St. Davids, PA: Eastern University’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences is thrilled to receive over $96,000 in grant funding to partner with the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) to provide educators with emergency certification in Special Education. Eastern’s accelerated academic program offers robust summer field experiences and strong mentoring opportunities.
“Our overarching goal,” Dean Susan Edgar-Smith comments, “is to increase the number of certified special educators – an area of tremendous shortages and great need in Pennsylvania.”
This grant is the second of two awards Eastern University received this year that support and promote the special educator pipeline.
Dr. Nicole McKeown, Chair of Eastern’s Special Education program, shares, “I am looking forward to working with the CCIU to strengthen the clinical experiences of emergency certified teachers to better prepare special educators for the classroom.”
Eastern will use the expertise of professionals from the university, the CCIU, and surrounding school districts to provide an accelerated pathway using current teaching experiences and assignments geared toward immediate application.
“We are excited to offer an extensive tuition discount to the grant program students,” shares Kent Sparks, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “These funds will cover program and tuition costs, ensuring an affordable and accelerated time frame to complete the certification program.”
About Eastern University
Eastern University is a Christian university enrolling approximately 5,900 students in its undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. The university’s main campus is located in St. Davids, PA, with additional locations in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and online. Eastern’s core values of faith, reason, and justice are woven into all of its educational programs. For more information visit eastern.edu or contact Ally Rosario, Director of Marketing & Communications: ally.rosario@eastern.edu.