University of Missouri - St. Louis

College of Education Research Symposium

January 29, 2025

Agenda

Welcoming Remarks - Dr. Nancy Singer, Interim Dean

4 Research Presentations

Q&A

Break (5 minutes)

4 Research Presentations

Q&A

Research Connection & Conversation

Lunch

School Counselor Beliefs about Cultural Impact on Suicidality

Dr. Mary Edwin & Dr. Emily Brown

Associate Professors of Counseling

(Funded by 2023 COE Research Award)

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

Challenge or Problem

• Key Challenge: Suicide rates are disproportionately high among youth from culturally minoritized backgrounds (race, sexual orientation, disability, etc.), necessitating culturally informed suicide prevention practices in schools.

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• Research Gap: Despite ASCA's emphasis on cultural competence, there is no validated tool to assess school counselors' beliefs about the cultural factors influencing suicidality.

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• Objective: Develop a reliable instrument to measure school counselors' beliefs about how culture impacts suicidality to enhance culturally competent interventions.

Why This Matters

• Importance of Beliefs for Practice: Professionals’ attitudes toward a particular behavior are informed by their beliefs about that behavior.

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• Professional Responsibility: School counselors must ensure culturally responsive care but often lack resources to assess and improve their cultural competency in suicide prevention.

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• Impact: This research supports better training, self-assessment, and practices, directly addressing disparities in youth mental health outcomes.

Approach

• Research Design: The study developed the Counselor Beliefs about Cultural Impact on Suicide (CBCIS) Scale and validated it using a national sample of 826 school counselors
• Methodology:
• Items were developed based on a review of cultural and suicidality research and 13 expert reviewers.
• An exploratory factor analysis identified two subscales.
• Validation included measures of reliability, demographic analysis, and testing for social desirability bias.

Key Findings

• Scale Validity: CBCIS demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .89, N = 826, Items = 18).

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• Subscale Insights:
• Beliefs about Student Experience: Focuses on cultural influences on students' suicidality.
• Beliefs about Counselor Response: Explores how counselors’ own cultural beliefs impact their response to suicidality.

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CBCIS Scale

• Beliefs about Student Experience Sample Items
• Culture impacts which events students label as shameful.
• Culture affects how students experience life stressors.

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• Beliefs about Counselor Response Sample Items
• My culture influences the way I talk to students about suicide.
• Culture influences the potential for a student to attempt suicide.

Progress & Next Steps

• Mentoring doctoral students on a research team

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• Submitting publications (1 in press with Professional School Counseling, 1 in review, 1 in process)

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• Sharing our findings at professional conferences (EBSCC, ACES, MSCA)

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• Integrating into our teaching & practices

Investigating the Value of an Online Community of Practice �for Kenyan Educators

Melinda C Bier, PhD

Teresa M. Fischer Professor of Citizenship Education

Co-Director, Center for Character and Citizenship

College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

Fatima Salas-Rodriguez, PhD

Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for Character and Citizenship

Funded by Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. Grant #TWCF0508

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Need for New Approaches to School Leadership

• 23% of principals and 16 % of teachers do not return to school.
• 7 out of 10 teachers said they feel emotionally disconnected and/or dissatisfied.
• Lack of administrator support is an often cited reason.
• Teachers desire principals and principals desire superintendents to be more engaged & supportive

n = 41

n = 42

Key Findings

Pilot Study + Community of Practice

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• CViL = relevant, feasible, and appealing.

• A community of practice was developed among the participants.
• WhatsApp played a key role.

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• 3 years after the first Academy, 38.6% (32 out of 83) of participants responded to the survey.

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“Being part of this team has always made me feel motivated in my work. The support and recognition I receive from my colleagues and students make me feel treasured and appreciated. It also inspires me to maintain high standards as I strive to be a role model in the school community.”

