Education Commons^™

Increasing Collaboration And Knowledge In School Communities To Enhance Outcomes For Autistic Students, Amy Jane Griffiths, Diana Baker, John Brady, Kelly Kennedy, Anaiza Valladolid, Rachel Wiegand, Raquel Delgado

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

This paper describes a case study of a developmental program evaluation on the Autism Community Toolkit, a collaborative skills training program for parents and school professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the training on participants’ knowledge, competence and perceived collaboration; and potential improvements to the training program.

Design/methodology/approach

The program included multiple training sessions for families and school professionals, designed to educate participants on autism, evidence-based interventions and to increase home-school communication and collaboration. Data collection methods included pre- and post-measures and feedback forms.

Findings

Results indicated that the training program was beneficial …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Middle Level Education In A State Without A Middle Level Teacher Credential, Ben Seipel, Rong-Ji Chen, Erika B. Daniels, Acacia M. Warren, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) presents a framework of middle level education and defines five essential attributes and 18 characteristics of successful middle schools (Bishop & Harrison, 2021). Young adolescents’ unique cognitive, moral, socio-emotional, and identity development is at the center of this framework. Several empirical studies suggest that middle school teachers with specialized preparation performed better in many key areas than their counterparts with elementary or secondary licensure (Mertens et al., 2005; Ochanji et al., 2016). Despite researchers’ calls for specialized preparation of middle grades teachers. California does not offer a middle level teacher credential. The purpose …