In a Southern state at a rural high school, leadership staff implemented phonics-based strategies with 9th grade English teachers to improve students' Lexile reading scores. The absence of formative data related to program implementation left stakeholders without a clear understanding of the influence of the phonics-based strategies. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to obtain formative information from teachers to discern the perceived influence of the phonics-based strategies on reading. Dual coding theory was used to examine teachers' perceptions of the influence of phonics-based strategies on students' motivation, fluency, and self-efficacy. Data were collected using interviews with 9 purposefully selected English teachers who taught Grade 9 students and had at least 1 year of experience using the phonics-based strategies. Data were coded in NVivo and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results indicated that phonics-based strategies were perceived to benefit students' extrinsic motivation and fluency; conversely, teachers perceived the strategies had a limited effect on students' intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. Implementation of recommendations presented in a white paper based on these findings could result in positive social change by strengthening students' reading and promoting their academic success.

Schools across the country are dedicating significant resources to the selection, adoption, and durable implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs); however, the research-to-practice gap remains a significant challenge facing education today (DuFour & Mattos, 2013). Coaching is one of the implementation variables most consistently cited for improving the high-fidelity adoption of new practices. This study used two concurrent multiple baseline, single-case designs across participants with counterbalanced intervention phases to examine the effects of coaching on teachers’ use of evidence-based, class-wide behavior management practices. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which a functional relation exists between (a) coach-delivered prompting, (b) coach-delivered performance feedback, and (c) the interaction effects of coach-delivered prompting with performance feedback and an increase in teachers’ use of evidence-based classroom management practices and a decrease in class-wide disruptive behavior. Results indicate that coach-delivered prompting and performance feedback is functionally related to an increase in teacher use of evidence-based classroom management practices and a reduction in classroom disruption; however, no additional effects were observed when prompting and performance feedback were delivered together. Potential contributions of the study are discussed in terms of establishing a more nuanced understanding of the active ingredients of effective coaching to support the selection, training, evaluation, and ongoing support of coaches in K-12 educational settings.

In this project, I sought to understand how evidence-based practices are understood and implemented by individuals who work within the criminal justice system, with specific focus on the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women (ICIW). I collected interviews in the summer and fall of 2016 and observations at local criminal justice agencies from summer 2016 to summer 2017. Thirty-eight individuals agreed to be interviewed, including ICIW staff, Department of Corrections (DOC) staff, prison volunteers, and prisoner advocates. I found that how individuals understand “what works” in prison policy and practice is shaped by three main factors. First, their ideological standpoints on what purpose prison ought to serve influenced how they thought evidence should be used to inform policy, whether they believed it should achieve humanitarian goals of giving offenders second chances, utilitarian goals of keeping the community safe, or bureaucratic goals of ensuring that prisons are run efficiently and rationally. Second, their experiences with prisoners shaped their acceptance or skepticism of certain types of evidence, and respondents placed more value in experiential and anecdotal evidence in the case of women-centered policies. Third, the respondents’ stereotypes about who women are and what their place is in the larger correctional system contributed to more ready acceptance of women-centered practices, and more skepticism of statewide or uniform evidence-based practices. In turn, these different interpretations of evidence and the policies based upon it contributed to conflict and resistance to statewide DOC policy, as well as greater feelings of frustration and disenchantment among correctional stakeholders.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has continued to rise each year. This fact has significance in the area of education. The rise in prevalence of autism means an increase of students with autism in schools. Educators have the need to be prepared to provide an appropriate education for these students but may not have training or resources to be effective. Rural communities may have even more concerns about education for students with ASD due to geographic isolation and the lack of available educators in their area trained to support the specific needs of these students. To determine the best use of available resources and identify critical needs, a study of stakeholder perceptions of the needs of students with ASD was conducted in a rural Utah community of approximately 15,000 people. Key stakeholders were provided an opportunity to respond to an online needs assessment questionnaire regarding the educational interventions and services available in the rural school district, as well as rate the effectiveness of the above-mentioned services. Key stakeholders included: parents and caregivers of children with ASD, the rural school district’s educators, community care providers, and individuals 12 years and older who have been classified as having an ASD in the rural school district. Further, upon completion of the online needs assessment, the participants were invited, if they wished to elaborate further, to meet by phone or in person in an interview format with the researcher to discuss their perceptions in more detail than was possible in the online needs assessment questionnaire. Mixed methods were used to analyze the data. Quantitative data were first analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize patterns in responses between groups. The qualitative data from open-ended questions in the survey and the in-person interviews were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods. Results showed that all stakeholders believe that better communication from the school district and more training are needed for educators and related professionals. These results have implications for the school district as they plan their use of available resources to better meet the needs of students with ASD. Pursuit of targeted training options for educators may be one of the most effective use of available resources to meet these needs.

