Rutgers University was awarded a five-year, $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help forge the next generation of special education leaders. Rutgers will lead the project – called Preparation of Administrators in Special Education, or PASE – in partnership with the University of South Carolina (USC) and Northern Arizona University (NAU). Training is anticipated to begin in January 2026.
The PASE program will prepare experienced special education teachers to become qualified leaders who oversee special education services in districts, early-intervention programs, charter, private and parochial school networks, and state education agencies. The program will recruit and select doctoral students from certified special education teachers who have at least three years of full-time experience working with students with disabilities. PASE is designed to prepare them for leadership roles in special education administration.
Because of a shortage of special education teachers, many states allow individuals to fill special education administrative positions without holding a special education certificate. This can lead to gaps in understanding the laws, policies and practices that protect students with disabilities. PASE addresses this problem by ensuring that future district level special education directors and supervisors have both strong backgrounds in special education and extensive administrative training and experience, improving the quality and consistency of support for students with disabilities. To read the full story.