O'Brien, Angela
(2024)
Preparing K-12 Leaders to Incorporate Emergency Planning for Students with Disabilities.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Approximately one sixth of public school students receive special education services, yet many education leadership programs fail to equip school leaders with emergency planning tools tailored to students with disabilities. Moreover, school leaders often cite lack of time and resources as barriers to comprehensive emergency preparedness efforts. Although federal and state governments mandate emergency operations plans for K-12 settings, these plans frequently overlook the specific needs of students with disabilities, such as communication, mobility, and situational awareness concerns, during critical incidents.
This study assessed the effectiveness of the Readiness and Emergency Management System (REMS) training module, Emergency Operations Planning: Integrating the Needs of Students and Staff with Disabilities and Other Access and Functional Needs, as an intervention for school administrators lacking crisis preparedness strategies for students with disabilities. Developed collaboratively by the Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) at the U.S. Department of Education and REMS, with input from the National Council on Disability, the American Red Cross, and other partners, this module incorporates expert insights and adheres to best practices in school crisis preparedness.
Participants engaged in a 45-minute synchronous virtual training session and completed pre- and post-tests assessing their knowledge of emergency planning for K-12 students with disabilities. Quantitative analysis of the test results revealed significant knowledge gains, with participant scores increasing from 45.9% to 84.1% correct responses. Additionally, participants demonstrated an increase in points scored out of twenty, from 9.2 to 16.8.
Beyond enhancing their understanding of emergency planning for the entire school community, school leaders expressed a high likelihood of applying the training content in their work and reported high satisfaction with the module. These findings suggest that offering the REMS module as professional development for school leaders can serve as a cost-effective and practical approach to equipping administrators with essential emergency planning tools for students with disabilities.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
8 July 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
21 May 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
8 July 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
21 June 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
77 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
emergency operations plan, school crisis |
| Date Deposited: |
08 Jul 2024 20:04 |
| Last Modified: |
14 Nov 2024 19:20 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46606 |
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