NewsRelease

UNCG Awards First Bachelor's Degrees in Special Education

GREENSBORO – Despite a sour economy that has left many college graduates scrambling for work, Lauren Trivett found a permanent, full-time job months before graduation. In fact, her new job prevented her from attending The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s main commencement ceremony in May.

The 22-year-old Thomasville resident was hired in March as a special education teacher at Southwest Elementary in Lexington. Special education teachers are in such demand that she was offered the job before she had finished her student teaching; she was released from student teaching so she could accept.

Marking a milestone for UNCG’s School of Education, Trivett and four other students have earned the university’s first bachelor’s degrees in special education. Projections from the U.S. Department of Labor show that the need for special education teachers will double during the next 10 years. In the past decade, the number of special education students increased by a third.

Trivett’s mother is a special education teacher and the inspiration for her daughter’s career choice. Trivett, who will attend the School of Education’s recognition ceremony Saturday morning, said she was attracted by the challenge of special education. “There are so many different kinds of students,” she said. “And I have the ability to help them all. … It’s a great challenge, but it’s well worth it.”

In addition to the new major, UNCG is involved with other efforts to meet the demand for special education teachers. Professors Dr. Carolyn Boyles and Dr. Stephanie Kurtts are using a four-year, $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to recruit non-traditional students for the specialty.

The professors visit local school systems to recruit teacher assistants who have worked with special education classes and community colleges to recruit students who have completed work in early childhood education. Boyles and Kurtts make sure program participants receive mentoring and financial aid to help them earn their bachelor’s degrees.

Called RESTART, the program fosters partnerships between the university and area schools by using local teachers as mentors for UNCG students. It teaches innovative instructional strategies, classroom management, assessment methods and communication skills for working with families. Students also can learn to work with non-native English speakers.

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