Special Education Program

Interdisciplinary Preparation of Special Education Administrators to Serve Minority Students with Disabilities

The changing demographics within the United States point to the need for preparing educational leaders who have the knowledge and competencies for developing and administering special education programs for the rapidly expanding population of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities.

By the year 2000, Hodgkinson (1992) projected that one of every three persons will be non-white and the use of a second language will be common. Birth rates among Hispanics, Blacks, Asian Americans, and Native Americans indicate a changed population configuration, which will require school reform and restructuring. At present, there is lack of well prepared special education administrators and a great under representation of educational leaders from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations in educational administration (Bowen, 1990; Cook & Boe, 1995; Smith & Pierce, 1995).

The purpose of this project is to prepare 12 doctoral level leadership personnel to administer special education services at the local, state or federal level with an emphasis on culturally and/or linguistically diverse populations. A secondary purpose is to provide coursework and/or a minor degree to prepare graduates from the regular education administration program to better understand, support, and provide special education services for their schools or educational agencies. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting applicants who are CLD, individuals who are disabled, and those interested in administering programs for CLD students in rural areas and charter schools.

This new competency-based program will be provided through an interdisciplinary, collaborative effort among the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology, the Educational Administration, Higher Education and multicultural-bilingual programs within the College of Education, the Arizona State Department of Education, and local school districts throughout Arizona.

This integrated program is one of the outcomes of a two-year University of Arizona task force studying the preparation of educational leaders for the 21st Century. The task force members consisted of representatives from the above named collaborative agencies.

The curriculum requires a minimum of 90 units of study and is divided into five basic content cores including the: leadership core; multicultural-bilingual core; special education core; instructional leadership and technology core; and the research and evaluation core. Doctoral candidates will be expected to achieve competencies within these five core areas. A unique aspect and strength of this program is the involvement of students with faculty on Technical Assistance Projects for local and state educational agencies studying issues such as inclusion, over representation of minority students in special education programs, collaboration and teaming. Participation in North Central accreditation evaluations; the Verano en Mexico summer program; projects with Native American educational agencies; and internships in administration and supervision, research, instruction, technology, and program development for CLD populations provide field-based applications of coursework. Students and faculty working together as colleagues enriches the close faculty-student mentor relationship.

A comprehensive, formative, and summative evaluation process will be used to evaluate: a) project program administration, management, and design; b) trainees' acquisition of knowledge and competencies in the five core curriculum areas; and c) project impact on placement of graduates in administrative leadership positions and trainee and employer satisfaction.

Project Co-Directors

James C. Chalfant, Ed.D.
Phone: 621-0940
E-mail

Margaret Van Dusen Pysh, Ph.D.
Phone: 621-0942
E-mail

Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology
University of Arizona College of Education
P.O. Box 210069
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0069