Unpacking the Pyramid Model: A Practical Guide for Preschool Teachers

Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on effective instruction, social-emotional development, challenging behavior, and on coaching teachers.

She has been a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on numerous projects funded by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Through her work on the National Center on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded research projects, she was involved in the development of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Young Children and practice-based coaching, a model for supporting teachers in implementing effective practices.

She is currently the PI on on an IES-funded development project on programwide supports for implementing the Pyramid Model, a co-PI on an IES developmental project on implementing the Pyramid Model in infant-toddler settings, and a co-PI on an IES efficacy study examining approaches to supporting teachers in implementing embedded instructions.

She was a coeditor of the Journal of Early Intervention and President of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood (DEC). She received the Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood.

Dr Michaelene M. Ostrosky is the Head of the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her educational background and research focuses on early childhood special education with a particular interest in social emotional competence; social interaction and peer relationships; challenging behavior; and communication delays and disabilities. As a former teacher of young children with disabilities, Professor Ostrosky is committed to making research accessible to practitioners and family members through her writing and presentations.

Dr Lise Fox is a professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida and the Co-Director of Florida Center for Inclusive Communities: A University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Lise was the Principal Investigator of the Technical Assistance Center for Social Emotional Intervention funded by the Office of Special Education Programs. Dr. Fox is engaged in research and training efforts related to the implementation of the Pyramid Model in early education and care classrooms, program-wide models of implementation, and positive behavior support. She received the Mary E. McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood.