Melanie Good
Family Perspectives of Belonging in an Inclusive School
This study explores family perspectives on belonging within an inclusive charter school system. Through structured focus group interviews, parents of elementary and middle school students with disabilities shared their experiences and insights on how schools foster a culture of belonging. Using grounded theory methods, the study identified three key themes that parents perceive as critical to enhancing their families’ sense of belonging. This presentation highlights these themes, amplifying the voices of parents to provide a deeper understanding of their experiences. Additionally, practical strategies for schools to strengthen belonging within each identified theme will be discussed. Findings offer valuable guidance for educators and administrators striving to create inclusive environments where all students and families feel valued and connected.
Natalie Patton
High School Mathematics: Why It's Critical to Expand the Research at this Level
Many students enter high school without the mathematics skills necessary to be successful in high school coursework (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). Insufficient mathematics performance is especially concerning for students with disabilities: 75% of 12th graders with disabilities (compared to 40% of all 12th grade students) scored below basic on 2019 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessments (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). For these reasons, students may need supplemental mathematics intervention to improve their performance. Although recent research has focused on improving the mathematics outcomes of students in the elementary and middle grades (Powell et al., 2021; Hwang et al., 2018), less is known about effective mathematics intervention for students in Grades 9 through 12. This study reports a systematic review of mathematics interventions for students with mathematics difficulty (MD), in Grades 9 through 12. A total of 21 studies met inclusion criteria. Effective strategies included the use of multiple representations, explicit instruction, graphic organizers, video modeling, and strategy instruction. This review provides guidance to school systems and teachers on the implementation of mathematics interventions to improve mathematics outcomes for high schoolers with MD.