Math proficiency rates are strikingly low for children from high poverty communities. Therefore, it is urgent to find solutions that help them develop basic math skills. Given theoretical considerations about math learning, a potentially promising option is to target children's cognitive engagement. In this study, I investigate a program that was…

Federal and state guidelines on when students with disabilities should become more active in their own special education are notoriously vague, often leaving many school districts across the United States to their own interpretations on the appropriateness of when and how to do so. This is especially pertinent for younger students with…

This study examined the use of a peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMI) model combined with the use of a visual schedule as a way of supporting academic engagement and social interactions of secondary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A multiple-baseline across participants design (Kazdin, 2011) was used to determine effects…

In non-autistic children, academic skills are associated with academic enablers (motivation, engagement, study/interpersonal skills), but few studies have explored these in autistic children. This study identified profiles of academic skills and enablers in autistic students and explored the trajectory of each profile over time. Teachers completed…

Understanding how different environmental arrangements can affect academic performance and engagement is critical for developing effective and efficient instructional strategies. The current study examined the influence of five environmental arrangements (no-interaction, distractor, escape, attention, and tangible conditions) on the rate of…

This brief report describes findings from a single case withdrawal design study which explored the impact of training and emailed video prompts to promote a teacher's implementation of a culturally responsive teaching plan in a therapeutic school. Data collectors gathered implementation data as well as observed students' academic engagement and…

This paper aims to share the results of an on-demand professional development series provided to teachers of inclusion classrooms. The doctoral candidate created the YouTube channel "IEP: Facts & Hacks" and distributed it to general education and dually certified teachers throughout eight weeks. All videos within this channel contain…

This study provides important insights about the dynamic landscape of technology integration in early childhood education, particularly its role in supporting reading development among students in kindergarten through third grade. The research methodology adopted for this study was a mixed-method approach, incorporating both quantitative and…

This qualitative descriptive study explored how general education K-6 teachers describe their ability to implement student Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) in their classrooms and the supports needed for effective implementation of IEPs in Ohio. Self-Efficacy has been defined as the confidence that an individual has in their ability to…

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to immediate school closures resulting in online learning. Online learning under such circumstances has presented challenges for teachers of students with mild to extensive support needs. The current study interviewed twenty special education teachers about the strategies they used when teaching online and the…

RAND researchers explore the messages teachers receive about what to teach and how to teach English language arts and mathematics in kindergarten through grade 12 schools in the United States, as well as teachers' overall perceptions of coherence and incoherence in instructional systems and how they navigate such systems. The authors conceive of…

This study documented the experiences, challenges, and perspectives of special education teachers in New York State during the COVID-19 period of remote instruction in the spring of 2020 and during the 2020-21 school year. An invitation to complete an online survey about their experiences was sent to a random sample of special education teachers.…

When data is collected, summarized, and analyzed with sufficient frequency, decisions about instructional changes can be based on student progress. Use the suggestions here to begin conducting progress monitoring.

School instruction and service delivery changed dramatically amid disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Children receiving special education services were especially vulnerable to the impact of reduced or eliminated school services as part of their Individualized Education Programs. Caregiver perspectives regarding the changes in school…

This observation study documents the amount and quality of mathematics instruction provided to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in kindergarten through second grade in self-contained special education settings. We observed six special education teachers and their students (N = 12) during a total of 967 min allotted to…