Grant Abstract

The Interstellar TEACH Project addresses the significant teacher shortage in Southern Arizona and critical national need for over 15,000 special education teachers for students with LD and related disabilities. In Southern Arizona, the Directors of Special Education project a need for over 225 new teachers the next four years and additionally require certification training for over 113 emergency hired personnel. The Interstellar TEACH Project addresses these needs, complying with state teacher and student standards. We will prepare 48 special education teachers with cross-categorical (CC) certification and/or graduate degrees.

To address these needs, the University of Arizona, Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology (SERSP) proposes to prepare special education teachers for CC certification, LD or EBD certification and MA degrees or EdS degrees utilizing interdisciplinary and collaborative models of teacher preparation. We will a) recruit and prepare individuals with disabilities and individuals from groups that are under-represented in the profession, and b) employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities in project activities. Faculty in SERSP have partnered with faculty in the Departments of Language, Reading, and Culture, Teaching and Teacher Education, Speech and Hearing Sciences, the Arizona Department of Education, and local educational agencies in Southern Arizona to design a preparation program that provides:

Multidisciplinary, cross-categorical preparation/certification of special education teachers
Collaboration among special and general educators to meet student needs
Field-based experiences through university-school partnerships with diverse students
Research-based curriculum, methods of assessment, teaching, and collaboration strategies.

Prepare teachers and supervisors with multidisciplinary and collaborative knowledge and skills to effectively assess and educate students with Learning Disabilities (LD) and related high incidence behavioral/ cognitive disabilities in special education and inclusive school settings.
Recruit/retain qualified candidates with disabilities, from under-represented populations, teachers with emergency certifications, classroom teachers, and other qualified applicants.
Prepare teachers for special education certification to serve diverse students in Arizona.
Assist graduates to obtain employment in Southern Arizona schools with teacher shortages.
Use a collaborative partnership model of personnel preparation through university-school partnerships including a collaborative prescriptive-instructional clinic.

This proposed high incidence teacher preparation program will prepare 48 highly qualified CC special education teachers through: a) courses in education, special education, learning disabilities, language, and behavioral disorders; b) competencies in cultural and linguistic diversity, multi-disciplinary teaming and collaboration, and supervision/staff development (EdS only); c) supervised experiences in an interdisciplinary clinic for students with learning and related disabilities; d) field-based experiences in special education and inclusive settings at schools with culturally and linguistically diverse students; and e) collaborative experiences with general and special educators and specialists.