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Enhancing all students' academic performance continues to be a national priority, and although achievement gains have been made overtime, shortfalls in mathematics learning for students with disabilities (SWD) remain. Research reveals that a substantial portion of the variability in students' mathematics achievement gains is due to the teacher. To address the need for teacher professional development (PD) in mathematics for SWD and other struggling mathematics learners, we designed and studied "Prime Online"--a yearlong, online, PD program with support from an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Goal 2 Development and Innovation research grant. In this article, the development process and an exploratory study are discussed. Study findings suggest that "Prime Online" positively influenced general and special education teachers' reported beliefs and practices, and their learning of mathematics content for teaching, and generated high teacher satisfaction ratings. No difference in the performance of SWD on a state accountability measure of mathematics was found. Implications for further research are discussed.

We quantitatively synthesized findings of quasi-experimental and randomized control studies of interventions designed to improve the mathematics achievement of secondary school students with mathematics difficulties (MD). We identified 45 studies (49 interventions) published between 1978 and 2020 and classified interventions into five categories: technology-based interventions (TBI), schema-based interventions (SBI), use of visual representations, cognitive-based instruction, and other. We used robust variance estimation (RVE) to address dependency in effect sizes (ESs). The cumulative effect size across 139 outcomes was moderately large (g = 0.52), with a substantial amount of between-study heterogeneity. A multiple meta-regression analysis showed several significant moderators of interventions' effectiveness, such as content domain, intervention length, and dependent measure. We discuss limitations and implications for research and classroom practice.

In this study, three interactive, online modules on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) were delivered over four weeks with teacher candidates to improve their skills and knowledge for developing and implementing lesson plans based on UDL principles. Eight teacher candidates who were in a dual certification degree programme (i.e. general and special education) and enrolled in a graduate-level course participated in the study. After completion of the modules, the candidates significantly enhanced their ability to design lesson plans based on UDL principles and reliably implement the lessons during their student teaching placements in both high- and low- technology settings. The candidates described the discussion forums shared with their peers as the most useful aspect of the modules for promoting their learning. Additionally, teachers revealed a strong willingness to apply the principles of UDL in their future teaching. Limitations and implications are discussed.

The editorial "Setting the Stage for a New Prologue" reflects on the editors' 6-year tenure at Teacher Education and Special Education (TESE) and their efforts to uphold the journal's mission. The editorial highlights the importance of advancing equity, improving measurement, and embracing methodological diversity in teacher education and special education research. Recommendations include conducting more research on diversity, equity, and inclusion, enhancing valid and reliable measures, and utilizing collaborative research models to promote equity and social justice. The editorial concludes by expressing gratitude to collaborators and welcoming the new editorial team. [Extracted from the article]

This study examined mathematics strategy instruction that primes the common underlying structures of word problems using explicit instruction in a rural elementary classroom with fourth- and fifth-grade students with and without disabilities (n = 27). Although intervention students did not outperform control condition students on a word problem solving (WPS) measure (p = 0.054), a statistically significant interaction effect was found (p = 0.003). Follow-up analyses revealed that the WPS pretest-posttest gain was significant for the intervention group only. Students with disabilities in both conditions did not improve performance. Implications for practice and research in rural school classrooms are presented.

During the past decade, researchers in special education have begun to investigate the unique and complex challenges encountered by novice special educators. These investigations have documented numerous factors in special education settings that contribute to the stresses of the first year of teaching for them, including: role ambiguity, students posing complex behavioral and academic challenges, large caseloads, insufficient curricular and technical resources, inadequate administrative support, inadequate time for planning, few opportunities for collaboration and professional development, and excessive procedural demands. In this article, the authors begin with a review of pertinent literature regarding novice teachers, with a focus on the changing roles of special educators, relationships between novice teachers and their colleagues, and accessibility of the general education curriculum to students with disabilities. They then describe a three-year, federally-funded research project that focused on the problems and accomplishments of first-year special educators. In the first two years of the study, qualitative data from graduates of teacher education programs in special education at the University of Florida (UF) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) were collected. In the third year, a survey instrument to all first-year special educators teaching in the states of Florida and Wisconsin during the Spring of 2000, regardless of the program from which they graduated, was administered. In this article, the authors present only qualitative and quantitative data related specifically to first-year special educators' problems and accomplishments and their relationships and interactions with their general education colleagues. Findings from this study suggest that supportive relationships with general education teachers are important to the professional lives of novice special educators. Helping beginning teachers develop the skills to work in, and advance, a collaborative school culture may be one way that teacher educators and school administrators can begin to foster these relationships. (Contains 3 tables.)

