Training rural educators in Kentucky through distance learning: Impact with follow-up data

Rural Special Education Quarterly, Fall 2002 by Grisham-Brown, Jennifer, Collins, Belva C

The results of this survey indicate that a greater percentage of students were implementing best practices for children with disabilities after taking TREK courses. Further, the majority of these students used the practices with students who have disabilities and shared information about the practices with other adults. These results are promising and would have been strengthened by two factors. First, the original TREK project was established so students could acquire a masters degree with a focus in either ECSE or MSD. Since students from both of those programs participated in the survey, it is possible that students responded a certain way depending on their program orientation. For example, students working with young children would not likely use community-based instruction. Conversely, students who teach children with MSD would be less likely to use family-focused programming. Second, the current survey was mailed to all students who had taken any courses through the TREK projects. Although the practices listed in the survey permeate many courses in the TREK curriculum, it is possible that some students had not been exposed to some of these practices.

The positive results of the impact data demonstrate the need for a common philosophy and core set of emphasized practices in a personnel preparation program. All of the coursework offered through the TREK projects is rooted in applied behavior analysis (ABA). While ABA is emphasized in all courses, students also obtained skills and knowledge in other areas important to the education of children with disabilities, including inclusive education practices, functional assessment and curriculum development, family centered programming, and longitudinal transition planning. What is not captured in the survey is the heavy emphasis in the TREK projects on reflective teaching. Students are required to become consumers of current research and to conduct research in their classrooms or employment sites. The emphasis on research-based decision making impacts students' capacity to effectively implement recommended practices and to share them with others. As a result, TREK students have become agents of change in their rural districts on behalf of children with disabilities. In addition, their published research has had the potential to impact the field of special education at a national level (e.g., Branham, Collins, Schuster, & Kleinert, 1999; Colyer, & Collins, 1996; Jones, & Collins, 1997; Palmer, Collins, & Schuster, 1999; Sewell, Collins, Hemmeter, & Schuster, 1998; Smith, Collins, Schuster, & Kleinert, 1999).

Conclusions

Federally funded programs are under close scrutiny to produce positive results for children with disabilities and their families. These results are captured in the Government Performance und Results Act (GPRA) (1999). GPRA outlines specific goals and objectives that all programs funded under IDEA should achieve. The goal under Part D (National Activities) is "to link best practices to states, school systems, and families to improve results for infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities" (p. 10). Specifically personnel preparation projects funded under Part D are charged with assisting "states in addressing identified needs for highly qualified personnel to serve children with disabilities" (p. 10). This survey is one attempt to gather data on those outcomes.