San Diego, Calif. – National University has been awarded a grant in the amount of $789,419 from the United States Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, it was announced today.
The grant is part of national movement to prepare Special Education Teachers and is entitled the “Para-educator to Special Educator Pipeline” (PSEP) project. Funds from the four-year grant will be used to help educators complete baccalaureate degrees and university internships while obtaining teaching credentials for special education.
The grant will have five specific objectives: recruiting thirty (30) highly-qualified para-educators to earn bachelor’s degrees and university internships while completing their teaching credentials; providing financial support to scholars as they are completing their studies via stipends; offering mentorship and support to program participants; conducting comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the project; and disseminating data and best practices to colleges and universities.
Joy Kutaka-Kennedy from the Department of Special Education in the School of Education at National University’s San Jose campus will be the project director, and co-faculty member Joan Sebastian will serve as the project evaluator.
As part of the grant, National University will partner with Alum Rock Union Elementary School District; the San Jose Unified School District; the Santa Clara County Office of Education and; the “Parents Helping Parents” group, a non-profit organization.
For more information about the National University School of Education, visit https://www.nu.edu/degrees/school-of-education/
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