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How a CT university is training more full-time special education teachers

Sara Anastasi
/
WSHU

Earlier this year, Sacred Heart University’s Farrington College of Education & Human Development and Stamford Public Schools launched an initiative that turns paraprofessionals and long-term substitutes already in the Stamford school system into special education teachers.

They enrolled four students, or “residents.” They complete 39 credits of classes within 15 months. In addition to taking classes, they co-teach alongside a mentor in Stamford classrooms. When they finish, they earn a master’s in teaching and become fully qualified to work as teachers in the district.

Resident Namita Pendharkar said she was recruited through e-mail, asking if she wanted to receive her master's degree.

“It was a great opportunity that just came into my inbox at work when I was substitute teaching, and it just felt like a sign that I needed to take this path,” Pendharkar said. “And, I wasn't searching for the path. The path was presented to me. In that moment, it just felt like an epiphany, like, oh, my gosh, this is it.”

Their Kick-Off event was this fall. The initiative addresses a critical statewide shortage of special education teachers in Connecticut, fueled by a lack of qualified candidates. By creating a student-to-teacher pipeline, Stamford Public Schools and Sacred Heart University say they will produce a new generation of educators ready to fill the roles in schools and private programs across the state.

Melanie Tietjen coordinates the special education residency at Sacred Heart. She meets with the group every week to discuss teaching strategies.

“The group meets on-site weekly for a seminar with me at one of the local middle schools,” Tietjen said. “That seminar is rooted in high-leverage practices and universal design for learning, which really means that the residents are implementing best practices like creating a positive classroom environment and increasing active student engagement, collaborating with stakeholders, including family members and different related service providers."

The group works with a variety of children with different disabilities—or, to use a preferred phrase, “exceptionalities."

Resident Erica Brown said the residency allows her to balance career and personal responsibility. As the mother of two sons with exceptionalities, she said she knows firsthand the struggles the children face.

“This was kind of a no-brainer for me,” she said. “Both my sons have received occupational therapy and services for a few different exceptionalities, and what I really liked was that there was flexibility with the program to be able to be asynchronous and local,” said Brown.

Residents said one of their biggest takeaways is the importance of being there for children as educators and someone they can turn to for help.

“You have to realize they're coming in with their own special needs, and they need as much intervention and help and support they can to meet their goals because they will not meet their goals without that intervention,” Pendharkar said.

“Each student is a person. They may not be your child, but they are someone’s child. So you want to be fair and know that you are a lot of times their advocate,” said resident West Lyles, Jr.

Lyles said that because the residency is fully funded, he finally has the chance to pursue a career in education.

“I've already had the infield experience,” he said. “Just never had the opportunity to become certified or the funds to become certified. So the fact that the city of Stamford is paying for it, that was awesome.”

“I think everyone wins in this model,” Pendharkar said. “The city of Stamford gets teachers that they badly need, and Sacred Heart has students that they can create synergy with, a link to a community that their future students can work in. And, of course, we benefit because we're getting a degree out of it, which will set us up for maybe a lifelong profession.”

Resident Shanice Morris said her bond with her students is the most gratifying.

“I know all my kids by name,” she said. “They know my name. So, at this point we're only like two months into school, and they notice when I'm not there. They're looking for me now, and that's just very rewarding for me.”

“It's a one-on-one experience for part of the day, right?” Brown said. “You're working with these kiddos toward their goals and objectives, and you're really creating a bond with them. And you're helping them achieve something that they're struggling with. And they really do rely on you to help them. Not in a necessity way, but in a comforting way.”

Residents said hands-on experience is a key part of their learning.

“I think that being that you get that hands-on experience, it really exposes you to everything from the very beginning of the year to the end of the school year, everything that you need to know and how to maneuver through different challenges that you may face,” Morris said.

The initiative is supported through private funds, state grants, and district resources. These funds cover tuition and provide a living stipend. Sacred Heart recently received a $3.38 million federal grant to support the program for five years.

Sacred Heart University is the licensee of WSHU Public Radio.

Sara Anastasi is a news fellow at WSHU.