Faculty Biography | Jennifer Jo Hurley

Jennifer Jo HurleyAssistant Professor

Contact Information:
Waterman 537
(802) 656-4018
Jennifer.Hurley@uvm.edu
http://www.uvm.edu/~doe/earlychildsped/

Jennifer Hurley is the program coordinator for the Early Childhood Special Education Undergraduate and Graduate Programs at the University of Vermont. Jennifer completed her PhD and post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University. One focus of Jennifer's research is the inclusion of children with disabilities in community preschools and how the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are being implemented with additional focus on the priorities of families and professionals for inclusive programs. More recently Jennifer's research focus has been on young children who are refugees and culturally and linguistically diverse who may qualify for special education services. This research has focused on the barriers and facilitators for service provision, the use of The Pyramid Model to support positive behavior and how to work effectively with interpreters during Individualized Educational Plan (I.E.P.) and Individualized Family Service Plan (I.F.S.P.) meetings.

• Expertise
• Scholarship

Areas of Expertise:

Disability and Inclusion; Early Childhood; English Language Learners; Special Education

Scholarship

Selected Publications

• Hurley, J. J., Warren, R. A., Habalow, R. D., Weber, L. E. & Tousignant, R. R. (in press). Early childhood special education in a refugee resettlement community: Challenges and innovative practices. Early Child Development and Care,  [abstract]
  Abstract: There has been a significant increase in the number of children who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) who qualify for early childhood special education (ECSE) services (Banerjee & Guiberson, 2012). The current study investigates the challenges and innovative practices in the evaluation and (ECSE) services for preschool aged children who are refugees. Twenty-eight early childhood educators who work in a small refugee resettlement community participated in a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews resulting in themes regarding challenges and innovative practices. Challenges include: lack of validated assessments, wait time for evaluations, different cultural perspectives and family advocacy. Innovative practices include: assessing skills not dependent on language and including caregivers in evaluations. Implications for future research and teacher preparation are discussed.
• Hurley J. J., Saini, S., Warren, R. A., Carberry, A. J. (2013). Use of the pyramid model for supporting preschool refugees. Early Child Development and Care. 183 (1), 75-91.  [abstract]
  Abstract: Response to Intervention (RtI) is being applied to early childhood settings for the support of positive behavior and social development through the Pyramid Model (Fox, Carta, Strain, Dunlap & Hemmeter, 2010). This qualitative study assessed the use of the Pyramid Model for preschool aged refugee children living in a refugee resettlement community. Many young refugee children have experienced trauma (George, 2010) and some experience behavior and social challenges (Almqvist & Brandell-Forsberg, 1997). Twenty-five preschool service providers were interviewed about their use of the Pyramid Model for the support of preschool refugee students. Themes to be shared include how ECEs are implementing the practices outlined in the Pyramid Model along with strategies for adapting recommended practices to meet the needs of refugee families.
• Hurley, J. J. (2012). Social validity assessment in social competence interventions for preschool children: A review. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0271121412440186
  Abstract:
• Hurley, J., Stewart, E. Medici, A. & Z. Cohn (2011). Supporting preschoolers and their families who are recently resettled refugees. Multicultural Perspectives, 13 (3), 160-166.  [abstract]
  Abstract: According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the number of refugees worldwide was 10.5 million in 2009 and this number continues to grow (United Nations Refugee Agency, 2010). There is a shortage of evidence based practices and information regarding the state of service provision for young refugee children and their families in preschools and early childhood special education programs. In this qualitative study, twenty-five early childhood educators participated in semi-structured interviews about the state of service provision for refugee families and their preschool aged children with and without disabilities living in a small New England community. Themes identified were barriers and facilitators related to three main categories: special education services, communication and cultural complexities. Implications for future research, teacher preparation programs, professional development and early childhood programs are discussed.
• Hurley, J. J. & Horn, E. M. (2010). Family and professional priorities for inclusive early childhood settings. Journal of Early Intervention, 32(5), 335-350.  [abstract]
  Abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide information about what characteristics from the wide variety of inclusive early childhood programs are most and least valued by families and professionals. Participants (N = 20) were ten family members of young children with disabilities being served in inclusive programs and ten early childhood professionals working in inclusive programs. A combination of Q –sort and qualitative research techniques were used. Participants generated one general factor solution or viewpoint concerning what characteristics of inclusive early childhood programs are the most and least valuable. Interviews provided qualitative clarification concerning why participants did or did not value certain program characteristics and information about participants’ beliefs concerning inclusive early childhood programs.

Selected Presentations

• Donovan, E., Swindlehurst, K., Hurley, J.J., Shepherd, K. S. & Salembier, G. (May, 2012). Multiple Perspectives on Response to Instruction (RtI) Approaches: Exploring Implementation Research at the State, Pre-School, and K-12 Levels. New England Educational Research Organization Conference, Portsmouth, NH.
• Hurley, J. J., Mueller, P. (July 2011) Preparing Early Interventionist and Early Childhood Special Educators to Work in a Refugee Resettlement Community. U.S. Office of Special Education Programs Project Directors Conference, Washington, DC.
• Hurley, J. (October 2009) Preschool Children in a Refugee Resettlement Community: A Qualitative Study. The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
• Hurley, J. (October 2008) Family and Professional Priorities for Inclusive Early Childhood Settings. The Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VAEYC) Conference and Retreat, Burlington, VT.
• Hurley, J., Horn, E. (February 2008) Social Validity Assessment of Social Competence Intervention Target Behaviors form the Perspective of Teachers and Administrators. Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention, San Diego, CA.