Although there have been several advances in the development of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to support students with disabilities, many rural schools struggle to use EBPs. Rural schools may experience challenges that constrain their potential to provide support for the implementation of EBPs. Furthermore, there may be a mismatch between EBPs…

A single subject alternating treatment design was used to compare most-to-least and least-to-most prompts to teach work tasks in community businesses. Four students with moderate to severe disabilities, two paraprofessionals, and one transition teacher participated in the study. Results of the study suggest that both prompting strategies were…

This study aims to assess the views of outstanding teachers of the gifted regarding their students' learning environment. Thirty teachers were interviewed and an interpretive approach was used to analyze their views. The teachers' comments were divided according to the following themes: (a) characteristics of gifted students, (b) characteristics…

Supervision groups are often used in professional settings and are introduced to address and provide support in relation to the challenges that arise in everyday practice. Although group supervision is common amongst a range of helping professions, its use in schools is rare. Little research exists as to the merits and challenges of providing…

Sustainable use of academic classroom interventions is a cause for concern in the field of special education. This study examined factors that encouraged and/or deterred sustainable use of classroom interventions. Furthermore, data were collected on factors that assist teachers to implement new interventions with high perceived fidelity. A total…

Early career special educators serving in low socioeconomic communities are at risk of leaving the profession unless they receive specialized support to address unique challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine an intervention developed to increase teacher sense of efficacy. Self-efficacy, adult transformative learning through critical…

Although there have been several advances in the development of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to support students with disabilities, many rural schools struggle to use EBPs. Rural schools may experience challenges that constrain their potential to provide support for the implementation of EBPs. Further, there may be a mismatch between EBPs and…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how regular and special education teachers prepare elementary school students with disabilities to take the statewide test, The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), by using electronic resources. The PARCC was introduced in 2014 to replace the paper and pencil statewide…

A teacher is essential in implementing inclusive policy practices into the classroom. Teacher attitudes towards inclusion, be it positive, negative or indifferent, can determine the success of an inclusive classroom and how it influences students with special educational needs and their school life. This literature review reports on information…

In 2015, the Data-Informed Accessibility--Making Optimal Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project received funding from an Enhanced Assessment Initiative grant to collect information that would support the development of professional development modules for educators making decisions within new accessibility frameworks. More accessibility features…

Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate the initial feasibility of the Communication Matrix Professional Development Program (CMPDP), an online program created to help educational professionals teaching students with complex communication needs. Method: A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed with 102 educational professionals…

Schools play a major role in delivering behavioral health services to autistic youth. School culture and climate are strong predictors of the extent to which these services incorporate evidence-based practices; however, little is known about how school leaders shape culture and climate. Drawing on the concept of culture and climate embedding…

Disability Critical Race Theory (Dis/Crit) was useful as a tool and a lens for the development of a collaborative network of educators, community providers, and community stakeholders including educators, community members, parents, and individuals. Initially I engaged these stakeholders in action research sessions to inform planning for…

The Rural Teacher Residency (RTR) program prepares teachers to work in 'high need' rural schools in the northeastern United States, and specifically works to establish a counter-narrative to the commonly-held deficit lens applied to these schools and communities. Framed by theory and research on DisCrit and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we…

This qualitative, phenomenological research study was designed to study the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on teacher interactions with students with special needs during the mandatory school closures that took place during March of 2020. This study consisted of seven interviews with special education teachers, from three different…