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Key Findings

Next Steps

• Value creation framework (E. Wenger-Trayner et al., 2015)
• Analyze WhatsApp conversations keeping in mind the different cycles of the framework:

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State Eligibility Criteria for Developmental Delay:

A Comprehensive Review

Dr. Katya Sussman-Dawson, PhD, NCSP

ESPP, School Psychology Program

(Co-Presenters: Ms. Hannah Rose, M.Ed. & Ms. Nikki Hoff)

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

Challenge or Problem

Lack of Knowledge

& Research on Developmental Delay Criteria

Differing Eligibility Criteria Across the United States

Lack of Knowledge How Differing Criteria Impacts Student Outcomes

Why This Matters

Unlocking Access to Early Intervention Services

Ensuring Equity Across States and Communities

Provides Knowledge to Support Future Advocacy Efforts

Approach

Comprehensive Review of Eligibility Criteria and Statewide Regulations

Data Element Agreement Rate (DEAR) was utilized to identify coding agreement

Data Trends Assessed and Organized using Atlas.ti

Key Findings

Adoption of IDEA’s Developmental Delay Category

14% of States (N = 7) have NOT adopted the IDEA’s Category for Developmental Delay

Key Findings

• Sixteen states provide students with services under DD until the age of 9 years old (34%)
• Eleven states provide students with services under DD until the age of 10 years old (23%)
• Nine states provide students with services under DD until the age of 8 years old (19%)

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Age Out Criteria

Key Findings

• 100% (N=44) of states currently use a discrepancy method to identify students for DD eligibility
• 9% of states (N=4) use Response to Intervention as one option for qualification as DD
• 30% of states (N=13) qualify students under DD if they have a related, severe medical diagnosis
• 48% of states (N=21) allow teams to use professional judgment to qualify students under DD

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Classification Criteria

Next Steps

Conducting a National Survey of School Psychological Practices in relation to DD Identification

Presenting the Comprehensive Review Results at a National Conference

in February

Writing up the Comprehensive Review Results for Publication this Spring

Translational Research

Drs. Natalie Bolton, Pallavi Aggarwal, Debra Cole, and Paula Miller

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COE/Educator Preparation & Leadership

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

Challenge

• James S. McDonnell Foundation mission currently focuses on the complexity of community from broad global reach to deep local impact.�
• Summer 2022 released an RFP requesting postdoctoral fellows collaborate with K-12 public education systems in St. Louis to conduct translational research embedding learning sciences.

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• McDonnell Foundation currently funds UMSL COE with $4 million; 6 year grant (Fall 2023- Summer 2029) �
• 17 postdoctoral fellows addressing K-12 instructional needs using an inquiry model embedding learning science principles and data analytics to promote more equitable and inclusive classroom experiences.

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Why This Matters: Reduce Economic Disparities in St. Louis

APPROACH

Complete Cycles of Inquiry framed around a Problem of Practice with Postdoctoral Fellows:

• Launch an Inquiry (identify problem of practice and plan for change ideas)
• data collection
• analyze data
• interpret data�
• Test Change Idea(s)
• implement intervention(s)/change ideas
• collect more data�
• Analyze , Interpret, and Discuss New Data �
• Repeat process, if needed�
• Summarize results

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Launch

Test

Data

Results

Repeat,

if needed

Link to fellowship job ad

Cycle of Inquiry Implementation Outputs Year 1

Results

Data Analysis

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• 426 lesson plans analyzed
• 44 lesson observations analyzed
• 210 feedback comments about instruction analyzed
• 18 data collection and monitoring tools developed

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• 9 professional development trainings designed or delivered
• 11 conference presentations
• 1 handbook
• 4 papers
• 2 policies developed or refined

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Findings

Ineffective co-teaching;

Over use of

“One Teach-One Observe”

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Year 1 (2023-2024)

Problem of Practice

Approach

Year 2

Next

Steps

Approach

Year 1

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Goals

• Co-PLAN & USE

more complex co-teaching

• 1+ yrs growth

• 5/8 teams PLANNED & 6/8 teams more complex approaches
• 1.3+ GLyr growth

Interventions:

PD, coaching,

observations & feedback

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Students “on-task”:

100% Parallel

87% Circuit

87% Station,

67% One Teach-

One Assist

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Year 2 (2024-Jan, 2025)

Focus on New Teams

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Improving Student Outcomes through Excellence in Co-teaching

Co-Teaching Handbook & Expectations

1. 50% CO-Plan
2. 50% Parallel

for ELA & MA

Share: Findings

Observe: Planning, “on-task”,

& approaches

Visit: Learn & Share

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• PD for Co-teaching Approaches
• Co-planning with & Coaching of New Teams

Problem of Practice

Findings

Next Steps

1

Approach

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Decline in the emotional alertness of the students

*Implemented PLC

* Exit-ticket

Phase 1 (August-December)

*Revise the classroom management tool

*GoReact - Video platform

Positive correlation between the frequency of teacher actions and the student engagement.

