UIC to launch new bachelor’s program in inclusive and special education

Starting this fall, the UIC College of Education will offer a new bachelor's degree to prepare teachers who will specialize in inclusive and special education.

Building on its foundation of graduate and doctoral programs, the college's special education department designed the new program to prepare educators to teach students with disabilities in under-resourced communities in Chicago and across Illinois.

The curriculum meets Illinois State Board of Education requirements for the Professional Educator License with an endorsement in Learning Behavior Specialist 1 Special Education. Teachers with this license are qualified to teach students from ages 5 to 22 with a wide range of disabilities. In this program, the UIC students will learn to:

• Assess and teach students with disabilities in general education and other settings.
• Monitor students' academic, behavioral and social-emotional skills.
• Use collaborative models and strategies in schools and classrooms.
• Advocate for and teach students self-determination skills.
• Support and work alongside families, organizations and agencies to streamline students' transitions across grades and into adulthood.

"The critical shortage of licensed special education teachers in the U.S. has persisted for decades," said Kathryn Chval, dean of the College of Education. "This new program has been designed to address this need and provide the highest-quality teachers to communities that need them most. Families and communities deserve licensed teachers who have extensive training related to teaching their children so they thrive."

The need is clear: Nationally, approximately 7.5 million students receive disability-related education services, based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Yet, the Learning Policy Institute found that 45 states - including Illinois - face shortages of special education teachers.

"Teachers who teach children with disabilities require unique and extensive training," Chval said. "It's not just about a lack of teachers. It's about a lack of teachers with specialized expertise."

"Our goal is to advance hope and justice for students with disabilities, especially those in under-resourced schools," said Lisa Cushing, chair of the Special Education Department.

"As most students with disabilities interact with their peers, it is essential to prepare our graduates with strategies to enhance academic, social and behavioral skills," she said. "Graduates will gain the knowledge and skills to collaborate with school staff, families and community agencies, and to teach students across disability categories, grade levels and settings."

Interested applicants can learn more by attending an upcoming information session, or by emailing [email protected]. The next information session will be held Jan. 22.