Antoinette Banks is an award-winning cognitive scientist, special education reform activist, and Founder and CEO of Expert IEP, an educational technology platform revolutionizing IEP development using AI and machine learning. As a PhD candidate at UC Davis in Learning and Mind Sciences, her work combines cutting-edge research with real-world applications to support students with learning differences. A 2023 Ford Fellow and author of Better than a Diagnosis: A Single Parent’s Guide to Autism, Antoinette’s leadership is deeply influenced by her experience as a mother to a teenager with autism, advocating for BIPOC neurodivergent students.
1. Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
Expert IEP addresses critical gaps in special education by providing an innovative, AI-assisted platform for families navigating the complex IEP process. Many educators face overwhelming administrative burdens, while parents often feel powerless and uncertain about their child’s future beyond K-12. Our platform analyzes IEPs for biases, evaluates goals and accommodations, and generates optimized reports to foster collaborative planning between families and educators.
By democratizing information and simplifying legal complexities, Expert IEP restores families’ central role in their children’s education, reducing adversarial dynamics. In a recent pilot, we saw a 30% faster implementation of family requests, leading to notable academic improvements for students with autism. As a scalable, tech-driven solution, Expert IEP has the potential to transform special education outcomes nationwide.
2. What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
One fixable challenge is the administrative burden educators face when managing IEPs. This burden can lead to delays in addressing student needs and limits personalized instruction. Expert IEP alleviates this by using AI to analyze and streamline the IEP process, reducing paperwork and providing real-time, actionable insights. This allows educators to focus more on meaningful engagement with students and families, ensuring faster and more effective implementation of support plans.
3. What is the challenge educators face today that will persist?
The fear and uncertainty within the education system will likely persist. Educators worry about job performance, parents fear their children won’t thrive beyond the K-12 system, and this creates tension between families and schools. While technology can alleviate some of the stress, the human elements of fear, uncertainty, and bureaucratic complexities will remain challenges that require thoughtful solutions. Expert IEP helps bridge this gap by fostering trust and collaboration between educators and families, turning fear into proactive engagement.
Another persistent challenge is meeting the individual needs of every student in increasingly diverse classrooms. Despite technological advancements, the variability of learners—across neurodiversity, socioeconomic backgrounds, and emotional needs—requires ongoing, personalized support that adapts in real time.
4. What are the areas of education or training and workforce development that are being overlooked?
An often overlooked area is the preparation for life after K-12 for students with disabilities. Many current systems still haven’t effectively addressed long-term goals or transition planning, leaving families to navigate these critical steps on their own. Expert IEP solves this by integrating long-term aspirations into the IEP process, ensuring students are prepared for post-secondary education, vocational training, or gainful employment.
Additionally, I’ve addressed the family engagement issue by taking a trauma-informed approach, which builds trust and collaboration between families and educators. This approach empowers families to take an active role in shaping their children’s future, ensuring that their voices are heard throughout the entire process.
5. What do you foresee will be a challenge in education in three to five years?
In three to five years, a major challenge will be balancing the utilization of AI and data-driven solutions to improve outcomes while maintaining the essential human connection in education. As AI continues to shape the education landscape, ensuring that these tools empower, rather than replace, human interactions will be key. Expert IEP is designed to work within existing systems to foster collaboration, enabling educators and families to stay connected while benefiting from data-driven insights.
