Texas Border Business
PHARR – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) is among several school districts in the Rio Grande Valley set to collaborate with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) on an initiative to grow leaders in special education administration.
The initiative titled, Project PLEASE (Program for Leaders to Educate and Advocate for Special Education) is possible thanks to a 5-year grant awarded to UTRGV. The initiative will prepare and train 14 district special education educators from the Rio Grande Valley to administer special education and/or early intervention programs at their school districts.
As part of Project PLEASE, the participating districts will make recommendations on candidates, who will then apply through the UTRGV Graduate Program and follow their admission process. These key educators selected will have the opportunity to earn a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Special Education. Students will have their tuition and fees paid, will receive a laptop, and have the opportunity to participate in professional conferences.
“This will have a positive impact on our students because our educators will receive advance training and share it with the rest of our teachers,” said PSJA Special Education Director Margarita Aguirre. “The educators selected could be the future leaders of our department.”
Educators selected in Project PLEASE will complete 18 to 20 hours of special education and administration training. According to a UTRGV release, the curriculum in the program will contain practical experiences, such as evaluations of a school district’s special education program; internships in a disability rights organization; and participation in Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings to determine student eligibility for special education.
“We are honored to collaborate with UTRGV on this initiative that will have a tremendous impact on our students and families,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo. “Our PSJA Special Education Department is already a model for education in the Rio Grande Valley and this opportunity will help us further strengthen our program.”
The grant cycle for Project PLEASE started Nov. 1 and will run until Dec. 31, 2024. The cohort will be selected in February 2020, and the program will start in Summer 2020.
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