OU to Lead Multi-State Initiative to Train Educators on Services for Students With Disabilities

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NORMAN, OKLA. – Students with disabilities often face challenges when transitioning from high school into adult life, whether that includes a college experience, success in the workforce, or being engaged members in their communities. More educational leaders with extensive knowledge of transition services that support these students are needed.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University of Oklahoma a $6.5 million grant to train 20 doctoral students across six universities to become leaders in secondary special education transition. This was one of two awards made nationally.

“This grant calls for institutions across the country to come together and form a consortium to then develop the next generation of leaders in the field of special education,” said Kendra Williams-Diehm, Ph.D., professor of special education in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, who serves as the primary investigator on the project. Williams-Diehm is the director of the Zarrow Institute on Transition and Self-Determination within OU’s College of Education. The other institutions that form the consortium are the University of Arkansas, University of Connecticut, University of Kansas, Ohio State University and Sam Houston State University.

But why is focusing on transition services for students with disabilities important?

Williams-Diehm explains that though there is a federal mandate to provide these services to students – typically starting at the beginning of high school for most states – research shows that teachers and administrators are often not trained to help. For example, students may need help moving into employment, college, or an apprenticeship. Students with more significant disabilities may have an expectation of involvement in their community and need assistance getting connected with adult service providers who can assist with resources. A student with autism may not need educational help but, instead, need help with social skills and independent living skills to thrive in college.

“Originally, the idea of transition came around because our students with disabilities were not achieving these outcomes,” said Malarie Deardorff, Ph.D., another researcher on this grant and assistant director of the Zarrow Institute. “But what has happened is that many of our teachers are not prepared to help our students to do those things. So, while outcomes have gotten better over the last 20 to 30 years, they are still far below their counterparts without disabilities.”

There is a gap between what these schools are federally mandated to provide to students with disabilities and what they are equipped to provide, explains Williams-Diehm, and there is an even bigger gap between best practices and what is happening in many schools.

The overall goal of this project is to empower special education teachers and administrators to advocate for change for young people with disabilities transitioning out of high school and into their next steps. The consortium of universities created by the grant will allow for further quality research in this realm, and the up to 20 doctoral students who will be taught through the project will ultimately be able to influence change for many more educators.

“We will recruit and prepare these scholars so they go out with this information, and the reciprocal effect trickles down for our students with disability,” Williams-Diehm said. “We want better outcomes for our students with disabilities.”

Additionally, all the resources and curricula developed for the fellowship program will be available for free online to help other educators.

“We're putting together resources that other people can access for free, so they can educate themselves on this topic of special education and get the professional development needed to implement transition services even without this specialized degree,” said Williams-Diehm.

The importance of leaders trained in transition for students with disabilities cannot be stressed enough, she said. “If these trained scholars are in leadership positions at the state or at the district level, they are making sure that our educators are knowledgeable and following best practices.”