Report from the Chair

Highlights of the Department of Special Education 2005-2006 Academic Year

Earlier this year the Department was once again ranked as the top public graduate special education program in the country according to U.S. News and World Report (USNWR, April 2006). Since 1990, when the annual USNWR graduate school report was initiated, KU has consistently earned top rankings when compared with over 200 special education programs.

Summarized below are some of the 2005-06 highlights that illustrate the faculty’s outstanding contributions and extraordinary dedication to their work:

• SPED admissions reflected a broadening national and international reach with 16 states represented and seven countries including India, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Spain, and Taiwan (i.e., 39 international students);
• Faculty generated close to $46.5 million in new and continuing grant funds to support research, model program development, and professional preparation;
•  $1.8 million in federal grant funds was awarded to 235 Special Education graduate students in the form of tuition, stipends, and professional travel money;
• 80 SPED students received $130,000 in SOE merit-based scholarships; other top students received scholarships from other sources including the University, professional associations, and private foundations;
• More than $175,000 was contributed to the Department to foster new student awards, for staff and faculty memorials, to fund the Edward L. Meyen Distinguished Lecture series, and to support the Williamson Family Endowment Professorship;
• Faculty published work for teacher education students, field practitioners, and families that included 12 books, 39 peer-reviewed articles, and 26 book chapters;
• Faculty made more than 205 presentations at local, state, national, and international meetings (i.e., Australia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, England, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey);
• Faculty received more than 25 university, state, national and international awards for teaching, research, and service;
• Doctoral students received 10 prestigious awards from the University and nationally recognized organizations.

Over the past three years, I’ve learned that this community is based on fundamental commitments to excellence in learning and innovation, personal and group performance, and respect for others. These hallmarks are evident in the faculty’s national and international work (e.g., Congressional testimony, Presidential panels, international speaking engagements), state and local projects (e.g., school-based teacher education grants, local technology initiatives, KSDE committee participation), and in their ongoing campus work (e.g., conscientious teaching and student mentoring, ongoing curriculum development and program improvement, information sharing with colleagues). 

In addition to traveling the world, conversing with presidents and other dignitaries, and communicating “big ideas” that change personal and professional lives, faculty are dedicated civic professionals. They faithfully attend monthly faculty meetings and quarterly retreats. They are dedicated teachers who are genuinely concerned about the academic and personal well being of their students. Individually and collectively, my colleagues represent the Department, the School, and the University exceptionally well. 

Faculty Scholarship
A listing of recently published faculty works (peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters) is available by topic area on the Department’s website. Link to this KU Special Education Faculty Accomplishments (2005) graph for noteworthy facts and figures related to SPED faculty teaching, research, and service.

Faculty Teaching
While the SPED faculty maintains high levels of field research, scholarship, and national service, quality teaching is a top priority. All faculty members are dedicated to the thorough and thoughtful preparation of our 5th year, masters, and doctoral students. Exemplary teaching, advising, and mentoring—all grounded in research-based practice—are evident in SPED faculty work. These efforts are demonstrated in a variety of ways (e.g., course evaluations; faculty and student comments; innovative research, personnel preparation, and professional service projects; on-the-job performance of program graduates).

2005-2006 Faculty Service
SPED faculty members are involved in professional service at local, state, national, and international levels; many have received awards in recognition of their exemplary service.  Last year, faculty provided service to more than 150 university, community, and professional committees, advisory boards, and agencies.  

2005 faculty annual reports showed a marked increase in the breadth of influence SPED faculty have with national and international groups serving individuals with disabilities and their families. This year the SPED faculty held 51 elected or appointed roles in these organizations.  This was up from 27 last year. Faculty are involved in the following professional organizations:

Advocates for Individuals with High Functioning Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Alliance for Excellent Education; American Association of Retarded Citizens; The ARC; Asperger’s Syndrome Education Network; Autism Society of America; Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; Council for Exceptional Children (i.e., Behavior Disorders, Career Development and Transition, Deaf, Developmental Disabilities, Early Childhood, Learning Disabilities, Research, Technology, Teacher Education divisions);Council for Learning Disabilities; Council on Families and Literacy; Higher Education Consortium for Special Education; International Autism Society; International Society of Technology Education; Learning Disability Association; National Center for Learning Disabilities; National Governors’ Association; Carnegie Corporation of New York; National Advisory Council on Adolescent Literacy; TASH; World Health Organization
Below I’ve highlighted three faculty members’ 2005-06 service contributions.