*Observational rubric

*Lesson Template

Phase 2 (January-May)

Year 2 (Aug 2024-Jan, 2025)

Approach

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Developed the instructional cycle

Findings

K, 4, 5, one 2- effective implementation

Effective Implementation of Instructional Practices

Inconsistency in SOL and Coaching Methods

Problem of Practice

Next Steps

Year 1

Next Steps

Approach

Year 1

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SOL &

Coaching

Professional Development/

Training

• Research Study
• Data Collection
• GoReact
• Data Analysis
• Results

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• SOL content DML - 64%
• Evaluative feedback - 74%

• CE Workshops
• Program Evaluations

Year 2 (2024-Jan, 2025)

Approach

Year 2

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• Feedback Practice
• Surveys

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ENHANCEMENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM (TPP)

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Goals:

• Embed SOL content
• Build quality coaching feedback

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Goals:

• Enhance CE feedback training
• Simulations

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• Study Expansion
• CE Handbook

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Next Steps

• Four additional fellows and Problems of Practice:

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• Hiring up to 5 more fellows this spring/summer, �2 year position

Link to fellowship job ad

Comprehensive School Improvement Plan

Problem Based Learning

UG Teacher Apprenticeship Program and Learning Sciences

Reading Interventions and PD

Q&A

School Counselor Beliefs about Cultural Impact on Suicidality

Dr. Mary Edwin & Dr. Emily Brown

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Investigating the Value of an Online Community of Practice for Kenyan Educators

Dr. Mindy Bier & Dr. Fatima Salas-Rodriguez

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State Eligibility Criteria for Developmental Delay: A Comprehensive Review

Dr. Katya Sussman-Dawson, Hannah Rose, Nikki Hoff

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Problem of Practice (POP): Transforming School and University Challenges Through a Cycle of Inquiry

Dr. Natalie Bolton, Dr. Pallavi Aggarwal, Dr. Debra Cole, Dr. Paula Miller

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Defining High Quality Work Experiences for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Magen Rooney-Kron, PhD

Educator Preparation & Leadership

Funded by COE Research Grant

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

Introduction

• Individuals with extensive support needs consistently have the lowest employment rates compared to individuals with other types of disabilities (Windsor et al., 2021)

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• Community based work experiences (CBWEs) are one of the greatest predictors of post-school employment for students with disabilities (Mazzotti et al., 2021)

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• Legislation emphasizes the importance of CBWEs (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 2014)

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Problem

Approach

• Interview 20 teachers about their perceptions of what facilitates student growth during community-based work experiences

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• Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Key Findings

Key Findings

• Teachers do the best they can with the resources and training available to them

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• Tension between what teachers believe is best practice and what they do

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• Importance of high expectations and dignity of risk

Next Steps

• Validate findings with survey

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• Explore relation between teacher practices and improved student outcomes

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• Apply for NIDLIRR Development Grant to develop framework and toolkit teachers can use to plan and evaluate CBWEs for students with extensive support needs

The Professional Identity Development of Counselor Educators with International Backgrounds

Phillip L. Waalkes, Ph.D.; Yuima Mizutani, Ph.D.; So Rin Kim, Ph.D.

In collaboration with Astri Napitupulu, Jason Thompson, Alicia Naveas Leiva, Dr. Ahmet Tanhan, & Dr. Meredith Moore

Counseling Program

Funded by UMSL COE Research Award

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

Need for the Study

• Increased number of counselor educators with international backgrounds (CEIBs)
• International focused curriculum
• Increased diversity in a program (Kim et al., 2012; Mamiseishvili & Lee, 2018)
• Complex challenges experienced by CEIBs
• Stress related visa process (Interiano-Shiverdecker et al., 2022)
• Low job satisfaction (Mamiseishvili & Lee, 2018)
• Discriminations within institute and from students (Thacker & Minton, 2021)
• Lacking understanding and support for CEIBs
• Professional identity development
• Institutional support for CEIBs

Research Questions

• How do counselor educators with international backgrounds define their professional identity?
• Professional identity is critical for counselor educators’ success (Gibson et al., 2015). Identity influences career choice and personal and professional growth (Steinert et al., 2019).
• What factors have impacted counselor educators with international backgrounds in developing their professional identities?
• Professional identity development is not based on the amount of training, but more on interpersonal and environmental influences impacting one's perception of their own identity (Gibson et al., 2015).

