community and public health

1. italki – I love taking German classes and have really enjoyed using it as a way to continue learning a language. I can understand the frustrations of emerging language learners through my own development of another language.

2. Amazon – I purchase a lot of my teaching and work materials through Amazon, so it has definitely become one of my go-to websites.

3. Canvas- Currently trying to love this as we use this regularly in my district :)

1. Being outdoors – I enjoy anything that gets me outside, including horseback riding, hiking, and playing volleyball.

2. Traveling – I love traveling and exploring new places. I am happy traveling almost anywhere and everywhere!

3. Connecting with family and friends – I really value spending time with the people in my life and making time to connect with family and friends.

One area I am interested in exploring for my action research project is dual identified English language learning and special education students. I have a difficult time narrowing down a research topic because I have so many areas of education that interest me and have had the opportunity to work in several different settings throughout my career. I am trying to think of my long-term goals, areas of interest, and how I see this applying to my current and future self as an educator. I've been putting different ideas in and hope to narrow this down. One of the programs I support has a large number of Spanish-speaking students. I case manage IEPs within this program and work closely with our ELL teacher. This has given me an even greater interest in the intersection between special education and English language learning and the unique needs of students who receive support in both areas.

I previously completed a research paper and project on dual-identified students for another class. My current work has continued to increase my interest in this population. I work closely with both special education and ELL students and have seen some of the unique challenges these students and their families experience. My district also serves a significant number of dual-identified students, and we are continually looking for ways to improve how we identify, assess, and support them. I support both, so I think accessing colleagues with lots of experience in these areas will also be helpful.

Early Identification and Intervention for Dual-Identified Multilingual Learners: Improving Collaboration Between Special Education and ELL Staff ( Something around this or interventions). I know early identification is important as are receiving services in both areas.

My literature review will involve current research related to the identification and support of multilingual learners who may also be identified in SPED. I am particularly interested in how schools can support unique challenges of second-language acquisition and IEP related goals and needs.

There is a need for this project because dual-identified students can have complex educational needs that may be difficult to identify and address. Language acquisition can sometimes make it challenging to determine whether a student's academic or behavioral difficulties are related to learning a new language, a disability, or both. Developing clearer systems/procedures for collaboration and early intervention could help schools provide more appropriate and timely support. This also benefits long-term outcomes for these populations.

For my action research project, I would like to explore a structured process. This would be between ELL and special education staff. This could include regularly scheduled collaboration, a shared process for documenting student concerns and interventions, and a consistent way to monitor student progress. I want to look at and evaluate how an intentional process could improve communication between staff and supports team in identification of dual-identified students earlier and more effectively.

I hope I did the first discussion right. I read through a few times. I look forward to hearing what others' ideas are. I always learn so much from others in these classes and I hope it is a great semester!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Ashley Mirzakhanli, and I am so excited for this semester! This is my second semester of earning my graduate degree in Special Education with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder. I attended SMSU previously and earned my bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Special Education. I am currently working in my dream position as a special education teacher in a preschool self-contained classroom.

1. Favorite websites: YouTube, Canva, and Google

2. Favorite activities: Reading, completing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with my family and furbabies.

Research Topic: Educating parents when their child is diagnosed with autism. From what I have found, working as an early childhood special education teacher who teaches mainly autistic children, parents will often ask when their child will speak or when they will do some other functional skill. I feel like there is so much pressure for children to speak verbally, and there is a chance that the child might not verbally communicate.

Verbal communication is a norm that is expected of children. Since autism is a brain difference, this norm might not be applicable to autistic children.

Narrowed Topic: Educating parents on the development of autistic children and the various other developmental outcomes.

My literature review will focus on: what mainstream parent education on autism is available/looks like and how to give parents a whole picture of what their child's development might look like (most likely an ever-changing tapestry).

This is what I would implement for my action research project: I would create an autism parent education course that I could make available to my students' families and help answer common questions that parents might have.

I hope everyone has a great semester!

Hello all! My name is Amy Hart and I am in my 2nd semester of my graduate program. I have worked at a federal setting IV school in Rosemount, MN for the past 13 years, primarily with EBD students. I initially began as a paraprofessional and worked with grades 6 to transitions+ over 10 years, then I became the building sub and was placed in long-term leave classrooms. I am starting my 2nd year as the high school math teacher and I am looking forward to the beginning of the school year next Monday, however, I am nervous about the workload that lies ahead of me! I feel prepared, organized, and ready persevere in my work as well as schooling.

Currently, my 3 favorite websites are Lessi, Canva, and Brainzilla.

Naming my 3 activities is hard as we round out summer and I am looking forward to many fall activities! In the summer, I love to walk around Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, spend time on the boat, or enjoy a lazy outdoor evening with my black lab and neighbors.

For the Research Topic Activity Using AI:

Narrowed Topic: Adjustable LED Lighting and Access to Natural Light

My literature review will focus on: Research on indoor classroom environments indicates that lighting conditions can influence alertness, concentration, cognitive performance, and visual comfort. A systematic review by Brink et al. (2021) found evidence supporting access to daylight and adaptable artificial lighting; the review also noted evidence that approximately 4000K lighting may positively influence concentration. More recent neurophysiological research continues to identify lighting as one of the physical environmental characteristics associated with attention and learning (Li et al., 2025).

There is a need for this project because: There is a need to evaluate and improve classroom lighting because the physical environment can influence students’ comfort, attention, alertness, and ability to engage in learning. In a Federal Setting IV special education classroom serving primarily students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD), creating an environment that minimizes unnecessary environmental stressors is particularly important. Traditional classrooms often rely on bright, fixed overhead lighting that provides teachers and students with little ability to adjust the environment based on individual needs, instructional activities, or levels of student regulation. Research indicates that classroom lighting conditions, including access to daylight and adaptable artificial lighting, can influence students’ concentration, visual comfort, and learning experiences (Brink et al., 2021).

This is what I would implement for my action research project: In my Setting IV classroom, I would use the dimmable LED switch rather than always using the lighting at full power. I would also implement days when the natural light form the classroom window would be blacked-out to track student engagement, participation, sleeping, etc.