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University of Arkansas College of Ed and Health Professions Students Gain Clinical Experience

Nursing, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy students in the College of Education and Health Professions recently had the unique opportunity to work with children who have hearing loss at SPARK Day. 

The college collaborated with the non-profit Arkansas Hands and Voices, which supports parents and professionals who work with children with hearing loss regardless of their communication approach. 

SPARK — an acronym for Student Preparation to Care for ARkansas Kids — was partially funded through a WE CARE grant. The college’s future caring professionals gained clinical experience with this specialty population, a requirement of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for professional certification. The day also provided clinical training opportunities for those studying to be occupational therapists and nurses. 

In Kansas: $8.4 Million Grant Awarded to Create Kansas Youth Transition Network

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) will oversee an $8.4 million federal grant awarded to the state to create the Kansas Youth Transition Network, a statewide initiative that will help students with disabilities make the transition from education to employment.  

“This grant will help youth with disabilities statewide connect to the supports that meet their individual needs as they transition from high school to college, other postsecondary opportunities, or directly into competitive integrated employment,” said Dean Zajic, assistant director for KSDE’s Special Education and Title Services (SETS) team and project director for the grant.  

Trellis, Blooms, and Bees: Creating a Twice-Exceptional Teacher Education Program at Cleveland State University

Lunch & Learn with Claire E. Hughes

AACTE is pleased to offer Lunch & Learns: professional development opportunities for members. These 30-minute sessions are designed to provide you with an immediate tool or strategy to apply to your work. All Lunch & Learns will be available on-demand for AACTE members. Watch them during your lunch break or whenever it is convenient for you. 

AACTE will continue its Lunch & Learn series with Trellis, Blooms, and Bees: Creating a Twice-Exceptional Teacher Education Program at Cleveland State University on Thursday, February 1, from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. ET.

AACTE Joins National Coalition to Combat SPED Shortages

AACTE has joined the National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services (NCPSSERS) to continue advancing toward solutions for the nationwide PK-12 special educator shortage. 

NCPSSERS is a national coalition composed of more than 30 participating member organizations. Since 2006, NCPSSERS has been dedicated to addressing the issue of shortages in special education and related services personnel in schools. 

Special Education Teacher Advocates Invited to AACTE, CEEDAR Meeting

Championing Special Educators: Strategies for Recruitment & Retention in Educator Preparation, a Collaboration Between AACTE and CEEDAR

On January 23, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, special education teacher advocates are invited to attend the third meeting of the new national affinity group, Championing Special Educators: Strategies for Recruitment & Retention in Educator Preparation.  The third meeting, Clinical Practice Experiences will dive into the use of technology at both the University of North Georgia and the University of Virginia. 

Michael J. Kennedy, Ph.D., and Rachel L. Kunemund, Ph.D., University of Virginia, will share how their faculty utilizes the COACHED Platform (Capturing Observations and Collaboratively Sharing Educational Data), a suite of evidence-based coaching tools and professional learning materials for teacher educators while also taking us on a tour of the free platform. Additionally, Jennifer Sears, Ph.D., the University of North Georgia, will discuss how her university uses the COACHED software and how this platform allowed the university to meet the needs of rural districts in her area. 

Grants Will Help Strengthen Reading Instruction for Indiana Students

Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved more than $21.5 million in implementation grants to help 28 colleges and universities in Indiana prepare the next generation of teachers in methods aligned with the Science of Reading.

The Endowment made the grants through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI). The initiative aims to improve significantly the reading abilities of Indiana K-12 students by helping teachers strengthen their use of methods aligned with the Science of Reading, a vast body of research related to how children learn to read. Methods aligned with the research include explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction focused on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The Endowment, which has long supported efforts to improve educational outcomes for students in Indiana’s K-12 schools, launched ASRI in 2022 to help address low reading achievement among Indiana students. Only 33% of Indiana fourth-graders scored proficient in reading comprehension in the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called ‘The Nation’s Report Card.’

Simulations Help Prepare Kentucky’s Aspiring Special Education Teachers  

Before leading a classroom of their own, students preparing to become special education teachers are using mixed reality simulations to develop skills to be successful educators.  

The UK SimLab at the University of Kentucky College of Education provides simulations for aspiring special education teachers across Kentucky. The simulations enable the college students to rehearse teaching in a controlled setting by interacting with avatars — brought to life behind the scenes by trained actors.  

“The wonderful thing about using mixed reality simulations is that I can provide immediate feedback and coaching while the pre-service teacher is practicing the teacher behavior,” said Kera Ackerman, Ph.D., assistant professor of special education, UK College of Education. “We can pause the simulation to provide a correction, and then restart the simulation to practice the behavior again. We always say that it is the place to make a mistake because there is no impact on P-12 learners.”

Special Education Teacher Advocates Invited to Second Meeting of AACTE, CEEDAR Collaboration

Championing Special Educators: Strategies for Recruitment & Retention in Educator Preparation, a Collaboration Between AACTE and CEEDAR

On November 30, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, special education teacher advocates are invited to attend the second meeting of the new national affinity group, Championing Special Educators: Strategies for Recruitment & Retention in Educator Preparation. The second meeting, Making a Special Education Degree Affordable, will dive into two educator preparation programs that are using Teacher Quality Partnership Program (TQP) grants to financially enable students to pursue a special education degree.

