two girls giving each other a "high-five" greeting

View The Power of Peers: Introduction to the Peer Engagement Implementation Guides

We invited leading experts to share their expertise on implementing nine educational interventions to promote meaningful engagement and relationships among students with and without disabilities. They created short, practical implementation guides based on their extensive experience working with local schools. All of the guides follow a common structure by addressing:

  • an overview of the approach and its goals;
  • how school teams can collaborate in all aspects of its delivery;
  • the importance of careful planning;
  • strategies for implementing each approach with students with disabilities and their peers;
  • ways of evaluating outcomes for students with disabilities, peers, and others in the school;
  • recommendations for expanding and sustaining a school’s efforts;
  • considerations for adapting the approach based on the needs of diverse students;
  • case examples to illustrate each approach in action, and
  • additional resources for readers.

The guides also include forms or resources that can be used when implementing the practice.