Methodology

Methodology: online photovoice (OPV; Tanhan & Strack, 2020; Wang & Burris, 1997)

Photovoice is a qualitative, participatory action research methodology where participants take photos of their experience and discuss how to create change based on these photos with key stakeholders (Wang & Burris, 1997).

Researchers, educators, counselors, and others have used photovoice for projects on diverse topics including disability rights advocacy, experiences of immigrants, and impacts of climate change.

Project Goals

• Affirm the ingenuity and complex and intersectional identities of CEIBs
• Stimulate awareness & social action by adding to existing efforts to organize CEIBs
• Create dialogue between CEIB community and non-CEIB counselor educators (Wang, 1999)

Participants

Eligibility criteria: (a) having an international background, (b) full time faculty member in a counseling program, and (c) earned a PhD in the U.S. in counseling or a closely related field.

9 participants

• 6 women, 3 men
• 4 identified as Asian or Pacific Islander, 2 as White, 1 as Black or African American, 1 as Middle Eastern, and 1 as multiracial or biracial
• Ages ranged from 27 to 47 (M = 34.56)
• Years of experience ranged from 0 to 4 (M = 2.44)
• Total years living in the U.S. ranged from 9 to 28 (M = 12.22)

Photo Exhibition

“S: a beautiful tree that has experienced a lot of adversities. These adversities have shaped

them into the unique and beautiful tree they are now today. H: A slanted tree in Hawaii with some burned sides, possibly from a volcano eruption. O: my life has been shaped by many adversities and yet, here I am standing proud and representing my roots. W: Support from mentors, family, and friends. Positive outlook on life. Resilience and determination. E: When I took the photo, I thought “this is an interesting tree worth capturing.” When I wrote the caption, I felt a deep connection to the tree. I felt that it represented my life. When I submitted the photo, I felt a deeper sense of self-awareness, validation, empowerment. D: counselors can learn to embrace their past, create beware empowering narratives.”

Photo Exhibition

“This is a picture of my dinner. I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I

think my cooking reflects who I am. I cooked a healthy meal including stir-fried zucchini (Chinese style), an avocado toast (American style), and watermelon (Got it from the Famer’s market but sliced it in Chinese way). If I show the picture to my parents, they would think I just made some snacks because there’s no rice, no noodles, and no chopsticks. The changes in my cooking paralleled with my acculturation stages. In the beginning I looked like Chinese girl, I think like a Chinese person, and I work like a Chinese student. Now I think like an International faculty, meaning, I valued my Chinese parts, but I also assimilated elements from the US, whether that’s from life or the educational system. I didn’t have many feelings when I was taking the photo but now I have gained a new awareness and a sense of validation—

this is me now. I feel comfortable in my own skin and I will not pretend to be someone else when I am teaching as well. It is a process though.”

Summary of Findings

Figure 1.

Convergent Themes of Professional Identity Development of Counselor Educators with International Backgrounds

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Next Steps

• Acknowledgment and improvement in supporting CEIB’s professional identity development
• Potential actions: mentorship programs, affinity group, community engagement
• Creative teaching strategies to promote integration of personal and professional identity development (e.g., reflection assignment)
• Future research may explore professional identity development of CEIB with more diverse intersecting identities, strengthen group components, and further explore shifted positionality

For More Information

Waalkes, P. L., Mizutani, Y., Kim, S. R., Napitupulu, A., Thompson, J., Naveas Leiva, A., Tanhan, A., & Moore, M. (2024). Professional identity development of counselor educators with international backgrounds through online photovoice. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-024-09582-z

References

Brunsden, V., & Goatcher, J. (2007). Reconfiguring photovoice for psychological research. The Irish Journal of Psychology, 28(1-2), 43-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03033910.2007.10446247

Cho, J., & Trent, A. (2006). Validity in qualitative research revisited. Qualitative Research, 6(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941060650

Gibson, D. M., Dollarhide, C. T., Leach, D., & Moss, J. M. (2015). Professional identity development of tenured and tenure-track counselor educators. Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 2(2), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/2326716X.2015.1042095