American University’s Carolyn Parker and Sarah Irvine Belson will share information on their recent TQP-funded program, Residency for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (RETL), a master’s program that is being developed through a unique initiative that will leverage the resources and expertise of a partnership between American University’s School of Education, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Friendship Public Charter Schools (FPCS).

Special Education Teacher Advocates Invited to First Meeting of AACTE, CEEDAR Collaboration

Championing Special Educators: Strategies for Recruitment & Retention in Educator Preparation, a Collaboration Between AACTE and CEEDAR

On October 31, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, special education teacher advocates are invited to attend the first meeting of the new national affinity group, Championing Special Educators: Strategies for Recruitment & Retention in Educator Preparation.  The first meeting, Multiple Pathways into the Profession, will dive into two educator preparation programs providing innovative ways for students to obtain special education educator licensure.

Elena Andrei, Ed.D., and Claire E. Hughes, Ph.D., of Cleveland State University will share information on their DREAM project, a master’s program degree that results in two initial licensures (P-5, Early Childhood Intervention Specialist), and a TESOL endorsement.

Co-Teaching Coast-to-Coast: Virtual Conversations and Co-Teaching Engagement Awards

The AACTE Co-Teaching in Clinical Practice Topical Action Group (TAG) recently wrapped up two exciting initiatives focused on bringing teacher preparation faculty together with administrators and teachers in schools across the country. A recurring theme coming from our TAG activities emphasizes the need for systemic change, something that will most effectively occur with collaboration across institutions and school-university partners.

Teacher preparation institutional partnerships with local school districts where co-teaching is valued seem to be increasing expertise for clinical interns, practitioners, and the higher education teacher preparation faculty involved.

Thomas More School of Education Launches First Dyslexia Institute

Photo by Justin Merriman

A truly one-of-a-kind initiative, Thomas More University’s School of Education launches the commonwealth’s first Dyslexia Institute. The institute supports students and the greater community through sharing resources that are intentionally designed to promote awareness and create change by highlighting the dyslexic profile. Fully understanding the impact of dyslexia enables parents, teachers, and employers to ensure dyslexic children and adults have the support needed to thrive. Programming through the institute includes assessment clinics, teacher training, direct family support, and more.

“Thomas More is the first university in the commonwealth to have a dyslexia-specific resource for our students and our community,” explains Kayla Steltenkamp, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education. Steltenkamp is a renowned expert in the field of literacy and dyslexia and leads the new initiative. “The Thomas More University Dyslexia Institute is a preeminent source in Kentucky to disseminate the latest research, share practical resources with the community, and to transform the instruction and intervention for all dyslexic children and adults,” adds Steltenkamp.

Funding Available for Holmes Doctoral Students in Early Childhood and Special Education

Last month, AACTE announced its new partnership with the Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Center on Equity (ECIPC-E), a national center federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs to assist states in building comprehensive systems of personnel development to improve outcomes for infants and young children with disabilities and their families. 

As part of this partnership, AACTE will recruit, mentor, and support a cohort of 12 Holmes scholars in early childhood special education doctoral degree programs.

Holmes Program Receives Funding to Support Future Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education Faculty and Leaders

AACTE is excited to announce a new partnership with the Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Center on Equity (ECIPCE), a national center federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs to assist states in building comprehensive systems of personnel development to improve outcomes for infants and young children with disabilities and their families. ECIPCE has awarded AACTE a 5-year sub-award to support a cohort of 12 Holmes Scholars pursuing doctorates in early childhood and early childhood special education.

More early childhood leaders and practitioners with the requisite skills and knowledge are required to meet the needs of children aged birth – 5 years old.  This partnership will directly address this issue, in part, by providing targeted mentorship, professional development, and financial support to doctoral students of color pursuing a Ph.D. or an Ed.D. in early childhood and early childhood special education.

UNM Special Education Department Celebrates Program Milestone

Ten years and 55 graduates later, UNM is responding to a critical need for Board Certified Behavior Analysts.

Copeland teaches class for ABA certificate.

This article was originally published by The University of New Mexico Newsroom

UNM’s Department of Special Education, in the College of Education & Human Sciences (COEHS) is filling a critical need in New Mexico.

Now with its 55th graduate, the Graduate Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)  is creating Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) for the state. It’s a proper milestone for a program which just hit its 10th anniversary.

“It makes me feel really excited. Depending on which statistics you’re looking at, we have been identified as a state where sometimes there are no behavioral health providers in an entire county, so for us to have prepared these individuals who are now providing this critical service for children and families just really warms my heart,” Special Education Department Professor Susan Copeland said.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) are responsible for teaching, instruction and behavioral support to individuals with developmental disabilities. While many focus on autism spectrum disorder, the field covers children and adults who have intellectual disabilities or emotional behavior disturbances.

Senate HELP Committee Members Release Bills on College Affordability and Student Debt

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

Following the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which raises the debt ceiling and limits federal funding for the next two years, Members of Congress, their staff, and education advocates alike have shifted their focus towards an FY 2024 spending bill. House Appropriations Committee chair Kay Granger (R-TX) announced on Monday that the Committee will continue to produce FY 2024 funding bills with new funding capped at the FY 2022 level, which is $119 billion below the FY 2024 discretionary level set in law by the debt limit deal. The level for the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is $60 billion or 29% below its FY 2023 level of $207 billion in discretionary funding. Your voices and advocacy efforts will be critical as we move toward an FY2024 spending bill.