edits based on comments

Here is the criteria and the comments that needs to be improved in the proposal:

Topic relevance and significance. Applicability, meaningfulness, and value of the theoretical, empirical, and/or practical contribution in relation to the conference theme

· Addresses the conference theme and current issues in the field in important ways that contributes to research and/or practice. Likely to be a worthwhile session, possibly across interest groups.

Problem/Issue description. Current, with innovative research questions, practical applications.

· Current and somewhat practical, but not innovative. Attendees from specific disciplines may gain new knowledge and insights.

Literature review and references. Clear evidence-based support, with explicit citations in APA format.

· Mentions or implies practice, and/or research, but does not support with current citations.

Specific and achievable presentation outcomes. Intended outcomes and audience participation are stated in explicit terms and can be achieved in the proposed format.

· Participant outcomes are not stated, but can be inferred, and might be achieved in the proposed format

Clarity of proposal. Level of detail, organization, and focus, resulting in a professional, accessible presentation. Grammar, usage, mechanics, and APA format create professional proposal

· The proposal lacks detail, organization, and/or relevant descriptions. There are five or more errors in grammar, usage, mechanics or APA format.

Comments:

· Providing an inclusive learning environment is an important topic. More detail would be beneficial as it is unclear what skills the teachers are lacking in and although policymakers have doubts about teacher education programs providing enough support to develop skills/strategies, I would encourage you to include a study that corroborates this belief. Adding a citation with “Rightly so, many teachers lack adequate skills to work while also effectively serving special needs appropriately and promote inclusion in classrooms has been an issue in many countries, especially in USA.” would be good as well.

· The literature review did not include citations. It also was unclear how teacher education programs include a variety of targeted supports of their educators (e.g., how to handle various challenges) but “the majority of teachers will at some point develop a negative attitude.” I would suggest to add information to connect what teacher preparation programs have offered and, despite that, teachers still feel negatively. I would also encourage use of person first language (students with special needs instead of special needs students)

· The outcomes shared in this proposal seem to be at odds with the lit review. The program description described teacher prep programs as being “half-baked” but the outcomes encourage participation in a teacher prep program because “teacher preparation programs provide clear guidelines to be used when teachers engage with different types of learners in classrooms.” I would just make sure that you have consistency across the sections.

· Review grammar and include more details and connections between information.