03/30/2022
By Lizzie Casanave

The School of Education invites you to attend an Ed.D. Dissertation Defense by Maria Kolbe on "Experiences in Educating Students with Emotional Impairment in Inclusive Elementary Settings: Perspectives of School-Based Practitioners."

Date: April 12, 2022
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual dissertation defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact John_McKenna@uml.edu to request access to the Zoom link.

Dissertation Chair: John McKenna, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dissertation Committee:

  • Stacy Szczesiul, Ed.D., Associate Dean of Online Education, Accreditation & Licensing, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Kathleen Bernklow, Ph.D.. Scholar in Practice, University of Massachusetts Lowell, School of Education, Medway Public Schools.

Abstract:
Students with Emotional Impairment (EI) continue to experience poor short- and long-term outcomes within U.S. public schools. Despite raised academic and functional skill standards set federally in the Endrew F. vs Douglas Supreme Court case (2017), students with EI are not yet receiving their Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This qualitative study aimed to examine school-based practitioner experiences in educating students with EI in inclusive elementary school settings through semistructured interviews. Participants were elementary general educators, special educators, and behavior therapists currently educating students with EI from a high-achieving, well funded suburban school district in the northeast. Participants were chosen from two elementary schools within the district known for meeting the educational needs of students with EI particularly well. Thematic analysis of participant interview responses showed high educator self-efficacy in impacting their students’ ability to achieve high academic and behavioral standards set by the IEP teams, in addition to strong collaborative practices and a mindset of strong teacher-student relationships as a facilitator to student academic engagement. Participant-identified challenges and effective practices are also discussed. Recommendations focus on improving educator self-efficacy in educating students with EI in inclusive elementary settings, building upon the overwhelmingly successful teacher and student experiences captured by this study to support the achievement of FAPE for all elementary-aged students with EI.