The Augsburg University Education Department invites applications for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track position beginning in August 2022. A successful candidate will have opportunities to teach and develop Special Education courses across Augsburg’s various education programs. The Education Department invites candidates to apply that are particularly poised to dismantle the institutionalized forms of bias and racism within the field. Follow the link below to learn more about and apply for the position.

Application for Augsburg University Assistant Professor of Special Education Tenure-Track Position

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The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is currently accepting applications for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship within the Department of Special Education. Successful postdocs in the Bridge to the Faculty program, with department approval, will have the opportunity to transition to Tenure-Track Assistant Professor position at UIC starting in the 2023-2024 academic year. Learn more and apply here: https://jobs.uic.edu/job-board/job-details?jobID=139521&job=post-doctoral-research-associate-bridge-to-faculty-scholars-program-special-education

Paulina Whitehat

Yá’át’ééh! (Hello!) I am Diné and I grew up on the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona. I am a fourth year doctoral student/candidate in the Special Education program. I graduated from Arizona State University (B.A.), Northern Arizona University (M.Ed.), and Penn State (M.Ed.) and gained more than 15 years of teaching and school leadership experience in indigenous and diverse communities in Arizona and South Dakota. I taught elementary-age students and English language learners with/without disabilities. I provided intense literacy instruction in a MTSS/RtI and identified students eligible for special education services. I coordinated out-of-school programs and district-level programming, contributed to state and district school curriculum, and advocated for students and families to improve educational outcomes for students from historically/current underrepresented and oppressed backgrounds.

I moved to Eugene in 2017 to attend the UO and love hiking, camping, traveling, and exploring the coast and the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest. I love how welcoming and generous the indigenous peoples of Oregon are to everyone. I love to carve, bake salmon, bead, harvest cedar, berries, and hazel sticks; make baskets, and exchange indigenous knowledge with them.

My work in indigenous communities sparked my research interest about the effects of trauma on students. My research is focused on developing and implementing effective, culturally responsive interventions to build capacity for trauma-informed instruction and practices in school systems and communities; redressing the effects of adverse events so that individuals have opportunities to experience academic, professional, and personal success and positively contribute to their community; and effecting educational policies and countering the effects of poverty and trauma (e.g., historical, generational, complex) experienced by indigenous and oppressed students.

My current research examines the role of stress on teacher burnout and stress reduction, especially as teachers transition to online teaching. I am interested in improving wellness and mental health for students and school staff in school settings. I am currently working on a study that is modifying a reflective practice to address secondary traumatic stress of teachers who work with students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

I plan to merge my experience with research activities, and apply and share this knowledge with educational stakeholders to positively engage staff and students in school and improve their wellness. I am committed to integrating anti-oppression and self-empowerment in my research and teaching practices to increase access, diversity, equity, inclusion, and opportunities for students who have been/are underrepresented and oppressed. Outside of school I spend time with my family and support my mother and indigenous communities by listening, taking action, and exchanging indigenous knowledge and wisdom.

Becky Crowe

I am a 4th year doctoral student/candidate in the Special Education program at the University of Oregon. I grew up in Maryland between Baltimore and D.C., graduated from the University of Maryland in 2007 (B.A) and 2011 (M.Ed.), and taught for 2 years in an inclusive 2nd grade classroom in Maryland, followed by 4 years in a self-contained classroom in Charlotte, NC. I moved to Eugene sight unseen in 2017 to attend UO and have thoroughly enjoyed hiking, camping, kayaking, and exploring the western side of the country.

I am interested in combining the science and technology of behavior analysis with person-centered communication interventions for individuals with complex communication needs and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). My current research examines the effectiveness of telehealth parent training to increase answering social communication questions on video calls by children who use speech generating devices.

I am also interested in interventions to increase the communication skills of multilingual/ multicultural individuals with complex communication needs and was running a study at the HEDCO clinic teaching language matching in English and Spanish to a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Covid-19 interrupted). Outside of my single case research design studies in AAC, I am also deeply committed to integrating antiracism and antiableism in my research and teaching practices, including in future work with teacher educators.

As an intersectional feminist who also identifies as a multiracial person, I am also interested in engaging with critical race theory, disability studies, queer studies, and indigenous feminist studies. I seek to meld these theories and ways of knowing with the research methodologies and tenets of special education to increase access, equity, and opportunities for individuals historically and currently underrepresented and oppressed.

Stephanie St. Joseph

Hello everyone!  My name is Stephanie St. Joseph and I am in my third year of the Special Education doctoral program. I have worked as a school psychologist for 12 years in New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina. My background includes substantial work with MTSS, special education law, data collection, crisis response, and students with autism spectrum disorder.

I am interested in researching how to improve wellness and mental health for students with autism, specifically in a school setting. I am currently working on a study that is modifying cognitive-behavioral therapy to address anxiety in children with autism. Additionally, I consult with a local school district on their Tier 2 and Tier 3 implementation of a PBIS framework.

Living in Oregon is a huge change from living on the east coast, but it is SO beautiful. I chose the University of Oregon because of its strong reputation in the field of special education, and because there are so many wonderful and influential people in the Special Education department. I am challenged everyday but have also received some spectacular opportunities.

Katie Alvarez

I am a 2nd year Special Education doctoral student at the University of Oregon. I am on the CO-LEAD grant and work with Dr. Wendy Machalicek, researching ways to better serve ethnically diverse children with autism. We also serve children and families in the community at the HEDCO Clinic and at the HART House.

I am interested in working with Hispanic/Latine children with autism. Specifically, I hope to develop a culturally adaptive form of intervention for Hispanic/Latine children with autism, considering that the majority of interventions are designed with only White children with autism in mind.

I attended Cornell College and earned my degree in Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience. After graduating, I worked as a Registered Behavior Technician and a Social Skills teacher in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prior to attending the University of Oregon, I worked at Michigan State University completing research with Dr. Joshua Plavnick, which focused on communication outcomes for children with autism. 

I love living in Eugene! My favorite thing to do in town is take my pup for a walk to the local boba shop and grab a quick treat. We also take lots of trips to the dog park, in addition to working outside at Vero Café. 

Fang Yu Lin

I am a 4th year Special Education doctoral student at the University of Oregon and specialize in early intervention. I am from Taiwan and lived in Austin, Texas for a period of time, before moving to Portland, Oregon with my family.

My current research focuses on early intervention service delivery. Presently, I am conducting a survey to investigate how early intervention programs have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health directives issued by local and state authorities. Following my current study, I plan to conduct a six-month research study in Taiwan and investigate how service delivery approaches link to social emotional development for young children.

The Special Education doctoral program at the University of Oregon is extremely organized, individualized, and supportive. I love working with my advisor and cohort of doctoral students!

Alexandra Newson

Alex is a 1st year doctoral student in Special Education and a recipient of Project CO-LEAD, which is an OSEP funded leadership grant focusing on autism, evidence-based practices, MTSS and collaboration across universities. Her current research interests include teacher preparation utilizing equitable, trauma-informed, culturally competent practices, the implementation of trauma-informed and neuro-affirming practices within MTSS, and facilitating collaboration between educators, service providers, and families to improve outcomes for students with autism.

Before beginning her doctoral studies, Alex received a Master of Science at the University of Oregon in Special Education with K-12 licensure under Project STEP—an OSEP funded personnel preparation grant focusing on low-incidence disabilities. She has her preliminary license in SPED K-12 for the state of Oregon and continues to find strength and joy in the students/families that she served.

Alex is hoping to work with Dr. Rhonda Nese on her federally funded ISLA project as well as other PBIS center research projects in the future. Currently, she is attending various research groups to better understand the opportunities available the University of Oregon.