Dr. Mary Morningstar, associate professor and director of the KU Transition Coalition, a state- and federally-funded program that provides professional development and support for school teams involved in preparing adolescents with disabilities for adulthood, testified on February 16, 2006, before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee. This hearing focused on initiatives designed to increase America’s international competitiveness by improving high school graduation rates and student academic achievement. Mary, as one of 13 experts invited to talk with the Committee, explained how students with disabilities benefit from high academic expectations; she cited data showing twice as many special education students go to college today as did so 10 years ago. She highlighted the impact of universal design and assistive technology in classrooms in achieving higher levels of student performance. As the only higher education representative on the panel, she described how today’s teacher preparation programs consider supervised fieldwork as a critical part of the learning process and how quality teacher education programs, like KU, are preparing entry-level educators for today’s classrooms, not those of yesterday.

Professor Rud Turnbull, professor and co-director of the Beach Center on Disability, has had a voice on the national and state level in weighing how to make end-of-life care decisions for those who’ve never had the mental capacity to consider such issues. Professor Turnbull was interviewed by Kansas Public Radio (“Medically-Assisted Feeding: Who Decides?” – March 6, 2006) about legislation in the Kansas House to clarify the roles of wards and guardians responsible for adults with cognitive disabilities who are facing end-of-life issues. On the national level, in April 2005, Mr. Turnbull presented to the U.S. Senate on this topic and in the summer of 2005 worked with the Kansas Judiciary Council Task Force on Guardianship Reform. He has since been appointed to a special advisory committee of the Kansas Judicial Council that will advise the Council and the Kansas legislature on possible amendments to guardianship statues concerning life-sustaining treatment and end-of-life issues.

Dr. Don Deshler, professor and director of the Center for Research on Learning, is regarded in Washington as one of the leading experts in learning disabilities and adolescent literacy. The following highlights three of his recent national service efforts.  First, he presented to a 12-member Congressional delegation on efforts to improve literacy outcomes within high schools. Delegation members, from both the House and Senate, had served as chairs or vice-chairs on Congressional education committees. The purpose of this three-day meeting was to help shape policy for national high school reform.  Second, he spoke to the National Governor’s Association about the need for state policies to improve outcomes of struggling learners at the middle school level. Finally, he serves on leading national advisory boards for the following organizations:  Carnegie Corporation of New York, National Governor’s Association, Alliance for Excellent Education, and Council on Families and Literacy.

Link here to view a listing of 2005-06 Special Education Faculty/Staff and Student Honors and Awards (35 total)

New Technology Initiatives
This past year much has been done in the area of exploring the uses of interactive video conferencing (IVC) within the Department. IVC employs a polycom unit, a microphone, and a TV by both parties. Technology support for the following projects has been provided by Isa Kretschmer and Amber Rowland, ALTEC staff members.

Video Conferencing: In October 2005, the Department of Special Education participated in the Keystone Video Conferencing Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, with representatives from 35 states and six countries. Demonstrating the use of IVC and our work in disabilities, KU Department of Special Education colleagues Dr. Earle Knowlton and Amber Rowland presented onsite at the conference and linked up with four co-presenters in Lawrence: Dr. Jerry Chaffin, Suzanne Knowlton who is a Sunflower Elementary special education teacher, a Sunflower Elementary student with a cochlear implant, and his mother.  They demonstrated the ongoing use of this technology with  onsite conference participants and 50-100 others who were participating via IVC.

Dr. Knowlton was the first faculty member to use IVC in our SPED 431 (now SPED 326) in Fall 2002.  In addition to bringing educators and students with disabilities into his KU classroom via IVC, he also uses IVC to teach course sections simultaneously at the Edwards and Lawrence campuses. This summer he rotated between sites and taught and interacted with his students via IVC.
 
During Spring 2006, Dr. Sean Smith used IVC to connect SPED 326 preservice teachers with special education personnel and students with special needs in Lawrence schools. During one session, Sunflower Elementary School principal Jill Smith, Suzanne Knowlton, another special education resource teacher Eve Cummins, and school psychologist Peggy Dey discussed their school’s Student Improvement Team (SIT) and referral process for K-6 students.  IVC use facilitated the busy panelists’ participation, and it also provided the opportunity for the preservice students to see the technology in use and interact comfortably with the panel members.
           
Supervision: During the Spring 2006 semester, the SPED GTAs, Practicum coordinator Dr. Deb Griswold, Dr. Knowlton, and Dr. Chaffin worked together to help Maya Israel, a SPED doctoral student and GTA, use IVC to supervise Adrianne Miller, a masters-level student, in her Kansas City, Kansas, middle school classroom. Maya expressed two main benefits of using IVC for practicum supervision: “When you go into a classroom, you change the dynamics of that classroom, especially with special education students. They know that you’re there, and they’ll act differently—their interactions with the practicum students are different. Interactive video allows a supervisor to be in the room without actually being there.” Maya’s other motivation for using IVC was flexibility—she could simply arrange in advance to dial into Adrianne’s classroom. “It allowed me to have more contact with her than I normally would just because of drive time and coordinating our schedules, with me in Lawrence a lot and she in KCK. We could discuss her lesson plan beforehand and then afterward, really in the same manner as if I were in the classroom with her.” Currently, Maya is developing a protocol handbook with Dr. Griswold and Dr. Knowlton to help us use IVC in practicum supervision this fall.

