Project CU-PRIDES
Preparing Resilient, Inclusively Diverse, Competent Educators (CU-PRIDES) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Services. The project prepares diverse special education personnel attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with competencies derived from scientifically and evidence-based research practices to serve children with disabilities.
The U.S. is facing a growing demand for licensed educators, particularly in special education. South Carolina ranks among the top 10 states struggling with teacher recruitment and retention. According to the CERRA Survey for the 2023-24 school year, there was a 9% increase in vacancies, with special education positions being more available than any other subject.
With more than 50% of students from minority backgrounds receiving special education services, only 18% of special education teachers are people of color. Recent NAEP data highlights significant disparities, with Black students with disabilities performing notably lower than their white peers across all academic areas.
Research also indicates that students of color tend to perform better and have fewer disciplinary issues when taught by teachers who share their racial or ethnic background, underscoring the need to diversify the teaching workforce.
Additionally, research shows that the performance of children can drop by 8% when taught by teachers experiencing high levels of stress and burnout. Many special education teachers are leaving the profession due to increased mental health challenges, which negatively affects student outcomes.
The CERRA report also points to a decline in the number of scholars graduating from South Carolina public and private teacher preparation programs who are fully credentialed to teach in the state. Among the seven HBCUs in South Carolina, only one offers a special education preparation program, limiting the number of scholars of color entering the field.
Primary Goal of Project CU-PRIDES
To address the shortage of highly qualified teachers of color and improve teacher retention by supporting mental health, Claflin proposes a Special Education Graduate Degree Online Program, the M.A.T. in Special Education — Multi-categorical Area.
This initiative aims to prepare racially diverse, highly qualified, and resilient special education personnel fully credentialed in the multicategorical area to serve students with mild/moderate disabilities, particularly students of color. The project will provide high-quality teacher preparation through comprehensive coursework, clinical practice experience, seminars, and mental health training.
For More Information
Please contact:
Friggita Johnson, Ph.D.
frijohnson@claflin.edu
Demeturia Kelly, Ph.D.
dekelly@claflin.edu