The Department of Special Education (SPED) in the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) received a $300K grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. As part of the grant program, SPED is participating in a Doctoral Training Consortia along with nine other institutions of higher education (IHE) across the U.S.
Under the direction of SPED Principle Investigator Mary Jo Noonan, PhD scholars will engage in advanced research, education, and community opportunities through the consortia, benefitting from the expertise and experience of interdisciplinary faculty and projects from all 10 IHEs.
“This funding will enable us to train doctoral students in early childhood intervention for infants and young children with high-intensity needs because of significant intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with severe autism, medically complex needs, sensory loss, and genetic conditions,” Noonan said.
The purpose of the consortium is to prepare future university faculty who will, in turn, prepare early intervention professionals and early childhood special education teachers to serve infants and young children with disabilities in Hawai‘i and across the nation. Learning from national experts in the field, graduates of the program will help reduce the shortage of early intervention/early childhood education personnel.
Noonan concluded, “Children in this category need high, intensive, interdisciplinary and individualized interventions in order to reach functional, developmental, and behavioral outcomes. This will allow them to reach independent functioning as they age and transition into school and postsecondary school options for employment and living.”
SPED will admit two candidates into the PhD in Education, Exceptionalities-Track for Fall 2020 as Early Childhood Consortium Fellows. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2020.
Early Childhood Consortium Doctoral Training Opportunity and FAQ
