An Implementation-Oriented Perspective on the Use of Consultation to Promote Educational Change

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives on Educational Change: Cultural Shifts, Generational Expectations, and Professional Collaboration

Abstract

Students with disabilities are increasingly educated in inclusive settings (McLeskey, Landers, Williamson, & Hoppey, 2012), resulting in significant changes to teachers’ roles and responsibilities. Special educators frequently use collaborative consultation (Idol, Nevin, & Paolucci-Whitcomb, 1995) to support general education teachers in selecting and implementing best practices in inclusion (Jorgensen, McSheehan, Schuh, & Sonnenmeier, 2012). Consultation can effectively facilitate inclusive placements (e.g., Shapiro, et al., 1999), but the mechanisms involved in this process are unclear. This study adopts an implementation-oriented framework to examine the use of consultation in promoting educational change associated with inclusion. Relations between consultation dosage and teachers’ implementation of inclusive practices are explored. Results offer methodological and practical implications for future work in this area.

Authors

• Cara Marcinek Bliss, University of Pittsburgh

• Shannon Beth Wanless, University of Pittsburgh

• Stephen J. Bagnato, University of Pittsburgh