Interiano-Shiverdecker, C. G., Prasath, P. R., & Eren, R. N. A. (2022). Foreign-born counselor educators: Strengths, challenges, and areas of support. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 44(1), 126–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-021-09456-8

Kim, D., Twombly, S., & Wolf-Wendel, L. (2012). International faculty in American � universities: Experiences of academic life, productivity, and career mobility. New � Directions for Institutional Research, 2012(155), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.20020

Mamiseishvili, K., Lee, D. (2018). International faculty perceptions of departmental climate and workplace satisfaction. Innovative Higher Education, 43, 323–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-018-9432-4

Miller, R. M., Chan, C. D., & Farmer, L. B. (2018). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: A contemporary qualitative approach. Counselor Education & Supervision, 57(4), 240-254. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12114

Smith, J. A. and Osborn, M. (2008) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. In: Smith, J.A., Ed., Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, Sage, London, 53-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470776278.ch10

Tanhan, A., & Strack, R. W. (2020). Online photovoice to explore and advocate for Muslim biopsychosocial spiritual wellbeing and issues: Ecological systems theory and ally development. Current Psychology, 39(6), 2010–2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00692-6

Thacker, N., & Minton, C. A. B. (2021). Minoritized professionals’ experiences in counselor

education: A Review of Research. Counselor Education and Supervision, 60(1), 35–50. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12195

Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory Needs Assessment. Health Education and Behavior, 24(3), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019819702400309

What Counts as Success in Civic Engagement

Development of Embedded Performance Assessment for Student-Led Civics

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Chaebong Nam, Assistant Professor

Educator Preparation & Leadership

Shared Credit: David Kidd. Chief Assessment Scientist, Democratic Knowledge Project - Learn @ Harvard Graduate School of Education

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

The Goal of the Study

• Develop and validate a performance assessment tool for student-led civics
• Provide evidence for reliability and feasibility

The Context: Non-Partisan, Student-Led Civics

• Non-partisan, student-led civics project: a recent requirement for all 8th graders and high schools in Massachusetts
• Six stages of inquiry

• Focused on Process rather than Product

Challenge

How do we assess the process of civic engagement? What counts as success?

Currently,

Multiple choice tests: Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)

The current performance assessment is likely

• Unreliable – subjective grading criteria and results
• Unfeasible – resource demanding & time consuming (e.g., training, grading)

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How can we achieve reliability and feasibility in civic assessment?

• Embedded Performance Assessment
• Civic Thinking Summary for Student-Led Civics

Approach

Design Context

• Multi-year curriculum development (2018-2024) operated by the Democratic Knowledge Project at Harvard: Grade 8 Year-long Civics Curriculum, “Civic Engagement in Our Democracy”
• Student-led civics unit
• Involved 14 school districts across Massachusetts
• Collaboration across teachers, curriculum designers, and assessment specialists

4 Design Principles of Embedded Performance Assessment

Principle 1: How can we identify clear learning goals for student-led civics?

Principle 2: How can we make a tight alignment between curriculum and assessment?

Principle 3: How can we simplify performance assessment grading without demanding excessive time?

Principle 4: How reliable is the assessment tool?

Example: Stage 1 (Examining Self & Civic Identity)

Learning Goal

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Articulate the question

1. What matters to me and why?

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Curriculum

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Student Reflection Prompt

1.1. Explain why your specific project topic matters to you.

Assessment

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Teacher Scoring Checklist

A. (to see if) The student articulates at least one concrete reason why the topic matters to him/her/them.

1.2. How does this topic connect to your own identity and/or to your values?

B. (to see if) The reason is related to an aspect of the student’s identity and/or to a value the student holds. �

▢ Yes ▢ No

▢ Yes ▢ No

Why “Yes/No”?

• Alternative to a typical 1, 2, 3, 4 scale (e.g., poor, fair, good, excellent)
• Reduce cognitive overload, subsequently also reducing subjective judgment
• Increase feasibility
• 22 “yes/no” items in total in Civic Thinking Summary

Civic Thinking Summary

Reliability Test

• 33 students generated response sets based on the 22 items from Civic Thinking Summary
• 10 Massachusetts teachers rated the student responses according to the Yes/No checklist, without training
• 22 Yes/No items— scored reliably
• absolute agreement (same score) = .75 with two raters
• consistency (equivalent ranking) intraclass correlation coefficient = .75 with one rater

