Taylor Earns National Award

Meaghan Taylor, a master’s degree student in special education, earned the Andrew Halpern Early Career Practitioner Award from the Division on Career Development and Transition a division of the Council for Exceptional Children.

This award honors a secondary teacher who is in his or her first five years of teaching. It will be awarded to an educator who has demonstrated outstanding and innovative and committed services to the career education and transition of secondary students with disabilities. The award is named in recognition of Andrew Halpern, a DCDT past president whose research and publications significantly shaped the field of transition.

This is the second straight year a JRCoE student has won the award, joining Hunter Matusevich.

Taylor is in her second year of teaching transition skills to fifth- and sixth-grade students in a self-contained classroom for individuals with the most significant support needs (often characterized as severe and profound). Her progressive focus on teaching transition skills to her students aligns with recommendations made by leaders in the transition field, teaching transition early and when appropriate for the student.

Additionally, Taylor teaches job skills through her creation of a classroom restaurant. The “Meadow Brook Bistro" also serves as a fundraiser for needed teaching materials. Twice a month, Taylor guides her students in preparing baked potatoes to sell to teachers in the school. On "Potato Day,” each student has a job including door greeter, cashier, passing out food boats for the potatoes, passing out potatoes, passing out condiments, handing out drinks and handing out silverware. At the end of “Potato Day," students count the money and deliver it for the administrative assistants to deposit.

Her nominator, JRCoE doctoral student Andrea Suk, presented her with the award along with DCDT Past President Val Mazzotti at the DCDT 2019 conference in Seattle, Washington.

“Meaghan stands out from her peers and is a role model for all special education teachers,” said Suk, who is also president-elect of the Oklahoma-DCDT chapter. “She honors the spirit of transition by teaching critical transition skills to students with the most significant support needs. Her students will benefit from her dedication, focus and attention as they transition to high school and postsecondary environments.”