Engagement in practitioner inquiry by classroom teachers is a promising mechanism for teacher professional learning. While much has been learned about the positive role inquiry can play in traditional professional development efforts, we know less about the impact of inquiry in a rapidly advancing technological age that includes the proliferation of online professional development institutes and programs. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of inquiry in online professional development by providing a detailed description of a year-long program called Prime Online. Supported by US federal funding, this program was designed to help teachers develop the mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge necessary to implement research-based practices in inclusive elementary classrooms within a framework of practitioner inquiry. A detailed description of this program is presented followed by an examination of the inquiry projects completed by the participants. Implications of this effort for teacher learning and online professional development endeavors are offered.

This study sought to identify components of an asynchronous online teacher professional development program, "Prime Online," that potentially affected participants' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). Twenty-three third- through fifth-grade general education and special education teachers completed a yearlong online teacher professional development program focused on improving MKT, instructional practices for all learners (particularly those with disabilities), and practitioner inquiry. Latent growth modeling and focus group data indicated growth in participants' content knowledge and initial growth in knowledge of students from pretest to midtest, with a decline at the end of the program. Module components are described to highlight the online teacher professional development program structure and specific activities that potentially supported participants' growth. Mathematical modeling, engaging with practitioner-focused journals and websites, developer-constructed materials, classroom implementation, and reflection and discussion provided participants with the opportunities for professional development resulting in increased MKT.

In this exploratory study, teachers' use of standards-based, discourse practices and their students' mathematics learning in inclusive elementary mathematics classrooms were examined. Two beginning teachers (one third-grade teacher, one fourth-grade teacher) and six students identified with disabilities or as low performing in mathematics participated in this study (three students from each classroom). Six classroom observations of teachers took place over 4 months focusing on a subset of indicators associated with Walshaw and Anthony's framework of mathematics classroom discourse practices. Follow-up interviews were also conducted. Curriculum-based and state-accountability measures were collected on the six target students in these settings. Different patterns of student performance emerged across the two classrooms in which teachers were observed using different types and degrees of standards-based discourse practices during mathematics lessons. Findings suggest indicators of effective mathematics teaching in inclusive general education classrooms to be validated by future research efforts. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)

The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary results on the use of schema-based strategy instruction to teach addition and subtraction word problem solving to a fourth grade student with autism. The student was taught to use schematic diagrams to solve three types of addition and subtraction word problems. A multiple probes across behaviors single-case design was used, with solving each of the three problem types treated as a separate behavior. Interpretation of results indicated that the participant's ability to solve all types of one-step addition and subtraction word problems improved following instruction. Improvement also generalized to problems with unknowns in the initial and medial position and was maintained over time. (Contains 4 figures.)

As the percentage of teachers participating in induction programs has increased over the past two decades and new state and federal mandates have been enacted to improve the quality of the teacher workforce, published literature on teacher induction and mentoring has grown. Despite an increasing research base, the current research has been described as fragmented, lacking a cohesive conceptual framework, and containing numerous methodological "limitations that are liable to compromise the implications one is able to draw." This article presents twenty induction research studies which provide information about formal and informal induction supports in special education, including the content and frequency of mentoring, the proximity and characteristics of special education mentors and other professionals who provide induction support, and evaluation considerations. Some of these studies relate induction and mentoring to special education teacher satisfaction with mentoring, intent to stay in teaching, and self-perceptions of effectiveness. Implications for districts interested in improving their induction and mentoring programs are discussed.

