A University of Vermont team has received a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs to train special educators who help students with disabilities prepare for life after high school.
The five-year Project STEPS initiative, led by Kristabel Stark and Shana Haines, will provide scholarships for 27 graduate students training to become licensed secondary special educators, according to UVM's Oct. 12 announcement. The work focuses on secondary special education and transition planning for students moving from high school to adult life.
Training combines online graduate coursework with a one-year, 600-hour student-teaching internship and a certificate focused on the transition after high school, leading to Vermont special-education licensure. Participants will also work with a network of education and disability-service partners.
Applications for student funding are expected to open in early 2027. UVM plans to support eight students with prior special-education experience in the first year; at least seven will be Vermonters.
Partners include Vermont's Agency of Education, the Vermont Family Network, HireAbility Vermont and Green Mountain Self-Advocates, along with school districts and UVM's Center on Disability and Community Inclusion.
Sources: CESS Team Awarded $1.25M to Support Students with Disabilities Entering Adulthood.