A $1.25M grant recently was awarded to the University of St. Thomas for their Preparation of Special Education Leaders program, a partnership with the Houston Independent School District that over a 5-year grant period will award 80 Master of Education degrees with emphasis on Special Education leadership. Currently, 7.8 percent of the HISD school population receives special education services.

“We are thrilled to partner with the University of St. Thomas on this initiative that will help Houston’s schools better serve students in our special education program,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said.  “In HISD, we believe that all students deserve to attend schools that are run by highly effective campus leaders, and that is especially true for students with special needs.”

At the end of the program, master’s students are required to complete a practicum course to give them opportunities to apply what they have learned. A required service project connects students to types of work they can engage in after graduation. For every year the student receives a scholarship from the grant, he or she is required to give two years of service in a special education leadership role.

For more information, please visit  the University of St. Thomas’ website .