Home » Projects » Teacher Leaders in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

Teacher Leaders in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

A central concern in early intervention and early childhood special education is the availability of well prepared professionals with the skills and knowledge to work with young children with disabilities ages birth to five and their families who are high risk due to sociocultural factors. There is a critical need to restructure programs to prepare professionals who can function in a collaborative, interdisciplinary manner to meet the needs of families and young children experiencing poverty and whose primary language is not English. The School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill aims to provide an interdisciplinary graduate program of study for Birth–Kindergarten professionals who will be highly qualified to teach young children with and without disabilities with a specialization in working with immigrant children and families experiencing poverty.

The primary project goal is to prepare professionals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to become interdisciplinary, collaborative leaders in early childhood special education implementing culturally responsive and evidence based practices for young children with disabilities and their families in high need schools and community based programs. The proposed project explicitly focuses on: a) recruitment, and professional and financial support for teachers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds working in high need schools and communities; b) specialized coursework focused on the developmental and educational needs of linguistically diverse children and families experiencing poverty and evidence based practices; c) specialized internships and field placements with high need families and children; and d) a community of practice network to support action based research to improve practices for meeting the needs of these high need populations of children and families.
    
To that end, 32 students will receive their Birth-Kindergarten licensure (early childhood/early childhood special education) and Masters’ degrees as well as specialized competencies for working with high need children with disabilities and their families. The proposed project reflects four key features of personnel preparation programs: 1) recruitment of underrepresented students who are currently teaching in high need schools and communities; 2) focus on evidence based strategies for meeting the needs of young children with disabilities and their families who come from linguistically diverse backgrounds experiencing poverty; 3) preparation of leaders in early childhood special education who are committed to affecting positive change in the developmental and educational outcomes of young children with disabilities; and (4) an emphasis on a community of practice for practitioners, family members, community based programs, and University personnel through partnerships with community agencies.

Award(s)

Funding Agency:  

U.S. Department of Education

Funding Period:  

01/01/2012 to 12/31/2016

Award Amount:  

$1,063,725

Staff

Harriet Able, Principal Investigator