<p> This dissertation examined the importance of family involvement in student learning and achievement within the Response to Intervention framework. This study built upon the premise that family involvement in a child's education is paramount if educational gaps are to be closed. Families included in this study were randomly assigned into a control or intervention group. This study connected early literacy curriculum based measurement scores and family involvement data gathered from family sessions/interviews. Several research strategies were utilized: 1) quantitative analysis of family-school connections; 2) slope data derived from early literacy curriculum based measurements (CBM); and 3) qualitative analysis of family sessions. Data were collected from an inventory, CBM benchmarking and progress monitoring data, and extensive interviews and field notes. This dissertation challenged the current myopic view of family involvement in student learning and placing the value of families in schools as vital to student learning. Analysis of the family interviews revealed several themes that are relevant for all educators as they attempt to close learning gaps among students.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school staff&rsquo;s beliefs, practices, and skills concerning Response to Intervention (RtI), now known as multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). The majority of research in RtI/MTSS has focused on the elementary level; however, little research has addressed its implementation at the secondary level. Using an exploratory mixed method design, this study explored the beliefs and perceptions of over 300 secondary school staff currently implementing RtI/MTSS in a large urban district in south Florida. The first phase, a quantitative research design, used three surveys developed and vetted by the Florida Statewide Problem Solving and Response to Intervention Project. The surveys assessed the RtI/MTSS beliefs of four secondary school groups: administrators, professional support staff, general education and special education teachers, and measured their perceptions about their RtI/MTSS skills and practices. The second phase of the study utilized a qualitative design that included four homogeneous focus groups to address in depth the issues that had emerged in the quantitative survey phase. In order to reduce the possibility of Type I error, only statistically significant findings at <i>p</i> &lt;.001 were reported as there were multiple tests of significance conducted. MANOVA results showed that secondary special education teachers and administrators had significantly higher RtI/MTSS beliefs and perceptions of their RtI/MTSS skills than the other two groups, while secondary general education teachers had the lowest beliefs and perceptions about their RtI/MTSS skills. There were no significant differences in perceptions of practices among the four groups of participants. Major themes that emerged from the focus groups included the need for reorganization of urban secondary school structure, for extensive and intensive professional development, for authentic collaboration to build trust, for delineation of role clarity, and for improved knowledge of the RtI/MTSS framework.</p>

<p>The intersection of No Child Left Behind (2002) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) made it necessary for educators to examine achievement trends within their schools and implement a Response to Intervention (RTI) program. This study examines the achievement trends in one school district since its implementation of a RTI program. To provide a clear perspective, this mixed-methods study includes both quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. The student data and teacher focus group responses indicate that while RTI efforts are having a positive impact on student achievement, it would appear that RTI alone is not sufficient to close the achievement gap in this particular school. An action plan for moving the school district forward in its RTI efforts is provided. </p>

<p> Catholic schools in the United States have grappled with how to serve students with disabilities without the funding sources available to public schools. This mixed methods case study examines the driving forces, restraining forces, and social justice issues that influenced the development of an inclusion program at one Catholic elementary school. </p><p> The case analyzed is the inclusion program at "St. Ignatius" Elementary School. Fourteen interviews with individuals heavily involved in the program were triangulated with qualitative analyses of the content of artifacts from the inclusion program and quantitative data from a rating scale on ideal inclusive practices completed by ten teachers at the school site. Themes from the literature on Catholic inclusive education were also used to illuminate the findings. </p><p> The study identified the driving forces of leadership, teacher buy-in, the partnership between the school and parents, and the concept of the parish as "one big family." Restraining forces included negative parent perceptions and deficits in capacity and resources. Current practices included increased professional development and resources, honest assessment, and the concept that inclusion serves all students. Interview participants felt that Catholic beliefs and teachings provided the social justice framework. </p><p> The school site and archdiocese can further examine the paradigm shift required to implement Catholic school inclusion, increasing teacher professional development, the role of charismatic leadership, and serving gifted students. Further studies could explore socioeconomic variables, how inclusion affects other students, and whether the Catholic school environment provides advantages in implementing inclusion.</p>

<p> The majority of children with exceptionalities aged 3-5 are being served in general education settings. Teachers working in these inclusion classrooms must have the ability and knowledge to work with all students under their care. The purpose of this study was to determine how teachers in early childhood inclusion classrooms plan to incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning, an inclusive pedagogy, and to determine how professional development in UDL changes teachers' knowledge and behaviors in the classroom. This qualitative case study followed two early childhood inclusion co-teachers and a district office specialist in charge of the UDL professional development. Interviews, observations, lesson plans, and training materials were collected over an extended amount of time in the field. Results of the data analysis indicated that many principles of UDL were inherent in quality early childhood instruction. Teachers were adept at individualizing instruction on an as needed basis, but they needed more practice at embedding modifications and accommodations into curriculum and instruction. Early childhood teachers understood and saw the value in UDL, but they lacked appropriate professional development, access to the necessary resources, and the time needed to take universal instruction to the next level.</p>

