LINK-2-LEAD scholar Melissa Sullivan Haag (pictured far right) leads a group of preservice teachers in an on-site research project in Greensboro.
By Bruce Buchanan
In the past three decades, the number of students served by special education programs in America’s public schools has roughly doubled. According to the U.S. Department of Education, approximately 13 percent of public school students now are classified as having special needs.
With so many students, the need for quality special education teachers remains tremendous. The UNCG School of Education’s Specialized Education Services department is at the forefront of preparing and training educators to meet this need, through programs such as EC LEADS and LINK-2-LEAD.
EC LEADS is a federally funded project through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). UNCG won a highly competitive grant to develop the EC LEADS program. The goal of EC LEADS is to support doctoral scholars who will be leaders in the early childhood special education field, said Dr. Belinda Hardin, who oversees the program.
“What distinguishes our particular grant is that our focus is on early childhood special education,” Dr. Hardin said. The program began in 2011 and provides scholarship assistance—tuition, books and a stipend—to six doctoral candidates. These participants are preparing for careers as university faculty who will train early childhood special education professionals.
The scholars must complete a demanding portfolio requirement as part of the EC LEADS program, focusing on the activities they will be engaged in as faculty members. For example, some scholars have authored manuscripts, while others have given presentations at national conferences. Scholars also are required to complete a leadership internship.
“It’s a very rigorous program,” Dr. Hardin said. “One of our students was instrumental in revising early childhood statewide standards, for example.” Another scholar worked with Head Start on literacy initiatives for Latino children and their parents.
For the grant, the School of Education developed two courses specific to early childhood special education, and scholars are paired with faculty members for research training.
The LINK-2-LEAD Project is another key effort, supported by the same federal funding agency. LINK-2-LEAD is a partnership between The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the Center for Creative Leadership, the School of Education Teacher Academy’s Project ENRICH, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction State Improvement Project – Improving Instruction for Students with Disabilities, and school districts in two counties (i.e., Forsyth and Guilford). LINK-2-LEAD is designed to accomplish one overarching program goal --to increase the quantity of special education personnel who have been prepared at advanced graduate levels, and who are well qualified for, and can effectively carry out leadership positions in universities. The project was ranked second in the nation and is in its second of five funding years. Eighty-nine percent of the 1.25 million dollar award is dedicated to scholar support.
Dr. Marcia Rock directs the LINK-2-LEAD Program, which she designed as a model doctoral training program based on a comprehensive analysis of relevant literature. Faculty who mentor future faculty must “prepare the next generation of leaders to work collaboratively across disciplines.” Also, doctoral faculty must prepare future faculty to carry out authentic and rigorous research. “The LINK-2-LEAD scholars are learning how to make research work, not only theoretically, but also practically,” Dr. Rock said. “The emphasis is on community-engaged research that matters –investigating what works and what does not in developing effective teachers.”
Already, LINK-2-LEAD scholars have taken part in community-engaged research. For example, the scholars are working with Marcia Rock and Pamela Williamson to carry out research aimed at understanding how coaching can be used during early field experience to enhance UNCG pre-service teachers’ use of balanced literacy instruction. Two of the scholars have also worked with the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) and Project ENRICH, a collaborative effort between UNCG, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and the Guilford County Schools to conduct pilot research on infusing mobile technology in pre-service teacher development. Both projects have been conducted in high-needs school settings.
In addition, the scholars have worked with Marcia Rock and personnel affiliated with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s State Improvement Project –Improving Instruction for Students with Disabilities on developing technology enhanced coaching training for literacy and math coaches across the state. Some will also have an opportunity to investigate the effectiveness of that training.
Each summer, the scholars complete a research intern/externship with a nationally prominent project. Although the externships focus generally on teacher development research, each one is tailored specifically to reflect the individual interests of the scholar. Also, in July 2012 and 2013, the scholars presented at the OSEP Project Directors’ Conference in Washington, D.C. All are co-authoring journal articles related to their research training and experiences.
Another unique, yet central component of the LINK-2-LEAD Project involves close collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), a world-renowned leadership training program headquartered in Greensboro. The scholars receive intensive leadership training and participate in ongoing coaching through the Center.
The School of Education’s success in winning and implementing the LINK-2-LEAD and EC LEADS grants is evidence that UNCG is committed to preparing the next generation of special education education leaders and researchers.
“Each time you are awarded one of these grants, it says to people in the special education field that UNCG knows what it is doing,” Dr. Hardin said.
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