Seminars: During the February meeting of The University of Kansas Professionals for Disability (KUPD), the Department’s graduate student organization, Dr. Chriss Walther-Thomas presented a seminar on current trends in education policy in Washington, D.C.  IVC was used to connect Tec Chapman, a current SPED doctoral student and a professional staff member in Senator Mike Enzi’s (R-WY) office, with the student and faculty group on campus. Senator Enzi is the chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee with oversight of many programs affecting the lives of children and adults with disabilities. Tec discussed his job and upcoming legislative issues. The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for KU students and faculty to dialogue with a knowledgeable colleague about education policy development and see the IVC technology applied effectively.

New Course Offerings: This fall, capitalizing on Dr. Jerry Chaffin’s IVC expertise, we are offering a new doctoral seminar (SPED 980 “Applying Advanced Technologies in Higher Education”) designed to facilitate advanced technology skill development. The course is taught by Dr. Jerry Chaffin, Professor and Advanced Learning Technologies (ALTEC) Executive Director. Students have hands-on experience using hardware such as interactive television, performance feedback systems, and mobile computing devices and software for online learning, gaming, and other instructional purposes. Instructional approaches include a balance of face-to-face, online instruction, one-on-one tutoring, and interactive television.

Faculty-Student Socials and Special Events
The Department continues to develop more informal learning and socialization opportunities for students to facilitate their professional development, cultural understanding and competency, personal well being, and networking skills. As a faculty, we find it beneficial to provide opportunities to talk about our work, collaborate for the betterment of the Department, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.  Several examples of these efforts follow.

Last August, we subdivided our annual student orientation and held separate events for masters and doctorate students.  Masters orientation was held at the Edwards campus and the doctoral session at the Lawrence campus. Representatives from the ITC, library, writing center, counseling, and Watkins Health Center discussed their student services. SPED faculty conducted sessions for new students (e.g., program planning, certification) and continuing students (i.e., comprehensive exam preparation, effective conference presentations). KUPD, our student organization, recruited new members and sponsored receptions at both orientations. 
 
In September 2005, the Department hosted a banquet at Lawrence’s Eldridge Hotel honoring faculty.  We celebrated new positions within the Department (Dr. Mary Morningstar, Associate Professor), promotions (Dr. Eva Horn, Professor; Dr. Sean Smith, Associate Professor; Dr. Mike Wehmeyer, Professor) and the start of two five-year phased retirements (Dr. Jerry Chaffin and Dr. Gary Clark).

In October, the Department’s annual fall social was held at the Circle S. Ranch where 118 students, faculty, staff and family members got better acquainted and enjoyed seasonal activities (e.g., hayrack rides, pumpkin carving and seed spitting contests, and a chili cook-off contest). The time is especially enjoyed by our international students, who carved some amazing pumpkin sculptures!

University of Kansas Professionals for Disability (KUPD)
Throughout the year KUPD hosted monthly social and professional development events to bring students and faculty together.  KUPD doesn’t require paid membership (the Department provides KUPD approximately $1,200 from indirect funds), consequently, all masters and doctorate students within the Department and the SOE are considered members).  Through excellent leadership and by offering timely seminars, KUPD is an active organization. Typically, 35-40 people attend monthly seminars. During the past year KUPD sponsored the following seminars:

• “Technology and Leadership,” by Dr. Sean Smith.
• “Leadership and Special Education: Reflections on the Past, Connections to the Future.” KU SPED faculty who have been at the University 30+ years spoke about the history of education and how the field has evolved over the past three decades. Panel members included: Drs. Jerry Chaffin, Gary Clark, Ed Meyen, and Nancy Peterson, and guest speaker, Dr. Richard Whelan.
• “International Perspectives on Disability” with panelists representing international SPED students from five countries: Korea, Spain, India, China, and Israel.
• Dr. Chriss Walther-Thomas and Tec Chapman, Special Education doctoral student who served as the head education staffer for Senator Enzi, chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP). The two presenters linked up through the use of Interactive Video Technology to present an Update on Special Education issues in Washington, DC.
• “Stress Management—How to Handle Life as a Graduate Student” by Dr. Don Deshler.

KUPD and the Special Education Department hosted an end-of-the-year event at the Turnbulls’ home and lined up a panel of graduating SPED students who discussed their recent experiences in obtaining jobs in higher education. The information gained from the panelists’ experiences will be incorporated into a new SPED doctoral seminar this fall for advanced graduate students: “Preparing for an Academic Career in Higher Education.” This year graduating SPED doctoral students accepted positions at agencies and higher education institutions world wide.

