Abstract
In today’s classrooms, time is a valuable commodity. Educator’s may often feel time in the classroom should be focused on core subjects like Language Arts and Mathematics. The idea of creating a lesson, making time to implement the lesson, and assessing for skill mastery, can be an overwhelming experience for teachers, causing them to forego social skill training in the classroom. For students receiving special education services who are lacking in appropriate social skills, the impact of social skill deficits negatives affects academic progress. The data utilized for this project was collected by teachers and school staff in two Sacramento area schools, one non-public school and one public school. The authors engaged staff at each site in conversations discussing the implementation of social skill training in the classroom. Analyzing staff responses in conjunction with research on social skill training, the authors determined a set of themes: 1) students receiving special education services require social skill training as much as they require academic interventions, 2) meeting the social and academic needs of the students would be more easily accomplished with more time allotted to social skill training in the classroom, 3) implementing Common Core based curriculum in the classroom increases opportunities for student collaboration, and 4) a well-designed professional development with a concentration on combining social skills with Common Core State Standards, can positively impact teacher ability to support students with special needs.