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The field of special education is recognized for conducting research designed to improve the quality of life for the children and families we serve. However, our field has been criticized for empirical approaches that are inconsistent with the values and beliefs we articulate as central to our scientific practice. As such, a shift in our research endeavors is warranted. Given the specific calls within early childhood special education for research programs that consider the marginalized experiences of children and families, we posit five guidelines to reframe social and emotional intervention research in early childhood special education as justice-oriented. These guidelines are (a) understand the historical and immediate context of research participants; (b) incorporate best practices in social and emotional assessment to reduce bias; (c) center children's and families' voices in social validity measures; (d) address confounding variables to fidelity of implementation; and (e) examine diversity in research team composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used an iterative process to design the Tiered Coaching Model (TCM) to support preschool teachers' implementation of the Pyramid Model. In the TCM, teachers are matched to one of three coaching tiers based on their observed classroom practices, individual characteristics, and preferences. Those tiers were self-guided coaching, small group coaching, and individual coaching. We describe TCM model development and two field tests exploring its potential usability and effectiveness. In Field Test 1, the model was tested with 16 lead preschool teachers. Focus groups and teacher feedback informed systematic model revisions. In Field Test 2, we gathered preliminary findings from an additional 24 teachers. All teachers across coaching tiers and field tests increased their use of Pyramid Model practices while engaging in the TCM, providing promising evidence for wider demonstrations and future rigorous evaluations of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]