Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education Fellowship (CILSE) Program

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Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education Fellowship Program at Kennedy Krieger Institute Training Future Leaders in Education Kennedy Krieger Institute is an internationally recognized institution dedicated to transforming the lives of children with disorders of the brain through groundbreaking research, innovative treatments and life-changing education. As an awardwinning, nationally recognized leader in special education, the Institute provides innovative models of education for children with a wide range of learning, emotional, physical, neurological and developmental disabilities. An essential component of fostering the success of children is ensuring that excellence of care extends to the school setting. Successful implementation of special education services requires highly-trained individuals who can understand and interpret special education legislation, promote best practices in learning and teaching, critically examine translational research and proposed interventions, and promote practices that positively influence pro-social behavior. To meet this need, Kennedy Krieger’s Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education (CILSE) offers a one-year, fulltime fellowship training program designed to develop leaders in special education who will conduct the translational work needed to bridge the divide between clinicians, researchers and schools.

Fellowship Overview & Structure The center provides fellows with a full-time, one-year immersive training experience. For the first six months of the fellowship program, fellows receive in-depth, concurrent training via four core content areas: 1.) the neuroscience of learning and the learner, 2.) principles of behavior change, 3.) knowledge acquisition and evidence-based practice, and 4.) principles of leadership, law and management. Each core area uses intensive didactics, mentoring, supervision, and clinical and field observations to impart invaluable information. Fellows also receive ongoing mentorship from co-directors Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick and Dr. Lisa Jacobson through weekly meetings. The second half of the fellowship involves a field placement internship within a public school setting. Throughout the internship phase of the fellowship, fellows put into practice what they learned during the training portion of the program. Each fellow is overseen by a senior site supervisor, and is concurrently mentored by Dr. Grasmick via a weekly seminar. Fellows may also complete Maryland’s Administrator I certification requirements via coursework at Towson University.

We are all born with great potential. Shouldn’t we all have the chance to achieve it?

Core Content Areas To give fellows the critical experiences they need to become leaders in the fields of special education and neurodevelopmental disabilities, the fellowship program is structured to include in-depth experiences in four core content areas: Neuroscience of Learning and the Learner: Emphasizes the breadth of the spectrum of neurodevelopmental learning disorders, from mild to severe, with exposure to a broad range of conditions, both acquired and congenital. Activities include participation in clinical rounds and observation of clinical care activities. Principles of Behavior Change: Provides exposure to principles of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) as they are applied to ameliorating behavior problems in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Activities include supervised experiences in both inpatient and outpatient settings at Kennedy Krieger. Knowledge Acquisition and Evidence-Based Practice: Prepares fellows to develop, acquire, translate and use scientific evidence in the design and implementation of instruction for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Activities include training in the basic principles of research design and the methods of scientific literature review. Leadership, Law and Management Principles: Offers training in educational law, financial and administrative leadership, funding of special education services, evaluating programs and the cost-effectiveness of services, and management and appropriation of resources.


Outreach and Research Opportunities Fellowship training includes research collaboration, school consultation, manuscript review, manuscript and grant preparation, and professional presentations at regional, national and international meetings. Additionally, all fellows are afforded the opportunity to teach an undergraduate section of Introduction to Special Education at Towson University. (The course is the only special education course required of all Towson education majors.)

Program Leadership Co-Director Nancy S. Grasmick, PhD: Dr. Grasmick is the nation’s longest-serving state education chief and Maryland’s first female superintendent of schools. Under her leadership, the state of Maryland received one of the federal government’s coveted Race to the Top education grants, worth up to $250 million, to continue building upon a solid record of school reform. Additionally, Education Week ranked Maryland’s public school system first in the nation three years in a row during Dr. Grasmick’s tenure. Dr. Grasmick has received numerous awards for her visionary leadership, including the national Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. The College Board has awarded her the national William U. Harris Award of Excellence, the National Art Education Association has honored her with the Distinguished Service Outside the Profession Award, and she has been inducted into The Daily Record’s Circle of Influence, with the newspaper recognizing her as a “Most Influential Marylander.” Dr. Grasmick was also selected as Towson University’s first Presidential Scholar for Innovation in Teacher and Leader Preparation. Co-Director Lisa Jacobson, PhD, NCSP, ABPP: Dr. Jacobson is a licensed psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist at Kennedy Krieger’s Neuropsychology Department. She also holds an appointment as an assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Before her role at Kennedy Krieger, Dr. Jacobson worked as a school psychologist.

Dr. Jacobson’s broad research interests include examining cognitive and behavioral aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically related to brain-behavior relationships involving attention and executive functions. She is interested in characterizing how children’s developing executive functions interact with developmental contexts at home and school to influence brain development and neurobehavioral functioning.

Faculty All core training faculty members have extensive experience working in the broad field of neurodevelopmental disabilities and education, ranging from laboratory to clinical to educational settings. Our multidisciplinary core faculty includes members who hold academic appointments at The Johns Hopkins University’s schools of Medicine, Public Health, Education, and Arts and Sciences, and at Towson University.

Who Should Apply? The fellowship program is designed for experienced teachers with master’s degrees in education, as well as for leaders in related disciplines (e.g., school psychology and speech-language pathology) within school systems. Most graduates of the fellowship program are expected to return to the public school system; however, graduates will obtain skills (e.g., leadership and teacher education) that may lead to university, research, policymaking or technology development positions.

Application Timeline Applications due: March 1 Fellowship begins: July 1 For more information about the fellowship and application guidelines, please visit KennedyKrieger.org/SpecialEducationFellowship or call 443-923-9252.

Kennedy Krieger Institute recognizes and respects the rights of patients and their families and treats them with courtesy and dignity. Kennedy Krieger Institute provides care that preserves cultural, psychosocial, spiritual and personal values, beliefs and preferences. Care is free from discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression, including transgender. We encourage patients and families to become active partners in their care by asking questions, seeking resources and advocating for the services and support they need. © 2018 Kennedy Krieger Institute 1/2018

Learn More. Get Involved. Stay Connected. Visit KennedyKrieger.org/Connect.


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