The University of Hawaii at Mānoa College of Education Department of Special Education was awarded $1.2 million by the U.S. Department of Education for the Pacific Region Special Education Leadership Training Project. The project will provide six doctoral scholars up to $30,000 per year each for four years to develop competencies in three areas – distance education, universal design for learning, and research.
The rigorous doctoral program includes presentations and research internships with schools, service providers, and families of high-need students with disabilities in ethnically diverse Pacific communities. Doctoral program scholars will provide distance education instruction of teacher education courses to outlying areas in Hawai‘i and the Pacific region. They will supervise individuals seeking teacher certification in special education and participate in projects that target highly effective special education teaching and research methods. Scholars will also examine the implications of pertinent law and policies, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind Act.
A team of special education faculty, which includes Drs. Mary Jo Noonan, Bryan Cook, James Skouge, and Kavita Rao, will guide the project’s scholars. “This funding is greatly needed to ensure that we have the necessary faculty to prepare a sufficient supply of well-trained special educators throughout the state of Hawai‘i and the Pacific region,” Noonan said.