New $1.9 million PSU grant aims to improve outcomes for students with disabilities

Improving outcomes for students with disabilities as they transition from high school to postsecondary education and employment starts with effective training and development opportunities for the secondary educators who support them.

Portland State University (PSU) has received a $1.9 million grant to redesign, implement and test a professional development model that aims to provide essential training for secondary educators. The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious Institute of Education Sciences, will fund a four-year project titled “Transition Coalition Self-Study Plus (TCSS+): A Team-Based Professional Development to Improve Outcomes.”

TCSS+ will train teams of secondary educators to effectively support transition planning and develop high-quality student-focused Individual Education Programs (IEP) that lead to positive outcomes for students after high school.

The redesigned model builds on over a decade of professional development support provided by the grant’s principal investigator, Mary Morningstar, professor of special education at PSU, and the Transition Coalition — an organization she co-directs.

While the prior TCSS model proved successful in increasing educators’ knowledge of transition assessment and the potential to improve transition planning, this new funding makes it possible to enhance and expand the model even further.

With an understanding that comprehensive training over a period of time is more likely to lead to lasting change in teacher behavior, the redesigned TCSS+ intervention spans 18 weeks and takes a hybrid approach. Practitioner self-study teams meet virtually and in-person, leveraging activity-based training modules and video presentations.

The extended time frame is key because it allows for a more robust coaching component to be introduced. Coaching will help teachers set goals and provide essential feedback to teams so they can make improvements that enhance their practice and ensure long-term effectiveness.

“Our team-based, action-oriented approach is designed to make a real difference, and the addition of coaching will further strengthen the impact of our program,” Morningstar said.

TCSS+ will be implemented in high schools across Oregon, Kansas and Virginia, engaging two school districts per state. Each team brings together six to eight practitioners within a single school. Special educators make up the core, but teams also include guidance counselors, social workers, assistant principals, general education teachers and paraprofessionals who work with this distinct population of students.

“This grant provides us with a unique opportunity to rigorously test our intervention and collect meaningful data on both teacher and student outcomes,” Morningstar said.

Research analysts will measure teacher outcomes using a newly developed efficacy scale, while student outcomes will be evaluated through two established surveys and analysis of IEPs. The research aims to understand how professional development for teachers can lead to improved student engagement, competence and long-term success in postsecondary education and employment.

The project is an interdisciplinary effort involving faculty from PSU’s College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Social Work’s Regional Research Institute, in partnership with the Lifespan Institute at University of Kansas (KU). Key team members include Matthew Utretsky, associate professor at PSU, Todd Bodner, professor and department chair at PSU, and Dana Lattin, research project director at KU and co-director of the Transition Coalition.

Morningstar’s motivation for this work is deeply rooted in her experience as a high school teacher and her dedication to improving transition outcomes for students with disabilities. She also co-directs the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative, providing direct technical assistance and training to state agencies.

“Our ultimate goal is student growth, improving student outcomes and better preparing them for their futures,” she said.

TCSS+ bridges a significant gap in the field of transition by providing rigorous research on the long-term impact of professional development interventions.

“We’ve used this training model for many years and people love it,” Morningstar said. “I’m confident it will lead to change, but this is the first grant at this level to determine if it’s effective. So finding that out is really exciting.”

The TCSS+ project began July 1, 2024 and will run through June 30, 2028.