Congratulations to Karin D. Brill who on Thursday, May 14, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation proposal.
The title of Karin’s dissertation is, "GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN CSE DECISION-MAKING: IMPLICATIONS FOR LRE PLACEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION."
Overview of Problem: IDEA mandates that least restrictive (LRE) placement decisions be made by a multidisciplinary team including at least one regular education teacher. General education teachers contribute classroom-based knowledge and expectations; they understand what is required to implement accommodations and supports within the general education classroom setting (Rotter, 2014; Strunk, 2022). There is a lack of research on the factors influencing the decision making of secondary general and special educations teachers in LRE placement decisions for students with disabilities as well as the effectiveness of the process and how their participation experiences influence their readiness and willingness to implement the decisions made during CSE meetings.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this interpretive qualitative study is to explore how public school, secondary (grades 6-12) general education teachers experience participation in Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings related to LRE placement decisions. I further seek to understand if teachers perceive an alignment between their role in CSE decision-making and their ultimate implementation of those decisions.
Research Design, Sample, Data Collection: This interpretive qualitative study will be conducted with 12-15 semi-structured interviews of suburban secondary, core general education teachers who have participated as members of New York State CSE meetings.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Joanne Marien
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Kenneth Mitchell
Dr. Lynn Allen
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