There are many students who need educational support beyond what the traditional classroom can offer — and there is a critical shortage of educators able to provide that additional support.
However, Elizabeth Dooley, professor of exceptional student education in the College of Community Innovation and Education, and postdoctoral scholar Ashley Grays ’24PhD have a plan to meet the critical needs. Through a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Dooley and Grays are helping further the education of 40 exceptional student education master’s students over the next five years with the goal of addressing the shortage of special education teachers right here in Central Florida.
The project, entitled Preparing Next-Gen Special Education Teachers (SET)/Scholars, aims to enhance exceptional student education through a cohesive academic curriculum aligning with the Department of Education’s goal to increase the number of special education teachers, including those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds and of multilingual capabilities. The 40 scholars are distributed across four cohorts, and each will receive a master’s in exceptional student education. Scholars will attend fully funded online courses while maintaining their current teaching jobs. They’ll also receive an annual $3,000 stipend. The inaugural cohort of 10 scholars began its studies this semester.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2022 that approximately 44% of public schools nationwide had full- or part-time teaching vacancies. Of those, schools reported that 45% were special education teaching positions. During the 2022-23 school year, the Florida Department of Education ranked exceptional student education (ESE) as second on its list of critical shortages.
To help address the special education educator shortage locally, Dooley worked with school districts in Orange and Osceola counties through their superintendents to recruit returning scholars for the program. Student scholars will gain advanced skills and knowledge that will enable them to provide high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, as well as intervention and student-centered approaches to exceptional student education.
“We brought in teachers who may not have had the full advantage of having a cohesive academic curriculum that’s relevant, relatable and value added for today’s classrooms,” Dooley says. “We wanted to create a program that would expose students to culturally relevant material, help them to understand the legislation that guides them and educate them on the extent of their roles so all of their students can be successful.”
Dooley and Grays say the program will not only be grounded in legislative knowledge and advocacy, but it will also create mentorship opportunities for this cohort and future cohorts to connect and share what they learn with their communities.
“This program is very intentionally built to be something that’s relevant to them, where they are and what their expertise is,” Grays says. “We also know they will be able to positively impact other educators, and we want them to be prepared to be teacher leaders who are grounded in legislation and able to advocate for their students and share that knowledge with their peers.”
Beyond meeting the need for special and general educators, Dooley and Grays add that their backgrounds as teachers motivated them to pursue this project. Both have witnessed firsthand what happens when children are not getting their educational needs met, whether that’s due to lack of resources or lack of knowledge regarding how to address their specific needs.
“There’s a whole host of students who are being left behind,” Dooley says. “There are students with disabilities and students who have been identified as having behavioral issues where those behavior issues overshadow their abilities. We believe that teachers need to have a learning curriculum that helps them determine what the deficiencies are in education, what their responsibilities are, and how they can be accountable to all learners.”
Grays says she was motivated to help after seeing students with behavioral issues falling behind in the classroom because their teachers did not have the proper knowledge of or resources to help them.
“I was an early childhood educator,” Grays says. “I worked with babies all the way up until they transitioned to school, and what I saw in that environment was that there were kids who were given up on before they were even in kindergarten. From a very early time in my career, I saw the disparities, and I saw the way that our biases can play into how we interact with these learners.”
Grays adds that the scholars in this inaugural cohort say they have also identified these issues in their own classrooms.
“They’re actively experiencing what happens when we are not fully prepared,” she says. “Having the opportunity to help them learn what they need in order to best support their students is a privilege.”
One student in the inaugural cohort is Lizbetmar Vazquez, a current fifth-grade math and science teacher at Reedy Creek Elementary in Osceola County. Vazquez says she has always felt she may lack some training because she did not have a bachelor’s degree in education, which led to her desire to go back for her master’s.
“It means a great deal to me to be able to complete my master’s through NextGen,” she says. “They provided me with the chance to develop as a teacher and to speak up for my students. I am excited to become knowledgeable about special education regulations, acquire all the resources I need to speak up for my students, and teach parents how to be effective advocates for their kids.”
Jennifer Johnston, who teaches English language arts to ESE students in fifth through eighth grades, says she was grateful to be chosen for this program to continue her education at no cost to her.
“I have enjoyed learning more about the history of special education, and I look forward to learning more,” Johnston says. “This opportunity means that I will become more knowledgeable in my field and have the credentials to be looked at as an expert. I look forward to growing and opening my mindset to better serve the students I work with.”
Elizabeth Dooley
Elizabeth Dooley is a professor of exceptional student education in the UCF School of Teacher Educationand serves as the primary investigator for Project Next-Gen SET. She also serves as the academic program director for the teaching, learning and development track in the education doctoral program. She has over 35 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and administrator, and also serving in executive leadership positions at West Virginia University and the University of Central Florida. In partnership with colleagues, she has secured over $3 million in funding to support, in service teacher preparation, student success and university-community partnerships.
Ashley Grays ’24PhD
Ashley Grays is a postdoctoral scholar in exceptional student education. She received her doctoral degree in exceptional student education from UCF. With over 15 years of experience in early childhood education, Grays explores innovative strategies and evidence-based interventions to reduce educational disparities for marginalized children.
