Date of Award

7-2018

Type

Dissertation

Major

Doctor of Education

Degree Type

Ed.D

Department

Counseling, Foundations & Leadership

First Advisor

Pamela Lemoine

Second Advisor

Michael Richardson

Third Advisor

Christopher Garrettson

Abstract

David H. Rose and his colleagues at the Center for Applied Specialized Technology (CAST), a non-profit organization specializing in educational research and development, worked for over one quarter of a century to improve learning opportunities for all individuals (Rose, 2012). In the late 1990s this work led to a set of principles known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-based instructional framework grounded in neuroscience and educational research that allowed teachers to proactively identify barriers that might exist between students and learning and account for those barriers during lesson development and implementation (CAST, 2015). One school district in southwest Georgia provided UDL training for faculty members of district high schools between 2013 and 2017. The purpose of this study was to gather instructional coach perceptions of the impact UDL had on teacher pedagogy and lesson planning practices. The researcher conducted a qualitative, descriptive study through individual face to face interviews of eight high school instructional coaches serving in the designated district. Findings indicated that instructional coaches considered UDL to have impacted both teacher pedagogy and lesson planning practices; however, several concerns surfaced during interviews. Instructional coaches were concerned about the amount of time it takes to properly plan for UDL as well as the training and support from consultants and school level leadership. The researcher discussed implications for professional development format and support.

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