Abstract:

The Charter School Advancement Initiative (CSAI) was awarded funding to construct and implement a model peer-to-peer professional development plan. The initiative designed and delivered a comprehensive peer - to - peer training curriculum to educators working with students with learning and related disabilities. The staff at the not-for-profit, charter, Pepin Academies for Excellence in Tampa, Florida, U.S., created the model initiative. A wide range of educators, including administrators, teachers, assistant teachers, and related service providers such as speech/language therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists participated in a variety of professional activities. Groups of multi-disciplinary school teams also participated. The expected outcome of the training initiative is the improved academic, social, and emotional functioning - and the overall success - of students with learning and related disabilities. Over the course of twenty-four months (January 2009 through December 2010), the model initiative documented a positive effect on the participants. The Pepin Academies for Excellence adopts a whole school, whole child approach that provides a comprehensive, therapeutic learning environment that meets the unique needs of students with disability, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Pepin Academies enrolls a highly diverse students with learning and related disability including, but not limited to, students with specific learning disabilities including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, students with mild to severe autism, children with minimal brain dysfunction, and students with psychological disorders. On average, Pepin Academy students are performing at - or near - grade level across standardized and individual academic assessments. When compared with counterparts in a traditional school setting, the very diverse student body at the Pepin Academies report differences. There is evidence of high levels of school affiliation, a positive school culture, a supportive classroom climate, a wide range of extracurricular activities, a strong co-curricular program, and specialized services such as sensori-motor integration therapy available to all students, on a daily basis. To replicate the success of the peer - to - peer training model, the initiative provided other educators with the knowledge base and the skill sets necessary to achieve the same positive results on behalf of students with learning and related disability. The initiative offered a customized menu of professional development activities to participants: 1) summer workshops; 2) individual technical assistance; 3) peer trainer development; 4) publication/dissemination of quarterly magazine; 5) publication/dissemination of monthly newsletter; 6) publication/dissemination of a training manual, web site, and instructional video; 7) funding of school based demonstration projects proposed, and; 8) on-site demonstration visits with coaching. The presentation shares the specific details of the initiative to inform other educators serving similar populations about effective practices in staff preparation to improve the ability to work successfully with students with learning and related disabilities. The presentation fully describes the resources developed that are available upon request; and may also provide the same professional development services on site to other schools interested in replicating this peer - to - peer, outreach model.

Keywords:

Disability, professional development, model, training.