Comparison of the Effects of Coaching for General and Special Education Teachers in High-Poverty Urban Elementary Schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-53
Author(s):  
Linda A. Reddy ◽  
Adam Lekwa ◽  
Elisa Shernoff

Research that examines coaching approaches for special education teachers is very limited. This study, a secondary analysis of a wait-list controlled, randomized trial (106 teachers, 2,195 students, 18 schools), investigated the effects of a data-driven coaching that integrated observational assessment and performance feedback on general education (GE) versus special education (SE) teacher practices and student outcomes in high-poverty urban elementary schools. Coaches used observational data via the Classroom Strategies Assessment System to identify practice needs, set goals, create plans, and monitor progress toward goals. Prior to coaching, GE and SE teachers were observed using evidence-based instructional and behavior management practices; however, some practices were at rates lower than recommended by the research literature. Results suggest that goal selection and frequency and quality of practices were generally comparable between GE and SE teachers. However, SE teachers used 30% fewer behavior corrective feedback statements, on average, than GE teachers ( p = .04). Overall, the effect of the coaching intervention did not differ across GE and SE teachers; both had significantly improved instructional and behavior management practices and student outcomes when compared with teachers in the control condition. Limitations and future directions for research and practice are discussed.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bassam Alabdallat ◽  
Hatem Alkhamra ◽  
Rana Alkhamra

The purpose of this study was to investigate how general and special education instructors perceive their collaborative teaching responsibilities and their attitudes toward inclusive environments. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 300 teachers in accordance with the social interdependence theory and cooperative learning conceptual framework. The survey was composed of two parts. The first section examined collaborative teaching duties for both instructors. It included 29 items and four categories (planning, instruction, evaluation, and behavior management). The second section included 15 items to assess attitudes toward inclusion. The study enrolled a total of 233 teachers (123 in special education and 110 in general education) with a response rate of 78%. The results showed that there was agreement between general and special education on only one of the four domains (instruction). Additionally, special education teachers expressed a more favorable attitude toward inclusion than did general education teachers. The current situation’s implications were explored with an emphasis on the necessity for additional shared practical activities among teachers.


2019 ◽  
pp. 153450841986286
Author(s):  
Linda A. Reddy ◽  
Anh N. Hua ◽  
Christopher M. Dudek ◽  
Ryan Kettler ◽  
Ilona Arnold-Berkovits ◽  
...  

This study examined the relationship of school administrator and teacher self-ratings of instructional and behavioral management practices to student growth on statewide achievement tests (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career [PARCC]). The study included 78 teachers and 1,594 students from fourth through eighth grades in nine high-poverty charter schools. Observation scores completed by school administrator and teacher self-ratings were collected on the Classroom Strategies Assessment System (CSAS), an observational assessment that reports outcomes as discrepancy scores: differences between recommended frequency and observed frequency of specific instructional and behavior management strategies for teachers. Correlations revealed negative relations between both informants’ discrepancy scores and PARCC growth scores, demonstrating that teachers with lower discrepancy scores tended to have students with greater PARCC growth scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed school administrator and teacher CSAS total discrepancy scores were related to student performance on PARCC mathematics, but not English Language Arts (ELA), and teachers’ CSAS Total discrepancy scores explained an additional 4.8% of variance in PARCC mathematics. Implications of findings for professional development and research are offered.


Author(s):  
Adam J. Lekwa ◽  
Linda A. Reddy ◽  
Elisa S. Shernoff

With increased attention to teacher quality and accountability, instructional coaching has emerged as a popular form of teacher support and professional development in literacy and other areas of instruction. Despite significant interest from school personnel, researchers, and federal funders, there remains a lack of consensus around the key components and activities of instructional coaching. To that end, studies that use quantitative and qualitative methods can offer valuable information on the development and validation of coaching practices. This chapter briefly describes the Classroom Strategies Assessment System Coaching Model that draws on the adult learning and formative assessment literature. We offer key observations of educators' knowledge of and experience in instructional coaching from focus groups conducted with teachers in high-poverty, urban elementary schools. Directions for practice and research are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria S. Poulou ◽  
Linda A. Reddy ◽  
Christopher M. Dudek

Teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy are one of the few individual characteristics that predict teacher practice. There is limited research linking teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy and actual classroom practices. The study examined teacher’ perceptions of self-efficacy and actual instructional and behavior management practices using the Classroom strategies assessment system (CSAS), a multidimensional validated observation system. Fifty-eight Greek teachers completed the Teacher sense of efficacy scale (TSES) and were observed using the CSAS by independent observers. Significant differences between teachers’ self-reported self-efficacy and observers’ ratings were found in the domain of instructional strategies. Implications for research, professional development and school psychological practice are discussed.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline Lubin

Abstract Using an adaptation of Brownell and Smith's (1993) conceptual model, this study sought to examine the perception of primary and secondary special educators in St. Lucia of their roles as compared to roles of special education teachers universally. A survey, consisting of 89 Likert-scale statements and five closed ended questions, was administered to the entire population (i.e. 82) of special educators in primary and secondary schools in St. Lucia. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics including percentages, means, and t-tests. The independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference in the frequency of role engagement between the two groups of special educators. The results revealed that like special educators globally, special education teachers in St. Lucia engaged in all roles under study (i.e., Academic instruction, Non-academic instruction, Instructional Support, Responsive Behavior Management, Special Education Assessment, Classroom Assessment, Special Education Paperwork) but engaged in them at varying degrees. They regarded all but one role (i.e. Responsive Behavior Management) to be very-to-extremely important. Respondents utilized a continuum of practices from exclusionary to inclusionary but made greater use of exclusionary practices. Implications as well as recommendations to improve practice are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuo-Chen Ma ◽  
Mei-Hung Wang ◽  
Mei-Hsiang Lee ◽  
Mo-Hsiung Chuang

<p>Under the influences of natural disasters, disabled people are often the majority of sufferers when a serious disaster happens. Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (3WCDRR) calls for agencies of the United Nations system, academia, the private sector, civil society, and people with disabilities to integrate the issue of the physically and mentally disabled into the new global framework for disaster reduction. Taiwan is one of the regions in the world where earthquakes occur very frequently. According to the statistics of the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau, an average of 23,000 earthquakes occurs in Taiwan each year, including about 1,000 sensational earthquakes. Earthquake prevention is therefore the essential task for campus disaster prevention and rescue programs. The school should recognize different evacuation abilities for students in special education classes, and know their special needs in earthquake disaster drills and emergency response ability.</p><p>In this study, four special education classes in elementary schools were selected as examples to understand the current situation in the engagement with earthquake drills by way of interviews and questionnaires. The evacuation abilities of students in special classes are classified into four categories based on the issues of physical environment, manpower arrangement, and both students’ and teachers’ educations in earthquake prevention. On the basis of the results, the conclusions regarding to those three issues can be drawn as follows. For the first issue concerning the physical environment, the teaching space for special education classes should consider the students’ evacuation abilities. Second, both internal and external support manpower should understand the students' evacuation capabilities and give different assistance based on their abilities. Last, the education goals in earthquake disaster prevention for students in different categories should be different. The earthquake drills should be well arranged in the aspects of time, place, equipment, and manpower assistance. It is important to note that special education teachers and assistants should have good knowledge in earthquake disaster prevention, understand the appropriate response to earthquake disaster, and strive to ensure the safety of students and themselves in the evacuation process.</p>


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