Welcome to Project VOISE!

What is Project VOISE?

A Letter From Dr. Nathan Jones

 My name is Dr. Nathan Jones, and I am a special education professor at Boston  University. On  behalf of Dr. Mary Brownell (University of Florida) and Dr. Courtney  Bell (ETS), we would like to invite you to participate in our study, Project VOISE. We  often receive feedback and questions about whether classroom observation protocols  used in teacher evaluation, such as the Framework for Teaching, adequately and  accurately capture the work of special education  teachers.

We know that special educators work in a variety of contexts and take on a number of  instructional activities that are not always easy to capture in classroom observations  (such as providing specialized instruction using a scripted research based reading  program). Therefore, we want to know how to best capture what effective special education teaching looks like. Findings from the study will help the state of Rhode Island determine how best to use the Framework for Teaching special educators and will help train principals.

We are inviting special education teachers who work with students in grades 3-8 and provide instruction in a resource room, self- contained setting, and/or co-teaching arrangement in the general education classroom.

Participation will entail recording 4 days of “typical” lessons during the 2016-17 school year. Our research team will supply you with the videotaping technology and you will choose the days and lessons that you want to videotape. Videotapes will be used for research purposes only and will not be shared.

How will teachers be compensated? With district permission, we are offering teachers a $100 honorarium if they complete all four observations. We also want to learn from you. All participating teachers will be invited to provide our team with feedback on how the Rhode Island evaluation system could better meet the needs of special educators.

If you have any questions about the study, you can contact me at ndjones@bu.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Sign Up for More Information About Project VOISE

Please provide us with your contact information to hear more about the study.

Note: This information will not be shared with RIDE personnel. Also, by providing your contact information, you are obligated in no way to participate in the study. We will be contacting interested teachers to give further information on participation.