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The training literature suggests that ongoing support (e.g., consultation) following initial training enhances training outcomes, yet little is known about the critical components of ongoing support and the lasting effects of ongoing support. The present study examined components of consultation calls that were provided to 99 community clinicians following training in the delivery of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety. The 104 recorded consultation calls were coded for content and consultative methods present. A subset of the training sample (N = 50) completed a 2-year follow-up interview during which they reported on their implementation rates of CBT since ending consultation. They also completed measures assessing CBT knowledge and attitudes toward evidence-based practices (EBPs). It was hypothesized that active learning (i.e., role-plays) would predict therapist adherence, skill, self-efficacy, and satisfaction at postconsultation, but regression analyses found no significant relation. However, level of clinician involvement during consultation calls significantly positively moderated the relation between active learning and clinician skill. Analyses of the follow-up data indicated (a) high implementation rates of CBT and (b) maintenance of overall attitudes toward EBPs, willingness to implement EBPs if mandated, views regarding the appeal of EBPs, and beliefs regarding the clinical utility of EBPs. A significant decline in CBT knowledge and openness toward EBPs was observed. Consultation call attendance positively predicted therapist CBT knowledge, overall attitudes toward EBPs, and attitudes regarding the appeal and clinical utility of EBPs at the 2-year follow-up. Implications, strengths and limitations, and future directions are discussed. / Psychology

INTRODUCTION: The burden of child maltreatment is substantial, highlighting the importance of identifying effective prevention programs in reducing occurrence and costs. The SafeCare® model was developed as a home-based service for high-risk parents in child protective services for child maltreatment. Although limited, studies that evaluate interventions for child maltreatment through a public health strategy can be achieved through administrative data and have a positive impact on population level reduction of abuse and neglect. AIM: This current secondary analysis examines the effect of the statewide implementation of SafeCare compared to services as usual on the likelihood of out-of-home placement. The research question is “are there differences in out-of-home placement among families referred to SafeCare compared to families who received services as usual?” METHOD: The original study was a cluster-randomized research design was implemented to evaluate SafeCare verses services as usual at the agency/region level including two urban and four rural child protective services administrative regions of Oklahoma. The secondary analysis sample included 2,175 families, prioritizing the primary caregiver for intervention. The Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to estimate the relative risk for an out-of-home placement and participants were categorized according to intervention type group. RESULTS: By the end of the 2.9-year follow-up, there were 283 first time occurrences of out-of-home placement. Families randomized to receive services as usual had no effect compared to families receiving SafeCare on the likelihood of out-of-home placement after adjusting for baseline family covariates. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that many chronic cases in the child welfare system may show limited change with services and may suggest a different service approach for reducing recidivism in out-of-home placement outcomes. Although limited, evaluating interventions for child maltreatment by using administrative data can be achieved through administrative data and have a positive impact on establishing effective prevention programs in reducing occurrence of abuse and neglect on a population level.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine school psychologists' use of evidence- based practices (EBP), in general, and more specifically in the area of social skills training (SST) for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Study participants, consisting of 498 school psychologists from across the nation, participated in an online survey that gathered information about their training, attitudes, and practices. The frequency with which specific EBP practices for social skills training for students with ASD was examined, as was prediction of use of these practices. Multiple-regression analyses revealed multiple independent variables that were predictors for overall use of EBP. Results indicated that over half of the participants provide SST for students with ASD. Although the majority of participants indicated that their graduate program included at least one course with information about ASD and EBP practices, in general, nearly half indicated that their coursework did not include any courses that directly addressed social skills training for students with ASD. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the extent to which the data fit the factor model. Participants' perception of the importance placed on EBP by their school district, scores on the openness subscale of the Evidence Based Practices Assessment Scale, perception of how well their graduate program prepared them in the EBP process, perception of whether they were adequately trained in the area of SST for students with ASD, and having a caseload evenly divided among settings were significant predictors of overall use of EBP.

ABSTRACT PREPARING TEACHERS OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES AND TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY By Jane E. Strong A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014 Major Director: Evelyn Reed, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Special Education and Disability Policy School of Education There is a need for intensified, rapid, and special emphasis on training of teachers for students on the autism spectrum (NRC, 2001). The current movement in the field emphasizing the use of evidence-based practices in designing instructional methods should be emphasized during teacher preparation and professional development activities to increase teacher effectiveness. Further, it has been established that a teacher’s sense of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1979; Hoy & Tschannen-Moran, 1998) impacts his/her performance and that of his/her students. The purpose of this study was to discern and describe teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy following professional development that includes training in the use of evidence-based practices. This was accomplished through analysis of survey data, field based observations and interviews from teachers completing their Post-baccalaureate Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders at a large, urban university in a mid-Atlantic state. To add to the literature base about the influence of ASD-focused professional development, this study examined teacher perceptions of the professional training and the relationships between teachers’ knowledge and skill acquisition and self-efficacy.