Lasell Joins Effort To Diversify Special Education Workforce

Newton MA

08 March, 2022

2:13 PM

Description

NEWTON, MA — Lasell University and UMass Lowell have announced a joint venture designed to diversify the pipeline of students pursuing careers in special education and applied behavior analysis. With a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Lasell and UMass Lowell faculty will develop an interdisciplinary graduate level program that will prepare professionals to meet the special educational needs of school-aged students (K-8) with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. As part of the grant, full scholarships will be awarded to a cohort of 24 graduate students. Twelve participants representing each institution will enter the program beginning in Fall 2022. "Schools here and across the country have grown increasingly more diverse, yet the educator workforce does not reflect this evolution within our communities," said Professor Claudia Rinaldi, chair of Lasell's Education Department, in a statement. "Today, in the U.S, as many as 87% of all teachers are white. The more students see and hear themselves, their cultures, and languages in the classroom, the more likely they are to experience academic success and pursue teaching as a career." The master's program will encourage the next generation of educators to work together to support children in grades K-8 by introducing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to special education and applied behavior analysis while integrating culturally responsive methodologies to address the needs of a growingly diverse student population. This new initiative is a natural extension of the Pathways to Teacher Diversity (PTD) program established at Lasell in 2015. PTD mentors undergraduate students representing diverse backgrounds and experiences, encouraging them to contemplate careers as educators in their local communities. This spring, the first cohort of undergraduates will complete the program. "Under the PTD model, we pair Lasell undergrad education mentors with high school students through in-person sessions on campus, at the participating high schools and via online experiences," said Rinaldi. "The partnership with UMass Lowell is the logical next step in our efforts to bring new cross discipline and cultural responsiveness, real-life teacher preparation to special education." "We are thrilled to be partnering with Lasell University on this new initiative to provide interdisciplinary training to graduate students in the Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism Studies program at UMass Lowell," said UMass Lowell Psychology Associate Prof. Rocio Rosales in a statement. "Our graduate program has always embraced a collaborative training model by exposing students to a wide range of perspectives within the field of psychology," she continued. "Adding a focus in special education is a natural fit since our graduate students regularly work with children who receive educational services in public and specialized school settings. This new program will also help us respond to the clear need to diversify the workforce to best meet the needs of families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds." For more information on the new program, click here.