Campus News

Joint Program Wins Grant to Train Nontraditional Students

(December 9, 2005)

The Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology's Division of Special Education, in a joint effort with the Department of Reading, has received a $757,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education which will enhance the support needed to retain highly qualified and diverse candidates as they change their fields of employment to special education. Many schools in New York State and the country face severe shortages of well-qualified teachers in many areas, including special education. In the School of Education's master's program in Special Education and Literacy, graduate students learn to effectively implement research-based instructional practices in special education with an emphasis on literacy. This program enables those who have completed liberal arts majors in their undergraduate studies, rather than education majors, to enter the special education teaching profession. DOE funding will provide peer support and financial support to retain well-qualified graduate students from nontraditional backgrounds during their two-year academic program. Jane Domaracki of Educational Psychology and Statistics is principal investigator.