Supporting Teachers’ Professional Development: Investigating the Impact of a Targeted Intervention on Teachers’ Presentation of Opportunities to Respond

This dissertation aimed to explore the effects of a targeted professional development package within the context of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) model for professional development (PD) on teachers’ rates of presentation of opportunities to respond during teacher-directed phonics instruction. Research indicates that increased presentation of teacher-directed opportunities to respond (TD-OTR), an evidence-based classroom management strategy with demonstrated positive impacts on student academic and behavioral outcomes, may be one of the most critical classroom management practices available to teachers. I aimed to use an experimental single subject multiple baseline design across teachers, to examine the effects of a targeted professional development package (including self-management package and performance feedback) on increasing teachers’ presentation of TD-OTRs and the resulting impacts of teacher behavior change on student academic and behavioral outcomes. Due to teachers’ positive response to universal intervention, a functional relation between targeted PD and teacher behavior was not documented (i.e., experimental control was not achieved). Therefore, within this dissertation, I present five case studies. These case studies detail the increases in teachers’ rates of presentation of TD-OTRs when the universal and, for one teacher, targeted PD was implemented and present outcomes for students’ academic and social behavior. Results indicate that providing classroom management PD within an MTSS framework may be an effective strategy for increasing teachers’ rates of presentation of TD-OTRs. In addition, 3 low-risk and 3 moderate/high-risk students within each classroom demonstrated sustained or increased academic engagement and decreased disruptive behavior as teachers increased their rates of TD-OTR presentation. However, measures of students’ oral reading fluency did not indicate growth during the intervention phase. Implications for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers are discussed in detail

The Relation Between the Academic Achievement of Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Teacher Characteristics

Teachers of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) are less experienced and more likely to have emergency certification than teachers of students with other disabilities. Yet, to date, research has not examined the relation between the academic achievement of students with EBD and characteristics associated with highly qualified teachers (teachers\u27 education level, certification status, and years of experience). Using a nationally representative longitudinal data set of students with disabilities, this study examined the relation between teacher characteristics and the academic achievement of students with EBD. Using hierarchical linear modeling, the study found low academic achievement for students with EBD, null effects for change in achievement across time, and null effects for the relation between (a) teachers\u27 educational level, certification status, and years of experience and (b) student academic achievement. Results indicate further research is needed to examine whether and how teacher characteristics may impact the academic achievement of students with EBD