School of Special Education
Harvey Rude, Director
2007-2008 Goals

Mission

Founded in 1954, the School of Special Education is committed to excellence in basic and advanced teacher preparation in special education.

The faculty of the School of Special Education believe:

Students with exceptionalities are part of a larger community of diverse learners;
All students can learn when provided with effective instruction, advocacy, and supports;
Learners with exceptionalities excel when they are held to the same high standards and expectations as all other students; and
The larger mission of education is best served when special educators collaborate with families, general educators, and related services professionals.

Expand the orientation program for adjunct faculty to include Wimba-based seminar material to enhance instructional effectiveness and outcomes on the topics of: blackboard and other online instructional delivery, electronic assessment systems, formative/summative evaluation approaches, and strategies for quality teaching.
Refine the assessment plan process for all programs in the School, including the refinement of assessment rubrics, data entry, and plans for improvement based on assessment results.
Facilitate the approvals of a new Ph.D. degree in Special Education program proposal for initial offering in summer semester of 2008.
Promote the development of new standards and a PLACE assessment for the Director of Special Education K-12 administrator licensure program in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education.
Refine the student review process to include more explicit measures of professional dispositions in the assessments.
Complete and submit for curriculum approval a new MA degree program in Special Education: Intervention Specialist.
Complete and submit for curriculum approval a new post-baccalaureate ASL teacher preparation program in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education.
Support current students to become routine users of the iWebfolio electronic portfolio system.

Submit a leadership proposal to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to secure doctoral student support for the new Ph.D. program.
Expand the research mentor program to support the scholarly activities and production of faculty members in the School.
Continue personal program of scholarship by writing grants, publishing articles, and providing professional presentations.
Foster the scholarly production of the Navajo Nation Teacher Education Consortium through publications and presentations.
Submit new program proposals to the Office of Indian Education.

Facilitate and conduct scholarly colloquia on topics that support faculty, student, and program diversity.
Implement the recently funded Four Corners Para-professional Education Project for special education teacher preparation to the Navajo and Ute Nations.
Create an aesthetically pleasing and multi-cultural physical environment in the lower level of McKee Hall.
Conduct professional development program for faculty members to better prepare them to work with cohorts of Saudi Arabian students scheduled to begin graduate studies in fall of 2008.

Promote the activities of the four Centers affiliated with the School through targeted publications and marketing strategies.
Promote and disseminate information on the three program options available for undergraduate Special Education teacher preparation (e.g., on-campus, Denver Urban Special Education, and Four Corners PEP in the Southwest).
Work with the UNC Foundation to secure access to high potential donors to share innovative ideas for UNC endowments in Special Education.
Promote the agenda for increased support for special education as a critical shortage field by working proactively with Colorado legislators at the state and national levels.
Revitalize External Advisory Committee for the School of Special Education.
Develop a strategic plan and commitment to action for the Bresnahan-Halstead Center.

Create and implement marketing plan for undergraduate program, MA degree programs and doctoral program.
Identify dedicated scholarship programs to support graduate students engaged in full-time study.
Explore the potential to submit a Transition to Teaching grant proposal to receive federal support for an alternative teacher certification project for areas of high impact (e.g., tribal education, rural schools, etc.).
Create a systematic marketing plan for each degree program that identifies strategic targets for enrollments.
Expand group advising sessions for various student groups via face-to-face and electronic formats.
Develop a systematic approach to maintain up-to-date information and resources on the School web page.
Develop proposals for new program initiatives with international partners (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, DODEA, etc.) to expand the student population in Special Education to prospective students from other countries.

Reduce the number of required faculty meetings and increase the dedicated time for faculty to meet on Tuesday afternoons.
Provide reliable and transparent system of budget management for all accounts that are the responsibility of the School of Special Education.
Expand the use of student listservs to enhance communication and clarity in program progress.
Increase faculty support and incentives for professional activities and teaching improvement.
Increase the number of full-time faculty in the School of Special Education to address bachelors, Masters, and doctoral programs that are delivered online, on-campus, and through off-campus cohort delivery models.
Develop a system to provide load credit to faculty engaged in substantive supervision (e.g., EDSE 444, 535, 644, 648, 657, 691, 693, 730) and doctoral research advisement (e.g., EDSE 797, 799).
Facilitate clear and transparent system of identifying budget resources and incentives from Extended Studies degree programs.