Interdisciplinary Training ProgramProgram Title: Personnel Preparation to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities (CFDA 84.325D)

This interdisciplinary training program prepares 9 Michigan State University doctoral students from school psychology and special education-emotional impairment for leadership roles in the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions and prevention programs for youth exhibiting disruptive behaviors within the school setting. The objectives of this project include: (a) recruit and admit qualified candidates using effective strategies to recruit students from underrepresented populations including individuals with disabilities, (b) advise, provide financial assistance, and provide graduated and sustained training in areas and contexts that match doctoral leadership training goals, (c) plan, manage, and evaluate the project via involvement of parents of children with disruptive behaviors, interdisciplinary faculty who specialize in this population, and through the involvement of school, community, and administrative personnel (d) evaluate the program repeatedly across time to assure successful student completion and validation of the training methods and procedures, (e) help students assume leadership roles at local, state, or national levels, (f) institutionalize and disseminate our training model to other institutions and constituents across the country.

Our 4 A?s (Affiliate, Apprentice, Active Learner, Action Researcher) training model provides the methodology by which we will prepare doctoral students in a carefully sequenced set of activities within their current doctoral programs in the areas of teaching, research, and service. Comprehensive activity logs, supervisor ratings, and research to practice projects will serve as a means of evaluating our student leaders. Moreover, variables related to leadership in our respective fields (e.g., conference presentations, teacher in-service activities, preservice teacher instruction, journal publications) will be examined. Our participation in the Teacher Training Workshop in Seattle, WA was one example of the types of activities that the students are working on during the second year of the training grant.