<p> The purpose of this Executive Position Paper project was to develop resources for improving Individual Educational Program (IEP) mathematics learning goals for conceptual understanding of fractions for middle school special education students. The investigation surveyed how IEP mathematics learning goals are currently determined and proposed a new approach. It demonstrated how the approach would work through a pilot project in which two tools were developed: (1) a list of learning goals for goal writers to use as a reference when writing mathematics learning goals for middle school special needs students and (2) an assessment linked to the goals that would determine whether or not a student has achieved the goals. A description is given of the process that combines knowledge from research literature and information from instructional practice and that continually refines the products.</p><p> For this pilot project the learning goals were focused on order and equivalence of fractions. The goals were identified through a review of educational literature and examination of several sources related to practice for teaching fractions. Assessment items were then developed for the goals. Four experts reviewed the learning goals and assessments for content and clarity and the assessments for validity. Based on their feedback, edits were made to both the learning goals and the assessment items. Four middle school teachers field tested the assessment with their students. Analysis of student work confirmed that the assessment revealed detailed information on individual students' strengths and weaknesses in conceptual understanding of order and equivalence of fractions and that appropriate learning goals could be selected as a result of the assessment. </p><p> Final recommendations include expanding the project to additional math content and other grades and developing instructional lessons and resources linked to the learning goals that teachers could use to help students achieve the learning goals. Additionally, it is recommended that a system of continual improvement be incorporated into the process of further development.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of six state-wide policies and procedures used in the family assessment process within early intervention services. This study looked at the administrative understanding of the family assessment federal regulations, state policies and procedures, and local implementation from the perspective of the Part C coordinator in his or her state. </p><p> This qualitative study utilized methodologies associated with a grounded theory approach through in-depth interviews. The participants in this study included six state Part C coordinators. Based on the findings of this study, two broad conclusions are offered: 1. There was a lack of specific policies and procedures regarding family assessment, which made family assessment difficult to implement with fidelity across a state system. 2. There was a lack of specific training around performance competencies of family assessment, which lead to a reliance on a state's family-centered philosophy and the IFSP process. </p><p> Recommendations were made for early interventionists, Part C coordinators, and researchers in the area of family assessment.</p>

Functional literacy is difficult to achieve for the deaf population. Sixty percent of deaf high school students read at or below grade four, eight percent read at or above grade eight. The present study investigated two factors that may contribute to these individual differences in reading achievement in the deaf signing population: signed language comprehension skills and word recognition skills. In Study 1, 31 deaf adults (12 women and 19 men) between the ages of 17 and 54 years were categorized as either a Good Reader or Poor Reader to determine what factors would differentiate them. These groups were tested with a battery of background questionnaires, speech use and comprehension, communication, hearing, nonverbal IQ measures, three signed language measures, and two reading tests. Results showed that the Good and Poor Readers differed significantly on signed language comprehension skills. The Poor Readers (mean reading level grade 3.5) had poor sign language comprehension and the Good Readers (mean reading level grade 10.5) had good sign language comprehension. / In Study 2, the Good and Poor Readers tested in Study 1 and a hearing control group (6 women and 8 men) were tested on three lexical decision tasks. Two tasks tested use of phonology in word recognition (spelling-sound correspondence, pseudohomophone tasks) and a third task tested use of sign lexical knowledge (signability task). Across all tasks, the deaf Good Readers were as fast and as accurate as the Hearing Readers, whereas the Poor Readers were slower and made more errors than the other groups. The Poor Readers displayed similar patterns of performance to the Good Readers on the spelling-sound and pseudohomophone tasks. Neither deaf group showed much evidence of using phonological processing whereas the hearing control group did. The Poor Readers showed evidence of using sign lexical knowledge on the signability task. / These results together suggest that underdeveloped signed language skills may be a more important factor in the low reading levels of the deaf signing population than word recognition skills.

<p> The U.S. Department of Education statistics report increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities and other non-apparent disabilities enrolling in higher education. This change in student demographic presents new challenges to institutions and disability service professionals to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. The purpose of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of the decision-making experiences of the disability service professionals charged with making accommodation decisions with the intent of informing professional development opportunities that will help build the confidence and effectiveness of these high-stakes decision-makers. The research questions were addressed using a mixed methods research design utilizing a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of disability service professionals in the northeast region of the United States. Major findings from this study included a surprising yet optimistic decrease in importance disability service professionals placed on specific documentation components in order to make accommodation decisions, the significance of building collaborative relationships on their campuses, and the considerable time and resources they devote to educating faculty on alternative methods of assessment to more effectively teach an increasingly diverse student population. The results of this study underscore the importance of disability service professionals on increasingly diverse campuses and the role they play in enhancing accessibility and ultimately contributing to the culture of diversity on their campuses. Professional development opportunities for higher education administrators are discussed, which include shifting the training focus from documentation and accommodation decision-making to understanding learning and teaching styles, as well as developing soft skills related to interdepartmental collaborative problem-solving.</p>

<p>The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to identify and understand the cultural and linguistic barriers encountered by Latino parents of children with communicative disorders. A second purpose was to identify the common themes that arise across Latino families regarding their transition to life in the United States and the quest for available and affordable services for their children. The general principles of phenomenological in-depth qualitative interviewing will be described. Linguistic themes regarding the parents' perceptions of their own linguistic abilities and the abilities of their children were identified. Cultural themes were also identified and included differences in lifestyle, knowledge and cultural views of disability, as well as educational roles and responsibilities. Information is provided regarding the role of speech-language pathologists, especially those who are Spanish-speaking. Finally, the importance of the development of cultural competence for all speech-language pathologists is discussed.