Date

Summer 8-9-2026

ESRP 9000 Professor

Sandy Underhill, Ed.D.

ESRP 9001 Professor

Sandy Underhill, Ed.D.

Executive Summary

A Strategic Research Project on Assistive Technology Integration Across the Griffin Spalding County School District. Byeesha Jones, 2026: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: Assistive technology, developmental disability, differentiated instruction, Individualized Education Plan, special education teachers, professional learning communities This mixed method strategic research project examined inconsistent integration of assistive technology throughout the Griffin-Spalding County School System, a rural Title I organization that has over 9,400 students in 21 schools. The mixed methods design combined quantitative tools such as the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE), and External Factor Evaluation (EFE), and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) to quantify data that supported subjective decision-making, which was also supported by literature evidence. A critical analysis employing SWOT, IFE and EFE of 40 factors was carried out. Both the IFE score of 2.31 and the EFE score of 1.94, below the average benchmark of 2.50, confirmed that the organization was operating below average internal capacity and responds poorly to external threats. The identified issue is that students with disabilities do not have consistent access to assistive technology as mandated by their Individualized Education Plans, mostly because teachers do not receive sustained professional development in the implementation of these technologies. Two possible solutions were evaluated: professional development in assistive technology and school-wide systematic integration of assistive technology. The former was chosen as the most feasible intervention. Two implementation strategies were considered. They include AT-focused professional learning communities (PLCs) and job-embedded AT coaching. The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix validated AT-focused professional learning communities as the main strategy with the highest total attractiveness score of 5.20. The action plan spans the July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, financial year and will involve five sequential steps. These include conducting an organization-wide AT professional development needs assessment, AT-oriented PLC structure and schedule creation, structured AT professional development material formulation, collaborative inquiry cycles implementation, and progress monitoring. Overall, the findings confirmed that GSCS's below-benchmark internal and external evaluation scores reflected significant weaknesses in assistive technology integration, and that AT-focused PLCs represented the most feasible and sustainable strategy for closing that gap. It is recommended that GSCS formalize PLCs into a permanent organizational policy, transform the informal Tools for Life relationship into a formal multi-year partnership, and expand the membership of PLCs to include co teachers in later years.

Document Type

Strategic Research Project-NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and the School of Criminal Justice

Concentration

Organizational Leadership

Language

English

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