Kelly Clark

Overview

I worked as a secondary special education teacher for eight years in North Carolina and during one of those years I also worked as a general education math teacher. I received my masters in school administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte gaining a North Carolina Principal license and a Curriculum and Instruction Specialist license.
During my doctoral work at UNC Charlotte, I worked as a graduate research assistant for the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT). In my work there, I assisted in providing national technical assistance, creating products such as practitioner resources, guides, and toolkits, providing professional development across states, presenting at local, state, and national conferences, and assisted in conducting literature reviews in order to evaluate evidence-based practices for secondary transition.

Teaching Statement

The foundation of my teaching philosophy is built on four core values: (a) ensuring students gain the knowledge they need and facilitating opportunities for students to apply that knowledge, (b) creating a supportive learning environment, (c) providing instruction that promotes high student engagement through varied experiences and activities relevant to their future career, and (d) continuing my growth as an educator.

Research Statement

My research has primarily focused on the development of an intervention to teach soft skills for employment using components of self-determination and technology-aided instruction. My other work has focused on interventions that combine components of self-determination with academic skills, effective professional development practices, and international special education services.

Service Statement

I currently serve on several committees for the national Division for Career Development and Transition and chair the research-to-practice subcommittee. I also serve on UNC Charlotte''s College and Career Readiness committee and as a reviewer for several journals. I have also worked internationally in Zanzibar, Tanzania to assist in inclusive education efforts for individuals with disabilities as well as in providing professional development and training for administrators, teachers, and midwives.

Publications

Journal Articles

• Kelly A. Clark, David W. Test, Moira Konrad. . Teaching Soft Skills to Students with Disabilities with UPGRADE Your Performance, Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities .
• Kelly A. Clark, Moira Konrad, David W. Test. . UPGRADE Your Performance: Improving Soft Skills of Students with Disabilities, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation .
• David W. Test, Misty Terrell, Kelly A. Clark, Dana E. Rusher. . A summary of NCSER funded projects in the area of transition outcomes for special education secondary students, Journal of Disability Policy Studies .
• Debra G. Holzberg, Kelly A. Clark, Mary Morningstar. 2017. Transition-Focused Professional Development: An Annotated Bibliography of Essential Elements and Features of Professional Development, Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals . 41:50-55. (DOI:doi.org/10.1177/2165143417742362)
• Moira Konrad , Kelly A. Clark, David W. Test . 2017. The effects of GO 4 IT…NOW! strategy instruction on the expository writing skills of students with disabilities., Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals . 40:45-55. (DOI:doi.org/10.1177/2165143416680884)

Book Chapters

• David W. Test , Debra G. Holzberg , Kelly A. Clark, Misty Terrell, Dana E. Rusher . 2017. Employment training for young adults with autism spectrum disorders. in Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A clinical handbook. 2017. N. Gelbar . (196-222 )

