Young people with disabilities need specialized and focused transition planning to promote their successful preparation for future employment, community engagement and independent living after graduating from high school.
The University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions partnered with the University of Oklahoma's Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education in 2019 to help improve outcomes for students with disabilities. The Razorback-Sooner Scholars: Leaders for Transition (L4T) team just received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue this successful program.
Recruitment is currently underway for four new doctoral students to join the program at OU in fall 2024.
There's a shortage of university professors and state leaders who understand transition services and planning. Leaders for Transition aims to increase the number of higher education faculty and state special education leaders ready to prepare special educators and engage in high-quality, applied research to advance practice, policy, and research with a focus on improved post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities.
Professor Kendra Williams-Diehm is the lead at OU, along with co-principal investigators Malarie Deardorff, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Emily Kuntz. U of A special education faculty members Sheida Raley and Renee Speight are co-principal investigators for the Razorbacks.
The first 10 Ph.D. students who were selected for the 2019 campus-funded opportunity (five from OU and five from UA) are in their last years of doctoral studies. OU students Wendy Mitchell, Kerry Frank, Courtney Tennell, Brooki Fixico-Beasley and Fanee Webster will all graduate from the program in the spring.
“The primary emphasis of the Razorback-Sooner Scholars program centers on special education-transition,” Deardorff said. “However, I take great pride in the way in which Wendy, Kerry, Courtney, Brooki and Fanee have individually customized their engagement with the doctoral program, immersing themselves in research and information aligned with their respective passions. I am confident that this amazing group of scholars will contribute significantly not only to the advancement of special education but also to the broader field of education.”
The U of A and OU will leverage its combined expertise in special education transition, current graduate-level transition content and university, state and national partnerships to address the gap in transition-focused educator preparation and research. The L4T team will continue the work of preparing special educators and engaging in high-quality applied research to advance practice, policy and research.
The application process is competitive, and those chosen as Razorback-Sooner scholars will need to have at least two years of experience working with individuals with disabilities, a master's degree with a specified grade-point average, letters of recommendation and a writing sample. They will receive free tuition and fees, an annual stipend for up to four years, travel support, space to work on campus, a new laptop and mentoring from leaders in the field.
Scholars will participate in an annual summer retreat to build skills in teaching and research, as well as attend, present and collaborate at national conferences. Students will have the opportunity to engage with nationally recognized faculty and take advantage of resources from both universities. They'll also be encouraged to build individual research agendas and methodological expertise with support from faculty and scholars from both universities.
Scholars will receive graduate certificates in special education transition services at the end of the four-year program.
University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions contributed to this release.
