Peg Hughes, PhD

Peg Hughes

Professor, Special Education 

Dr. Peg Hughes is Chair of the Department of Special Education and Program Coordinator of the Early Childhood Special Education and K-12 Education Specialist Credential Programs. Dr. Hughes has extensive clinical teaching and diagnostic practice with children and students of all disabilities ages birth through twenty-one years. Her research endeavors over the years included examination of the impact of disability on families from a cross-cultural perspective, and the impact of Down syndrome and visual impairment on development in the early years. More recently, she is involved in developing interdisciplinary programs across departments regarding co-teaching and partnerships with school districts to provide Education Specialist Training.

Education

  • Ph.D., Special Education, Cognate Developmental Psychology, UCLA
  • M.S., Education with emphasis in Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders, University of Buffalo
  • B.S., Special Education / Elementary Education Preschool, University of Buffalo

Recent Publications

  • Moore, D., Simpson, L. A., Golloher, A. N., & Hughes, M. A. (2018). Teacher confidence in managing challenging behaviors. CCNews, 29(3), 27–30. [Type of Journal Publication: Online only]
  • Nguyen, Q, & Hughes, M. (2013). Attitudes of Asian - American parents towards children with disabilities. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 2 (2), 1-12.
  • Nguyen, T., & Hughes, M. (2012). The perspectives of professional and parents on inclusion in Head Start programs. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 1(2), 1-27.

Recent Presentations

  • Co-Presenter, “Education Specialist Teacher Training Programs for Instructional Assistants & General Educators: An Innovative Partnership Between San José USD and San José State University,” Cal Teach State Conference, San Diego, California (July, 2019).

Noteworthy Grants and Awards

  • Local Solutions Grant - Partnership with San Jose Unified School District - 5 year state grant to recruit, train and retain para educators as Education Specialists in K-12 SPED credential programs at SJSU.Funded for 2.7 million from 2018-2023

Online Resources

Areas of Research Interest

  • Cross cultural influences
  • Impact of disability on family systems
  • Special Education teacher training programs
  • Young children with disabilities

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