Julia White
Julia M. White, Associate Professor in the Department of Education and Leadership at the School of Education (SOE) and Director of Cruelty Studies and Social Justice Minor Practices, has announced that, with the primary objective, the $1.14 million U.S. Education Awarded a ministry grant. To recruit, prepare, and retain fully qualified and diverse special education teachers and school counselors to work with students with disabilities who have advanced needs.
Project IMPRESS (Interdisciplinary Master’s Degree Preparation for Urban and Rural Educators in Special Education and School Counseling) is a specialty of Lafayette Central School District (which includes the Onondaga Nation School), two high-need school districts in downtown New York. Focus on house recruitment. Syracuse City School District.
Collaborating with Principal Investigator White are Sultan Kilinc, Assistant Professor in SOE’s Education and Leadership Division, and Yanhong Liu, Associate Professor in SOE’s Counseling and Welfare Division.
“Project IMPRESS addresses a critical need to increase the number of special education teachers and school counselors available to students with disabilities who have high needs in high-need urban and rural schools.” says White. “This cohort-based project will develop highly effective, equity-conscious professionals with the knowledge, skills and disposition to serve these communities.”
To prepare and retain a diverse (including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) master’s-level scholars, Project IMPRESS improves learning, developmental, social and transitional outcomes for students with disabilities. We aim to provide comprehensive and culturally relevant training. -strength needs. Professionals-in-training are also encouraged to collaborate across disciplines by sharing project experiences involving distance learning.
“This project represents an innovative partnership between inclusive special education and counseling programs and is a leading provider of related services,” said Professor of Inclusive Education and Disability Studies and SOE Associate Dean for Research. One Beth Ferri said: “Scholars in the Faculty of Education will benefit from interdisciplinary training, particularly with respect to supporting student social-emotional learning and integrating strong support in an inclusive and high-needs environment. will have a lasting impact by addressing the critical shortage of qualified teachers and counselors who can respond in a culturally responsive manner to the diverse learning, social and emotional needs of students.”
Beginning in May 2023, Project IMPRESS will prepare four cohorts of 12 special education (primary and secondary) and school counseling (P-12) scholars in each cohort over five years. To thoroughly prepare them to serve in a high-need school, students are provided with interdisciplinary collaborative experiences, including shared coursework, assignments, and guided field experiences.
Upon completion of the program, graduates will meet the requirements of New York State certification in their field, will be prepared to work with students with disabilities who have high needs, and will be able to diversify the teacher population in their school district. increase.
