Associate Professor Christy Ashby spoke to Education Week for their article “Special Education a Growing Priority in Teacher-Training Circles,” part of a focus collection on Special Education: Practice and Pitfalls. Ashby spoke to the strength of the School of Education not having separate special education programs, but instead embedding inclusion into all of our teacher preparation programs, especially in our Inclusive Early Childhood Special Education and Inclusive Elementary and Special Education programs which provide students with dual certification in both their chosen grade level and working with students with disabilities.
“We wanted the faculty to be seen as really collaborative. We don’t have a separate special education program…We’re constantly modeling that this is in the water of the place, in addition to being something we expect students to do.”