3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course focuses on what constitutes high needs schools and what we know about effective practices for improving the academic performance and pro-social competencies of students in such schools. Participants will have the opportunity to critique the literature regarding school reform and school-wide efforts such as a multi-tiered system of support, with a particular emphasis on initiatives that have been used to reduce the academic achievement and social competency gaps between students with and without disabilities. Participants will have the opportunity to review common challenges impacting the educational experience of students attending ‘high needs schools,’ the impact of implementing a multi-tiered approach, such as the PBIS framework, and consider how implementation could affect disproportionality and the continued achievement gap. Emphasis is given to studying the impact of implementing such initiatives on the social, emotional and academic outcomes for students with disabilities.