2nd Annual Student Research Conference
KUPD sponsored its 2nd Annual Student Research Conference on March 10th  at the Lawrence campus Kansas Union. Approximately 100 students and 10 faculty members attended this event. Dr. Tom Skrtic, KUPD faculty advisor said, "The KUPD student research conference was an incredibly well done affair, both professionally and socially. With this on top of last year's success, I think we have an annual tradition here." This year’s keynote address was presented by Dr. Hank Bohanon, a 2000 graduate of KU. Dr. Bohanon is currently employed as an assistant professor at Loyola University. His presentation focused on his transition from a doctoral student to a career in higher education, his current research in the area of positive behavioral supports, and his advice for creating a positive research partnership with local school districts. 

Following the keynote presentation, conference participants had the opportunity to attend a variety of student-lead concurrent sessions where 15 graduate students made presentations on research being conducted primarily within the Department of Special Education at KU. Based on student requests, two faculty attended each student presentation and provided written session critiques. Faculty also met with presenters following their sessions and offered constructive feedback. The conference earned KUPD a nomination for the 2006 KU Project of the Year from the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and Union Programs. SPED doctorate students Sheila Smith and Sunday Dove have served two years as the conference co-chairs.

Jerry Liss, past president of KUPD and a session presenter, echoed sentiments he’d heard about last year’s inaugural event, saying that the high-quality presentations gave the day the “look” and “feel” of a national professional conference. Josh Sanders, a first-time conference attendee, described the presentation topics as “relevant and informative” and voiced support for graduate students having the opportunity to present their research in a smaller venue, prior to presenting on the national scene.  Luchara Sayles Wallace, a conference presenter and new KUPD officer said, “It was truly an honor to be able to present my research. The conference provided me and other students a unique opportunity to present our research, receive feedback, and improve for the next presentation.”

2006 CEC Conference
KU Special Education was well represented at the annual Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 5-8. Over the years, the KU faculty has taken a leadership role in CEC, the largest professional association in the field of Special Education. This year 30+ KU-lead conference sessions were conducted. In addition, many KU faculty and students were involved in leadership meetings and other planned events, and three invited pre-conference workshops were conducted by KU faculty: Eva Horn, Brenda Myles, and Michael Wehmeyer. CEC Conference KU Special Education Sessions lists many of the sessions presented by KU faculty and students.

At this year’s conference, three of our students and four faculty/staff members received prestigious CEC awards. These honors were noted earlier in the awards section.

Recruitment
For the third year in a row, KU hosted a student recruitment booth at the conference and this year’s efforts were better than ever, according to Sherrie Saathoff, the Department’s recruitment officer. “Our booth was successful because many KU faculty and student volunteers shared their time and enthusiasm for the Department with prospective students,” explained Saathoff. “Over the course of three days, literally hundreds of prospective students, alumni, and faculty from other universities visited the booth to learn more about our graduate programs, faculty, and ongoing projects. Booth visits from KU alumni who came by to get reacquainted and reminisce about their KU days were true highlights for faculty and staff.”

Field Leadership Award
Another highlight at the conference was the annual KU Reception and Dr. Jane West’s acceptance of the Department’s Field Leadership Award for her dedicated efforts as a disability advocate. Dr. West as Vice President of Governmental Relations at the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) gave an inspiring acceptance address during which she explained her motivation for service to the field of special education. “Special education is all about defying the odds. Perhaps special education could be thought of as the science and the pedagogy of defying the odds. Our field has pushed the envelope and supported people with disabilities in accomplishing things that were once considered simply impossible. Our field has changed the lives of millions of people who have demonstrated to the world what is possible. It all starts with high expectations—for ourselves and for others.” Dr. Tom Skrtic’s presentation remarks about Dr. West are available here as well as Dr. West’s acceptance remarks.

In Summary
All in all, it was an excellent year for the Department.  For the first time in my tenure, the SPED office is fully staffed and our administrative team works very well together.  The addition of Donna Goodwin in March 2005, following the death of Judy Tate, has allowed us to once again feel confident about the Department’s ability to compete effectively for external funds and manage state and federal funds in a conscientious manner. Given a strong team and a commitment to quality, our processes continue to improve. Ongoing efforts related to student recruitment, program improvement and enhancement, faculty-staff collaboration and communication, public relations and community outreach, and individual and team recognition are working well. 

Dr. Chriss Walther-Thomas
Professor and Chair
Department of Special Education

---

Tools
Email Page
Print Page

---

Contact
Special Education
Joseph R. Pearson Hall,
Rm. 521
1122 West Campus Rd.
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045 3101

phone: (785) 864-0556
fax: (785) 864-4149
kuseconnect@ku.edu