The authors examined the effectiveness of strategy instruction taught by general educators in mixed-ability classrooms. Specifically, the authors compared the mathematical word problem-solving performance and computational skills of students who received schema-based instruction (SBI) with students who received general strategy instruction (GSI). Participants were 60 3rd-grade student participants randomly assigned to treatment conditions. Teachers pretested and posttested participants with mathematical problem-solving and computation tests, repeatedly measuring their progress on word problem solving across the 18-week intervention. Both SBI and GSI conditions improved word problem-solving and computation skills. Further, results show a significant difference between groups on the word problem-solving progress measure at Time 1, favoring the SBI group. However, this differential effect did not persist over time. The authors discuss implications for future research and practice. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

In a 1986 study published in the "Learning Disability Quarterly," Simmons and Kame'enui examined information found in popular periodicals about learning disabilities (LD) in an effort to understand what people learn about LD from these high-readership sources. After more than 20 years, advances in technology have brought significant changes to how people obtain and disseminate information. Therefore, we revisited the findings of Simmons and Kame'enui by investigating information about LD presented on the Internet. An analysis of the contents of 23 websites suggested that medically based etiologies are most frequently associated with LD, supporting the 1986 results. Unlike the 1986 findings, however, the interventions found on the Internet include a variety of educational supports designed to promote the success of students with LD in the general education environment. Situated in the context of the digital age, implications for LD organizations and future research are provided. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)

In this study, the authors examine the influence of teacher and student communication patterns, instructional practices, and teacher pedagogical content knowledge on students' mathematics learning in both general and special education mathematics classrooms. Five pre-service special education teachers in field placements and 43 students with varying disabilities participated in this study. Observations of teachers during mathematics lessons and follow-up interviews were conducted. Students in these settings completed a pretest and posttest of mathematics content taught over 6 weeks of instruction. Results reveal two sets of instructional practices, communication patterns, and teacher understandings of mathematics for teaching that differentially affected student performance. Implications are discussed for teacher education and further research. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

Despite a history of research in general education on novice teachers, researchers have only recently begun to investigate the experiences of beginning special educators. Many of these studies describe problems encountered, noting the high attrition rate among beginning special education teachers and emphasizing the importance of keeping qualified special educators in the field. The findings of this survey of first-year special education teachers (N = 596) extend the literature by revealing the influence of classroom and school context factors on new teachers' accomplishments and problems. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)

The purposes of this study were to assess the differential effects of a single strategy (schema-based instruction; SBI) versus multiple strategies (general strategy instruction, GSI) in promoting mathematical problem solving and mathematics achievement as well as to examine the influence of word problem-solving instruction on the development of computational skills. Eighty-eight 3rd graders and their teachers were assigned randomly to conditions (SBI and GSI). Students were pre- and posttested on mathematical problem-solving and computation tests and were posttested on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Mathematics test, a criterion-referenced test that measures student attainment of academic standards. Results revealed SBI to be more effective than GSI in enhancing students' mathematical word problem-solving skills at posttest and maintenance. Further, results indicate that the SBI groups' performance exceeded that of the GSI group on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment measure. On the computation test, both groups made gains over time.

In this article, the authors advance 10 postulates describing what they believe to be true about collaboration in special education: (1) Collaboration in teacher education is possible; (2) Collaborative programs can be initiated from many departure points; (3) Collaboration requires real time for communication; (4) Supportive leadership is essential; (5) New programs occur in conjunction with strong school partnerships; (6) It is possible to work with State Departments of Education; (7) Even if some people do not buy into the changes, progress can be made; (8) Evaluation is an important component of program development; (9) Collaborative programs can be responsive to the community surrounding the university/college; and (10) Collaboration forces a confrontation with new or alternative conceptions of teaching and learning. These postulates lead to the following questions: (1) How will we define special education?; (2) How appropriate is the diversity umbrella?; (3) What is the role of faculty development?; and (4) How important is program evaluation? (Contains 1 table.)

