By Michelle Hines , University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 10-25-06
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Project RESTART is off to a fresh start.
The program, established four years ago in the School of Education at UNCG, has received a four-year, $800,000 U.S. Department of Education personnel preparation grant. It can support about 20 students per year.
The goal of Project RESTART is to recruit and retain special education teachers who might not otherwise be able to pursue a degree in special education. Participants receive a $6,800 stipend for tuition, fees and books each year and are required to teach in the field two years for every stipend they draw.
The grant also provides funding for three adjunct faculty members.
Dr. Stephanie Kurtts, an assistant professor with UNCG’s Department of Specialized Education Services, said the project is especially important for three reasons: First, there is a critical teacher shortage in the nation and in the state. Second, because of improved assessment and diagnostic techniques, more children are being identified as having learning challenges. Third, teaching special education students isn’t easy.
“This is a very challenging field,” Kurtts said. “It takes a very well-prepared, highly qualified teacher to work with students with educational disabilities. While it takes a special person to be a teacher, it takes a very special person to become a special education teacher. There is a tremendous need for general and special education teachers to work together to meet the diverse needs of all students.”
The program also presents an opportunity to recruit teachers generally underrepresented in the profession. Recruiting efforts will focus on community college transfer students and teaching assistants in the public schools, mostly adult learners, Kurtts said.
“What we want people to recognize is that these older students are viable as candidates for the teaching force.”
The outcome data for the first four years of the program are more than promising, she said. Of 34 original participants, 20 graduated from the undergraduate program in special education. Of those students, 17 are currently teaching in North Carolina, two are now applying to graduate schools in education, and one works with special needs clients through a community agency. Another ten students are still working toward completing the program.
Federal guidelines classify learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional disorders, and mild mental retardation as “high incidence” educational disabilities, those that are more commonly found within the population of children with disabilities. Project RESTART prepares teachers to work effectively with these learners with special needs.
Kurtts added that UNCG will be working closely with Guilford Technical Community College, offering classes designed for GTCC transfer students.
For more information on Project RESTART, contact Dr. Stephanie Kurtts at (336) 256-1080 or at sakurtts@uncg.edu.