Formative and Summative Assessments Purposes

• Formative Use
• Support students’ ongoing self-assessment. Allows students to assess what they’ve accomplished and what they still need attention.
• Identify student needs. Help teachers identify the student needs in a timely manner.
• Summative use
• Reflection at the end of the project

Strengths & Future Directions

Strengths

• Valid to assess practice of civic skills
• Feasible for teachers to implement
• Reliable to use for classroom purposes
• Supports reflection before & after civic action for effective civic development

Future directions

• Limited evidence of psychometric properties
• May not generalize to other contexts

Currently under review at Educational Assessment

An Effort for Pilot Implementation in Korea

• Presented at the Winter Meeting of the Korean Association of Social Education in Korea (December 14, 2024).
• Recruited six Korean teachers interested in piloting the assessment tool and conducted in-person/Zoom meetings.
• Continuing collaboration with them on translational implementations.
• Supported by the COE 2024 Research Award

Chaebong Nam, chaebong.nam@umsl.edu

Scan this QR code to access the Civic Thinking Summary!

Thank you! Questions?

Building College Friendships and Disability Awareness through the UMSL Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education

Lindsay S. Athamanah, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Jonathan Lidgus, Director of the Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education

Andrew Kliethermes, Assistant Director of the Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education

Madeline Siener, Play Pillar Coordinator of Campus Inclusion

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College of Education Research Symposium

University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2025

The Challenge

• Students with intellectual & developmental disabilities (IDD) who attend postsecondary education are more likely to be employed and live independently than students with IDD who do not attend postsecondary education

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• Inclusive postsecondary education programs aim to provide students with IDD an inclusive higher education experience in which they can attend courses, gain work experience, and live independently

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• Limited access to postsecondary education opportunities

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• Low expectations and limited awareness of those without disabilities

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The Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education (OIPE)

The Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education (OIPE)

• The Succeed Certificate Program
• Live, Learn, Work, Play
• Competitive Integrated Employment
• The Link Program
• Undergraduate Certificates
• Undergraduate Degrees
• Regional and National Leadership

The Challenge

• Friendships are a vital part of development & provide a sense of belonging with improvements to the quality of life

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• Friendships between individuals with and without intellectual & developmental disabilities (IDD) improve social acceptance, decrease interaction anxiety, & improve comfort

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• Including those with IDD on campus does not guarantee social interactions, perception changes, or an inclusive campus community

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• Participation in a structured social peer program allows students with and without IDD opportunities to socialize and encourages friendships

The UMSL Social Peers Program

• What: A university-wide student group working to promote an inclusive campus community for students with and without disabilities

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• Where: UMSL campus and beyond

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• Who: Madeline & Lindsay and many undergrad/graduate volunteers

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• When: The program began at UMSL in 2021

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• Why: The program provides an opportunity to socialize with students in valuable social-environmental contexts to improve relationships, awareness, & expectations. Everyone deserves the chance to make friends.

The UMSL Social Peers Program

Impact of these Programs

Next Steps

How can you help the OIPE & UMSL Social Peers?

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• Collaborate with Community Partners: Build partnerships with community members to provide students with valuable employment opportunities

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• Advocate for Inclusive Policies and Practices: Promote policies and practices that ensure accessibility and inclusion across campus, such as accessible facilities, resources, and activities

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• Get the word out: Share the information with students & encourage them to participate

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• Help recruit: Always need graduate and undergraduate students to help with the peer coordinator positions, internships, and tutoring

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Thank you!��The OIPE and UMSL Social Peers staff

Q&A

Defining High Quality Work Experiences for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Dr. Magen Rooney

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Professional Identity Development of Counselor Educators with International Backgrounds through Online Photovoice

Dr. Phil Waalkes, Dr. Yuima Mizutani, Dr. So Rin Kim

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How Do Educators Assess the Process of Learning in Student-Led Civics Credibly and Feasibly? Development of an Embedded Performance Assessment

Dr. Chaebong Nam

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Building College Friendships and Disability Awareness through the UMSL Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education

Dr. Lindsay S. Athamanah, Jonathan Lidgus, Dr. Andrew Kliethermes, Madeline Siener

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Research Connection & Conversation

• What did you hear today that inspires you to learn more?

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• Share a connection from the presentations to your own work.

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• What’s a takeaway from attending the College of Education Research Symposium?

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Thank you for joining us!