The perspectives of general and special education teacher educators, who are nationally recognized for their work in the areas of learning disabilities, inclusive education, and teacher education, were explored. Study participants were asked to reveal how the inclusion of students with learning disabilities has impacted their professional lives in ways they did not expect. In addition, they responded to questions about the unexpected outcomes of inclusion on students with learning disabilities and their typical peers. Results suggest that (a) preparing teachers, not only for inclusion, but also for the diverse classrooms of today, is challenging; (b) the real world of schools is where teacher educators believe they need, and want, to be because important questions can be posed and solutions found within schools; (c) colleges of education, like schools, need to be reformed to encourage and support intensive, prolonged site-based work; and (d) outcomes for students with learning disabilities included in general education classrooms cannot be de-contextualized. (Contains 1 table.)

The authors conducted design or classroom experiments (R. Gersten, S. Baker, & J. W. Lloyd, 2000) at 2 sites (Pennsylvania and Florida) to test the effectiveness of schema-based instruction (SBI) prior to conducting formal experimental studies. Results of Study 1 conducted in 2 3rd-grade, low-ability classrooms and 1 special education classroom indicated mean score improvements from pretest to posttest on word problem solving and computation fluency measures. In addition, student perceptions of SBI according to a strategy satisfaction questionnaire revealed SBI as effective in helping solve word problems. Results of Study 2, which included a heterogeneous (high-, average-, and low-achieving) sample of 3rd graders, also revealed student improvement on the word problem solving and computation fluency measures. However, the outcomes were not as positive in Study 2 as in Study 1. Lessons learned from the 2 studies are discussed with regard to teaching and learning mathematical word problem solving for different groups of students. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

Collaborative problem solving is an activity in which special education teachers and other school professionals work together to solve the academic or behavioral problems of their students. The purpose of this study was to understand preservice teachers' perceptions of a collaborative problem solving activity they implemented with other professionals (e.g., general education teachers, school counselors, and speech and language pathologists) during their student teaching semester. These students formed a collaborative relationship with a school professional in an effort to assist the pair in supporting children with learning and/or behavior problems in general education settings. Findings from this study suggest that the problem-solving project expanded student teachers' definitions of collaboration by increasing their awareness of facilitators and obstacles to it. However, collaboration in practice was not an easy task for student teachers, with school context variables playing a role in facilitating successful or less than successful collaboration. (Contains 2 tables.)

Explains how teachers differentiate their teaching practices to support inclusive classrooms. Discusses system of democratic governance, culture of collaboration, commitment to and capacity for professional growth, strong leadership, and concern about equity and the success and well-being of individual students as factors for transforming school culture and implementing inclusive education. (DLH)

Examines the perceptions of middle school faculty, staff, and students during the restructuring of their school for the fuller inclusion of students with special needs. Describes the philosophy of inclusion, steps in the change process, and the evolution of "schools within a school" made up of teams from each grade level. (JPB)

This study investigated four beginning special educators' problems of practice and the influence of the school context on teachers' abilities to solve their problems. Participants were troubled by issues related to instruction and curriculum, understanding the system, inclusion, and exhaustion. Teachers received little support from general educators or administrators. (Author/CR)

Examined the differential effects of two instructional strategies (explicit schema-based and traditional-based) on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of mathematical word problem solving among elementary students at risk or with mild disabilities. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that both groups' performance increased from pretest to posttest, though students in the schema-based increased more significantly. (Author/SM)

Describes a model for providing individualized and comprehensive support for beginning special educators in the face of acute personnel shortages. Describes the interacting factors in the model specific to the individual teacher and to the teaching environment and tasks. Provides recommendations for implementation of the beginning-teacher support model. (Author/CR)

This study examined effects of a self-assessment procedure on the behaviors and thoughts of 26 preservice student interns in a special education graduate program at the University of Florida. Analysis indicated that self-assessment had no impact on interns' teaching behaviors when compared to traditional supervisory practice but did help identify problems of practice as perceived by the interns. (DB)

The effect of graphic organizers on 14 learning-disabled students' (grades 5 and 6) recall of science content was compared with that of students taught identical content without the graphic organizer condition. Evaluation two weeks later found no statistically significant differences between the groups on production or choice response tasks. (DB)