College of Education

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Kary Zarate

Key Professional Appointments

  • Teaching Assistant Professor, Special Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Associate Head, Special Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Publications

Zarate, K., Tejero Hughes, M., & Maggin, D. M. (2023). Special Education Teacher Leadership: Toward a Teacher Leadership Framework for Professional Development. Exceptionality, 31(2), 149-163.  link >

Zarate, K., & Barcus, C. (2023). The treatment adherence of paraprofessional behavior training programs: a systematic literature review. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 38(3), 1317-1340.  link >

Nelson, G., Cook, S. C., Zarate, K., Powell, S. R., Maggin, D. M., Drake, K. R., Kiss, A. J., Ford, J. W., Sun, L., & Espinas, D. R. (2022). A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses in Special Education: Exploring the Evidence Base for High-Leverage Practices. Remedial and Special Education, 43(5), 344-358.  link >

Nelson, G., Crawford, A., Hunt, J., Park, S., Leckie, E., Duarte, A., Brafford, T., Ramos-Duke, M., & Zarate, K. (2022). A Systematic Review of Research Syntheses on Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities and Difficulties. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 37(1), 18-36.  link >

Wang, J., Maggin, D. M., & Zarate, K. (2022). Peer Prompting and Reinforcement for Supporting Positive Behavioral Development in Students With EBD. Beyond Behavior, 31(2), 125-135.  link >

Barcus, C. L., Passmore, A. H., Tobon, G., Zarate, K., Moles, B., Posey, K., Dorsey, C., Maggin, D. M., & Tejero Hughes, M. (2021). Building Skills for Teacher Leadership: Special Educators’ Experiences. In A. Markelz, K. Bennett, & M. Driver (Eds.), TED 2021 Conference Proceedings: Steering into the Future (pp. 198-203). Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Passmore, A. H., & Zarate, K. (2021). Helping Families Reach Their PEAK: Partnerships That Promote Family Empowerment. Teaching Exceptional Children, 53(4), 310-318.  link >

Zarate, K., & Maggin, D. M. (2021). Using and Intensifying Video Modeling for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Beyond Behavior, 30(1), 24-31.  link >

Dorsey, C., & Zarate, K. (2020). Advocacy. In D. M. Maggin, & M. T. Hughes (Eds.), Developing Teacher Leaders in Special Education: An Administrator’s Guide to Building Inclusive Schools (pp. 132-148). Routledge.  link >

Zarate, K., Kiel, L., & Passmore, A. H. (2020). Using Data. In D. M. Maggin, & M. T. Hughes (Eds.), Developing Teacher Leaders in Special Education: An Administrator’s Guide to Building Inclusive Schools (pp. 40-61). Routledge.  link >

Zarate, K., Maggin, D. M., & Passmore, A. (2019). Meta-analysis of mindfulness training on teacher well-being. Psychology in the Schools, 56(10), 1700-1715.  link >

Courses

CI 550: Methods of Educational Inquiry (CI 550) Offers a graduate-level introduction to research in education, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods designs and approaches. Key concepts include: identifying a research problem, reviewing the literature, design and analysis, communicating evidence, and the ethics of research. Students should gain the ability to effectively evaluate and critique design/methods sections of research publications; plan and design research studies; and organize a presentation of research to an audience of peers.

EPSY 550: Methods of Educational Inquiry (EPSY 550) Same as CI 550, ERAM 550, and SPED 550. See CI 550.

ERAM 550: Methods of Educational Inquiry (ERAM 550) Same as CI 550, EPSY 550, and SPED 550. See CI 550.

SPED 405: General Educator's Role in Special Education (SPED 405) Examination of issues in educating students with special needs: service delivery models, roles of teachers and related service providers, student assessment, curriculum individualization, instructional strategies, management of problem behaviors, and program evaluation.

SPED 414: Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education (SPED 414) Practice in designing and applying assessment devices and procedures and in using them to make educational decisions for children with disabilities, birth through kindergarten age.

SPED 426: Collaboration and Teaming (SPED 426) Course is designed to provide participants with the information needed for effective collaboration and interactive teaming. Participants will learn effective models of collaboration and consultation, team member roles and responsibilities, collaborative practices for participating on teams, and strategies for securing appropriate resources for students with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on skills necessary for working collaboratively with parents, teachers, and other service providers.

SPED 438: Collaborating with Families (SPED 438) The impact of children with special needs on their families; models for the study of family systems are applied to understanding families of children with special needs; emphasis on planning family-focused interventions and exploring strategies for working with parents in a variety of settings.

SPED 517: Disability Issues in Special Education (SPED 517) Overview of special education at the graduate level. Focus is placed on issues related to: assessment, identification, and characteristics across all disability areas. The greatest emphasis is placed on strategies for including students with disabilities in the general curriculum. Historical and legal perspectives that provide the foundation for special education are discussed.

SPED 550: Methods of Educational Inquiry (SPED 550) Same as CI 550, EPSY 550, and ERAM 550. See CI 550.