Academy Overview
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Stipends Available
The goal of the Special Education (SpEd) Cooperating Teacher (CT) Academy is to recruit, develop, and support a high-quality cooperating teacher (CT) community by providing opportunities to develop their skills as they coach teacher candidates (TCs) enrolled in UH Mānoa’s special education teacher preparation programs.
CT Academy Areas of Focus
- UHM SATEP Programs: Develop shared understanding of UH programs and preparation standards
- Mentoring, Co-Teaching & Working with Other Professionals: Develop leadership and professional development skills in the area of mentoring, andragogy, and in working with other professionals.
- Model Code of Ethics: Develop strategies and practices for modeling, discussing, and supporting best practices when approached with ethical issues
- Context & Learning Needs: Develop individualized context of school/community and identify a targeted subgroup aimed to enhance knowledge and strategies for supporting students.
- Current Best Practices: Provide an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in current topics related to special education.
Eligibility Criteria
To be selected as a member of the cohort, applicants must meet all of the following:
- Licensed classroom special education teacher (preK-12) currently teaching students with disabilities in the state of Hawaii
- Must obtain administrative support to serve as a cooperating teacher for UHM special education licensure program teacher candidates for SY 2025-2026
Additional Priority Considerations:
- Professional Representation & Experience. Collectively, our priority is to develop a professional learning community of special education teachers who contribute to a broad representation of our special education profession, which includes:
- Special Education Specialization, Services, & Level of Supports: Mild to Moderate Disabilities or Severe Disabilities and Autism in any setting
- Years of Experience: Beginning and Veteran Teacher Perspectives
- Complex Area: Representatives from each Island and Complex Area
- Grade Level: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and High School Perspectives
- Experienced UH Mānoa Special Education Cooperating Teachers. Priority may be given to current special education teachers who have already served as cooperating teachers for one or more of UH Mānoa’s special education teacher preparation programs
Participant Expectations & Time Commitment
Upon selection, CT participants are expected to participate in activities and meetings in the summer and then be available to serve as a cooperating teacher in Fall/Spring.
Summer Expectations *New Fully-Online Summer Academy offered for Summer 2025*
- Review a recorded virtual Pre-Academy Meeting upon acceptance
- Attend a one-week Virtual Academy Course Sequence
- Monday, June 16 to Friday, June 20, 9am to 1pm each day
- Attend a virtual Post-Academy Meeting
- Monday, July 14, 9am to 1pm
Course Expectations
- Agree and prepare to mentor university sped pre-service teacher candidates
- Participate in group activities and discussions
- Complete activities and reflections on designated topics (Eligible to receive 3 HIDOE PD credits!)
Examples of Academy Activities:
- Create personal and professional profiles
- Create a Candidate Handbook contextualized for your community, school, and classroom
- Identify, model, and coach candidates on High-Leverage Practices of your choosing
- Learn, practice, and implement effective mentoring and coaching practices
Participant Benefits
By being a part of the Special Education CT Academy, you would receive:
- Project Equal Access Swag: Receive a Project Equal Access shirt and other project-related materials/swag.
- Stipends and Reclassification Credits: Receive up to $600 in stipends and up to 3 professional development credits (pending approvals. Update 4/1/25: PD approval received for Summer 2025!) for participation in Summer Academy and focus groups.
- Growth & Resources: Receive support and training from UHM specialized faculty and partners in the area of coaching and mentoring and special education high-leverage practices
- Professional Learning Community: Receive paid professional membership to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), which includes Hawaii-CEC unit membership, and provides professional resources, webinars, and a national community of support in special education.
- Support & Validation: Be part of a specialized group of high-quality special education classroom teachers with whom you can connect, share ideas, and receive support.
How to Apply
Next opportunity to apply will be for our Summer 2025 cohort. The final grant-funded cohort will be offered in Summer 2026.
Application Link: https://bit.ly/spedctacademy
- Summer 2025 Application Deadline: April 30, 2025
The application includes multiple-choice or short-answer responses related to you and your teaching experiences. The final seven questions of the application are open-ended. To help you prepare before you begin your application, the questions are listed below so you can draft them first and copy them into your application:
- Why did you choose to become a special education teacher?
- Why do you continue to teach special education?
- Identify two of your strengths as a classroom special education teacher.
- Identify two areas of growth you want to develop further as a special education teacher.
- Describe your previous mentoring experiences (e.g. pre-service candidates, new teachers, colleagues).
- Identify two areas of strengths you would have as a cooperating teacher for our UHM pre-service candidates.
- Identify two areas of growth that you would want to develop further as a cooperating teacher for our UHM pre-service candidates.
