Project PARTNERS

Project PARTNERS is a collaboration between the Department of Special Education at San Diego State University (SDSU), the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education at the University of Virginia (UVA), and the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to prepare 12 doctoral-level, multilingual leadership personnel and leadership personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds (6 EdD at SDSU; 3 PhD at UVA; 3 PhD at UIC) in special education who are committed to, and capable of, providing culturally and linguistically responsive effective instruction, interventions, and services that improve the outcomes of children with disabilities. The purpose of this collaboration is to create a national network of scholars, with representation on the west coast, east coast, and Midwest, who engage in university and school partnerships in both urban and rural areas.

PARTNERS scholars will have the opportunity to visit exemplary schools in urban (through a partnership with the National Center for Urban School Transformation) and rural (through a partnership with the National Center for Rural School Mental Health) areas. Scholars will receive full tuition and a monetary stipend, along with support for traveling to schools across the country and presenting at national conferences. Upon completion of the program, scholars will demonstrate competencies in the areas of (a) university-school partnerships; (b)community- based research; (c) teaching pre-service and in-service teachers; (d) professional service in rural and urban organizations.

Scholar competencies will reflect the intersection of research and practice, as well as the core skills for doctoral level positions as researchers, teacher educators, and school leaders. At the end of the program, scholars will be able to:

1. Participate in university-school partnerships that promote systems knowledge and change through by providing culturally and linguistically responsive effective instruction, interventions, and services that improve the outcomes of children with disabilities.
2. Conduct collaborative, rigorous, community-based research to improve the outcomes of students with disabilities through effective, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services.
3. Effectively teach pre-service and in-service teachers to provide culturally and linguistically responsive effective instruction, interventions, and services that improve the outcomes of children with disabilities in urban and rural educational settings.
4. Engage in professional service that directly supports the outcomes of children with disabilities in urban and rural educational settings.

For more information, please contact Lauren Collins, associate professor in the Department of Special Education.