, Real Risk: Magen Rooney-Kron on Transition and Employment

Magen Rooney-Kron started out co-teaching in Chicago Public Schools. When she asked where her students with intellectual disabilities went after high school, the answers were “I don’t know” and “they go home.” The class meant to prepare them for work had them putting spoons in bags. She has worked on transition ever since, and today she is an assistant professor of inclusive education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Tim and Magen talk about why so few people with intellectual disabilities have real jobs, why paid work in the community beats job shadowing and task boxes that reset every day, and why a student who “doesn’t want to work” might just not want to bag groceries. Magen explains dignity of risk: letting students try, make mistakes, and face real consequences, with the right supports in place.

Her most striking finding: teachers said the work site was the first place their students were included and held to high expectations. Not the classroom. The job. The episode closes with Awake Among the Stars, where Magen’s Captain Dash explores a jungle world and names it Tedasaurus.

Expanded show notes and full transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/real-jobs-real-risk-magen-rooney-kron-on-transition-and-employment-1403/

Sponsors

IXL, an all-in-one K-12 platform that adapts to each student and builds a personalized learning plan: https://ixl.com/inclusive

Behavior 360 from Inclusive Schooling, professional learning that treats behavior as something to understand rather than manage: https://inclusiveschooling.com/mcie-behavior