Vanderbilt’s Andrea Capizzi recently spoke to a group of Tennessee administrative law judges on the roles of teacher assistants and other support staff in assisting students with disabilities.
Collaboration among special and general education teachers and support staff is critical to effective inclusive programs, Capizzi told the judges.
Capizzi, who is assistant professor of the practice in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development, emphasized the importance of team building and professional development for paraprofessionals.
Many of the judges’ questions focused on behavior analysis as well as inclusive education, she said.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to share the latest information on working with support staff and on the way we teach best practices,” Capizzi said. “I was also able to interact with the judges to learn about common legal issues.”
The Administrative Office of the Courts of the Supreme Court of Tennessee invited Capizzi to address the judges as part of their Administrative Law Judge Special Education Training.
Contact: Jane Sevier, jane.sevier@vanderbilt.edu