Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings

Dr. Grisham-Brown directs research projects on topics including linking assessment and instruction, early care and education program quality, and individualizing instruction for young children with disabilities. In addition, she has conducted research on the effectiveness of instructional procedures that are embedded into developmentally appropriate activities, use of distance learning in personnel preparation programs, and assessment strategies for students with significant disabilities. Dr. Grisham-Brown provides training and technical assistance through the United States on these topics.

Dr. Grisham-Brown is co-founder of a children’s home and preschool program in Guatemala City called Hope for Tomorrow, where she accompanies students for the education abroad program.

Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on effective instruction, social-emotional development, challenging behavior, and on coaching teachers.

She has been a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on numerous projects funded by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Through her work on the National Center on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and Institute of Education Sciences (IES)&;funded research projects, she was involved in the development of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Young Children and practice-based coaching, a model for supporting teachers in implementing effective practices.

She is currently the PI on on an IES&;funded development project on programwide supports for implementing the Pyramid Model, a co-PI on an IES developmental project on implementing the Pyramid Model in infant&;toddler settings, and a co-PI on an IES efficacy study examining approaches to supporting teachers in implementing embedded instructions.

She was a coeditor of the Journal of Early Intervention and President of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (DEC). She received the Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood.

As the president of B2K Solutions, Ltd., Dr. Pretti-Frontczak extends her expertise in the preparation of personnel to a global market with the aim of improving the implementation of effective practices and services by those who work with young children with diverse abilities. She is a gifted speaker, strong applied researcher, and is known for creating solutions to complex problems. She has presented to diverse audiences in countries such as Singapore and Australia as well as to early education providers in virtually every state in the US. Dr. Pretti-Frontczak is a Past President of the Division for Early Childhood, was a professor at Kent State University for 16 years, and has worked as an early childhood consultant and trainer since 1990.