Kennedy Krieger Institute Announces First-Of-Its-Kind Special Education Fellowship

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Kennedy Krieger Institute announces a new fellowship program designed to empower leaders in special education to develop effective teaching practices, learning methods, curricula and educational policies to optimize learning for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The fellowship will be housed in the Institute's Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education, newly formed under the direction of Dr. Nancy Grasmick, who joins Kennedy Krieger after a 20-year tenure as Maryland’s first female superintendent of schools.

Participants in the one-year, full-time fellowship will be exposed to Kennedy Krieger's nationally recognized and innovative models of education for children with intellectual disabilities, autism, brain injury or other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Through a mentored program including didactic learning, interdisciplinary clinical experiences, and immersion in cognitive and behavioral research and neuroscience, fellows will acquire skills in evidence-based best practices involving independent research, teach­ing, supervision, advocacy, law and translation of neuroscience and behavioral principles to the classroom.

"Kennedy Krieger's researchers and medical experts have made advances in neuroscience and brain imaging that offer us a greater understanding of memory, executive functions, language development, motor skills and brain-behavior relationships than we've ever had before," said Nancy Grasmick, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education at Kennedy Krieger Institute. "For the first time, this fellowship will give educators the unique opportunity to learn evidence-based approaches in real world settings that will combine special education best practices with research in brain development and behavioral science."

The Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education is accepting applications for its first class of fellows until March 1, 2013. Teachers and administrators, including superintendents and assistant superintendents, as well as leaders within related disciplines, such as school psychology and speech/language pathology, are invited to apply. Graduates will receive the Administrator I certification through the Maryland State Department of Education and Towson University. To learn more about the fellowship and how to apply, visit http://www.kennedykrieger.org/specialeducationfellowship.

About the Kennedy Krieger Institute

Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD serves more than 19,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and school-based programs.  Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental concerns mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop while pioneering new interventions and earlier diagnosis.  For more information on Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.

Media Contact:

Elise Welker
(443) 923-7330
welker@kennedykrieger.org