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Figure 2

The Top Five Triumphs Identified by Participants

Top Five Triumphs Selected for Providing
Special Education Services During Pandemic

Professional development opportunities

Selected Triumphs Found resources for each other and families
Caregiver/school relationships enchanced

Virtual meetings schedule/delivered

Delivery of breakfast/lunch programs

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percentage of Choices Selected by Participants

Challenges and Triumphs: Qualitative Data
Participants used the optional question in Section 3 of the survey after answering
the questions in Sections 1 and 2 to expand on their responses to the survey with
additional comments. Using the 5-step model of narrative analysis provided by Hsieh
and Shannon (2005), the researchers identified four broad themes in the qualitative
data. The themes included “student engagement and dependence on home support,”
“teacher fatigue and exhaustion,” “student absenteeism,” and “remote learning use
of technology and delivery of virtual special education services.” Qualitative data
results are summarized in the paragraphs that follow.

Student Engagement and Dependence on Home Support
The residual effect of the lack of digital training for teachers can be seen in
the challenges identified by the participants in this study. All participants selected
student engagement as a challenge from the provided choices. Much frustration and
hope were expressed about the need to learn as teachers and administrators pivoted
to remote instruction to maintain student engagement. Administrators in particular
agreed that teachers focused more on engaging students using differentiated lessons
and instruction: “I think this time has also presented teachers an opportunity to
‘reset’ some of their lessons. As a building, we have focused more on differentiating
lessons.”
Participants repeatedly commented on the digital divide phenomenon as it related
to maintaining student engagement. Their perceptions showed up clearly in comments
about students who had access to technology and those without access: “There is
a disparity between high socioeconomic status (SES) areas and low-tech access,
even though the district distributed Chromebooks and hotspots.” Participants said

42 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators