Associate Professor of Special Education
Emily Sobeck, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Franciscan University. Sobeck has over ten years of experience working with children with disabilities and behavior management. She received her doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh in special education where she focused on behavior management strategies for paraeducators, participant diversity in special education research, the training and supervision of paraeducators, and antecedent strategies to prevent challenging behavior. Her work at the University of Pittsburgh won the 2016 Outstanding Dissertation Award through the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).
Currently, her research focuses on preparing paraeducators and teacher dyads to effectively manage challenging behaviors in the classroom, improving the utilization of paraeducators within the school structure, and preparing pre-service teachers and administrators within IHE to effectively supervise paraeducators. Her recent projects include investigating paraeducators’ use of behavior management EBPs through performance feedback, evaluating ways in which teacher preparation programs equip pre-service teachers to supervise paraeducators, reviewing strategies for teachers to use to support paraeducators implementing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), and examining ways in which school administrators are prepared to supervise paraeducators. Sobeck has published in several scholarly journals, including Journal of Special Education, Remedial and Special Education, Intervention in School and Clinic, and Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals. She is also a peer-reviewer for the Journal of Special Education, Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, and Assessment for Effective Instruction. In addition to her scholarly work, Sobeck teaches courses on assessment and instruction for students with disabilities, classroom organization, and behavior management. She also co-chairs the Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) at Franciscan University. Additionally, Sobeck provides trainings to school districts on classroom and behavior management, functional behavioral assessment, strategies for preventing challenging behavior, and other similar topics.
Two professors in Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Education Department received a $75,000 grant from the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children to create an online module to help educators across the state teach evidence-based behavior management practices.
