Ramping Up 504 Professional Development for All Types of Educators: Going Beyond Section 504 Being a Special Education Responsibility

Shawna P. Ortogero; Vera Glushenko; Joan Umiokalani Jensen; Victoria Timmerman; Tierney O. Barcarse

doi:10.64546/jaasep.540

Ramping Up 504 Professional Development for All Types of Educators: Going Beyond Section 504 Being a Special Education Responsibility

Shawna P. Ortogero, Ph.D., Vera Glushenko, MHRM, Joan Umiokalani Jensen, Ph.D., Victoria Timmerman, M.Ed., Tierney O. Barcarse, M.Ed. Author Details

Shawna P. Ortogero, Ph.D. (Author) Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Author Biography
Shawna Ortogero, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Shawna’s research interests include special education teacher preparation, ongoing professional development for teachers who serve students with disabilities, and effective strategies for working with English Learners. She has experience with teaching students with mild to moderate and severe disabilities and has served as a professional development specialist, district resource special education teacher, assistant principal, and special education district educational specialist.
Vera Glushenko, MHRM (Author) Hawaiʻi Education Research Network (HERN) Author Biography
Vera Glushenko, MHRM, is a Fellow for the Hawaiʻi Education Research Network (HERN) and a Graduate Research Assistant for the Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG) at the.Vera is also a Ph.D. student in the Learning Design & Technology program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with specific interests in furthering the field of educational technology by integrating technological tools, strategies, and theories into educational practices. Her experiences include online learning and teaching as a lecturer for the University of Hawaiʻi Systems since 2009.
Joan Umiokalani Jensen, Ph.D. (Author) Author Biography
Joan Umiokalani Jensen, Ph.D. recently graduated with her doctoral degree in Educational Psychology and continues working as a research and evaluation consultant with her own company. Her research interests include family and community engagement in education, college and career pathways, and well-being. As a Native Hawaiian researcher, she is interested in how Indigenous knowledge systems inform and transform conventional education and other institutions as an example of how other marginalized groups could be centered.
Victoria Timmerman, M.Ed. (Author) Author Biography
Victoria Timmerman, ME.d. is the Project Coordinator for the Hawaii Statewide Family Engagement Center at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Her research interest areas include family engagement, teacher preparation, and educational issues impacting Pacific Islander communities, particularly those from the islands of Micronesia. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in educational psychology, and her dissertation research examines how family engagement concepts and strategies are taught in prominent Hawai'i elementary teacher preparation programs.
Tierney O. Barcarse, M.Ed. (Author) Special Education District Educational Specialist in the Hawai`i Department of Education Author Biography
Tierney O. Barcarse, is a Special Education District Educational Specialist in the Hawai`i Department of Education and is currently pursuing her doctorate degree in special education. Tierney’s previous work experience ranges from state-wide consulting, higher education, complex academic officer, student services coordinator, and classroom teacher. Areas of research interest include educational systems improvement, professional development and sustainability, evidence-based practices for students with disabilities, and administrator knowledge and supervision of special education.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.540

Abstract

Section 504 has recently been gaining more traction among parents, educators, and government officials as more Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ineligible students become eligible for Section 504. To alleviate Section 504 being a special education responsibility and ramp up the lack of 504 professional development efforts for educators, this study investigated the impact that a free credit-based online 504 course had on the growth of educators and their students eligible for Section 504. An adapted interconnected 504 professional development model is also introduced. A concurrent mixed method design was used for this study. Paired samples t-tests indicated that participants’ posttest scores were statistically higher than pretest scores in both actual 504 knowledge and perceived knowledge, confidence, and usefulness of Section 504 concepts. The results also revealed that the course positively impacted participants’ instructional practices and helped to boost the learning of their students eligible for 504.

Keywords

Educational Legislation, Equal Education, Faculty Development, Federal Legislation, Knowledge Level, Online Courses

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How to Cite

Ortogero, S. P., Glushenko, V., Jensen, J. U., Timmerman, V., & Barcarse, T. O. (2024). Ramping Up 504 Professional Development for All Types of Educators: Going Beyond Section 504 Being a Special Education Responsibility. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 19(1), 54-80. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.540