Contact: Sammy McDavid
Mississippi State officials again are announcing the availability of a scholarship program to help teachers obtain special education certification.
May 29 is the deadline to enroll for the 2000 summer semester of "Project Response," which began last year with a $600,000 U.S. Department of Education grant to the university's department of curriculum and instruction.
Mississippi Valley State University and the University of Mississippi are cooperating in the three-year program that involves the delivery of required courses via the statewide Mississippi Star Schools Network.
The program is designed for teachers now employed on emergency certificates who wish to complete the special education endorsement but have difficulty accessing the courses they need. It addresses the situation by making courses available at locations near where teachers live and paying tuition for the 18 semester hours needed for certification in mild and moderate disabilities.
In addition to classes, summer fieldwork is required of all program participants. Fieldwork experiences are available at MSU, Mississippi Valley and Ole Miss.
Certification obtained through the program is only temporary, however. Teachers desiring to remain in special education must complete additional course work to be fully certified.
Professors John Obringer and G. Franklin Elrod are Project Response leaders. Obringer is principal investigator, while Elrod is field coordinator.
For additional information or to request application packets, contact the project office by telephone at (662) 325-0815 or fax at 325-7857.