Professional Activities

• Integrating Predictors for Students with Mental Health Disorders to Increase Post-school Success. Presented to Association for Positive Behavioral Support (APBS). San Diego, CA . 2018.
• Improving Soft Skills for Employment with UPGRADE Your Performance instruction. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children . Tampa, FL. 2018.
• Research-based Professional Development in Transition. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children . Tampa, FL. 2018.
• Improving Self-Determination and Paragraph Writing with GO 4 IT…NOW! Strategy Instruction.. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children . Tampa, FL. 2018.
• Competitive Integrated Employment Toolkit: An Overview of Resources to Prepare All Students with Disabilities and Their Families for Integrated Employment.. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Disvision of Career Development and Transition. Milwaukee, WI. 2017.
• Constant Time Delay: An Evidence Based Practice for Secondary Students with Disabilities.. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Division of Career Development and Transition. Milwaukee, WI. 2017.
• Effective Professional Development in Secondary Transition. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Divison of Career Development and Transition . Milwaukee, WI. 2017.
• Teaching Soft Skills to Students with Disabilities Using UPGRADE Your Performance Instruction. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Division of Career Development and Transition. Milwaukee, WI. 2017.
• UPGRADE Your Performance Instruction: An Intervention to Teach Soft Skills to Students with Disabilities on School and Community Job Sites. . Presented to Pat Sitlington Student Research Session . Milwaukee, WI. 2017.
• Evidence Based Practices in Transition: Tools and Resources to Enhance Instruction . Presented to Alabama State Department of Education . Mobile, AL . 2017.
• Examining Professional Development Practices in Secondary Transition. . Presented to U. S. Department of Education''s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) . Washington, DC . 2017.
• Integrating predictors of post- school success to support transitioning students with mental health disorders. . Presented to National Technical Assistance Center on Transition . Kansas City, MO. 2017.
• UPGRADE Your Performance: Results of an intervention to increase the job performance of students with disabilities. Presented to National Technical Assistance Center on Transition . Kansas City, MO. 2017.
• GO 4 IT…NOW! A writing strategy to engage students in the IEP process and maximize instructional efficiency. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children . Boston, MA . 2017.
• Increasing the employability of culturally and linguistically diverse learners: An intervention to teach soft-skills. Presented to Council for Excpetional Children and Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners. Boston, MA . 2017.
• Culturally Responsive Transition Planning. Presented to North Carolina Division on Career Development and Transition. Greensboro, NC . 2017.
• NTACT toolkits: Resources for competitive integrated employment and college and career readiness. Presented to North Carolina Division on Career Development and Transition (ND DCDT). Greensboro, NC . 2017.
• Teaching it all: Teaching academics and transition skills at the same time. . Presented to North Carolina Division on Career Development and Transition. Greensboro, NC . 2017.
• Mental health and transition: Integrating predictors of post-school success. Presented to The Southeastern School Behavioral Health Community and The University of South Carolina School Behavioral Health Team. Myrtle Beach, SC . 2017.
• UPGRADE Your Performance Instruction: Improving Employment Soft Skills. Presented to University of North Carolina at Charlotte''s Graduate School . Charlotte, NC . 2017.
• Assessing Career Readiness for Individuals with Disabilities. Presented to Council fo Chief State School Officers. New Orleans, LA . 2017.
• Leading with the Tools to Enhance Student Outcomes: Evidence-based Practices and Resources for Administrators. Presented to North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children (NC CEC) . Wilmington, NC . 2017.
• Using Evidence-based Practices to Enhance Transition. Presented to North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children (NC CEC) . Wilmington, NC . 2017.
• Evidence-based practices to enhance transition: Resources for administrators, teacher educators, and teacher leaders. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Teacher Education Division (TED) . Lexington, KY. 2016.
• GO 4 IT…NOW! Strategy Instruction: An effective way to increase self-determination and writing skills for students with disabilities. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Division of Career Development and Transition (DCDT). Myrtle Beach, SC . 2016.
• Begin with the End in Mind: Aligning Transition Planning Across all Grade Levels. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Dvision on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) . Myrtle Beach, SC . 2016.
• Effects of GO 4 IT...NOW! strategy instruction on the expository writing skills of students with disabilities.. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT). Myrtle Beach, SC . 2016.
• Integrating predictors for positive post-school outcomes and support strategies for transitioning students with EBD or mental health disorder. Presented to Council for Exceptional Children''s Division on Career Development and Transition . Myrtle Beach, SC . 2016.
• NTACT & CSESA: Evidence-based Resources for Quality Transition Instruction and Practices. Presented to the North Carolina Division on Career Development and Transition . Sanford, NC . 2016.
• ). Resources for administrators: Evidence-based practices to enhance transition.. Presented to CASE and NASDE . Milwaukee, WI. 2016.
• Leadership and administration: Systematic leadership, developing teacher leaders, and managing change. Presented to Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, Tanzania . Zanzibar, Tanzania . 2016.
• Becoming an instructional leader: Curriculum alignment, lesson planning, and quality instruction. Presented to Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, Tanzania . Zanzibar, Tanzania . 2016.
• Positive behavior intervention supports (PBIS): Managing behavior and developing a plan for your school. . Presented to Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, Tanzania . Zanzibar, Tanzania . 2016.
• Inclusive education for all students: Universal design for learning, multi-tiered systems of support, and self-determination.. Presented to Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, Tanzania . Zanzibar, Tanzania . 2016.
• Systematic instruction for students with disabilities: Evidence based practices in instruction, transition planning, and self-determination. Presented to Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, Tanzania . Zanzibar, Tanzania . 2016.
• Conducting and Using Quality Transition Assessments. Presented to Charlotte Mecklenburg School System. Charlotte, NC . 2016.
• Self-Determination Across The Curriculum. Presented to Charlotte Mecklenburg School District . Charlotte, NC . 2016.
• Transition Services and Instruction for Students Aged 18-21. Presented to Charlotte Mecklenburg School District . Charlotte, NC . 2016.
• Navigating the NTACT Website . Presented to National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT). Charlotte, NC . 2016.
• How to Develop an Off-campus Transition Program for 18-21 year old Students with Disabilities.. Presented to North Carolina Division on Career Development and Transition. Greensboro, NC . 2016.
• Transition Support for Students with Mental Health Disorder. Presented to North Carolina Division on Career Development and Transition . Greensboro, NC . 2016.
• Building a Collaborative School: Community, Business, and Family Partnerships = Increased Student Opportunities. . Presented to Auburn Transition Leadership Institute . Auburn, AL. 2016.
• Life Beyond High School: Why Every Student and Parent Should be Proactive About Transition. Presented to North Carolina Partners in Policymaking . Cary, NC . 2016.
• Navigating the System: Resources for Secondary Transition Planning, Vertical Alignment, and Understanding the Pathways to Graduation. Presented to North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children. Pinewood, NC. 2016.
• Leadership seminar: Teaching methods, leadership strategies, and systematic instruction for students with and without disabiliti. Presented to Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, Tanzania . Zanzibar, Tanzania . 2014.

Honors and Awards

• Distinguished Student Leadership/Service Award, Council for Exceptional Children''s Division for International Special Education Services (DISES).
• Patricia L. Sitlington Student Researcher of the Year (3rd Place), Council for Exceptional Children''s Division for Career Development and Transition.
• Top Research Poster Award, UNC Charlotte''s Graduate School at the 17th Annual Graduate Research Symposium.
• 2016 DISES Student Spotlight, Council for Exceptional Children''s Division on International Special Education Services .
• Doctoral Scholar , OSEP''s Leadership Grant for UNC Charlotte''s Ph.D. Program in Special Education (Test & Browder, 2015-2019). 2018