New Generation of Educators Initiative: Transforming teacher preparation.

The focus of the New Generation of Educators Initiative (NGEI) was to answer the question "What would it take to transform teacher education?" From 2016 to 2019, with support from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, teacher education programs at 10 California State University (CSU) campuses partnered with local school districts to design and demonstrate innovative practices that could transform teacher preparation. This report documents the learnings from multiple participants in this transformative work, including Foundation program staff and representatives from partnerships between universities and school districts

Participatory Research: New Approaches to the Research to Practice Dilemma

The dissemination of research into practice presents an enduring challenge to the social sciences. Despite intervention research focused on individuals with disabilities and their families that reveals clear pathways to improving practice, researchers and practitioners alike express concern regarding limited and slow implementation of the results of research in typical school and community settings. This article reviews three widely disparate literatures concerned with the gap between research and practice, highlighting suggestions for narrowing the gap through the incorporation of elements of practice into the research process. For each of the steps in our research on the social relationships of children and youth, we present examples of participatory research approaches to decision making designed to increase the relevance and validity of findings for everyday practice. We conclude with criteria that might be applied to the design of effective interventions for research validation to increase the likelihood that the results of intervention research will be adopted by school and community constituencies

Developing Culturally Inclusive Services for Individuals with Severe Disabilities

In this position paper, we argue that concerns about race and culture largely have been ignored with respect to students with severe disabilities. We caution, however, that variables such as acculturation, social class, and education must be included in any consideration of cultural identity to avoid stereotyping. Second, we use the term “cultural inclusion” to indicate the need to address cultural features directly when planning for inclusion of students with severe disabilities. In this paper, we propose essentials of a culturally inclusive approach to building relationships with families and to assessment, placement, instruction, and programming for such students. Third, we call for a multicultural emphasis in personnel preparation programs, with a focus on process rather than cultural content. The paper concludes with suggestions for a research agenda