Doctoral Program (Ed.D.) Deaf Studies/Deaf Education

Lamar University

LU

• Part of Texas state university system• Regional university• Located 90 miles east of Houston• Near Texas Gulf coast• Population 110,000• 10,000 LU enrollment

– Doctoral programs in Engineering, Educational Leadership and Deaf Education

• 30% minority enrollment• Largest producer of minority teachers in Texas• Largest producer of Deaf and minority-Deaf

teachers in Texas

Doctoral program in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education

• Established in 1994 by Texas legislature

• 2 tenure track positions added in 1994

• Today, faculty of 5 tenure track

• Today, 2 tenure track openings

since 1994... scholar-practitioner-advocate

model (IHEP, 2007; Wenger, 1998)

1. based on Model Institutions for Excellence (MIH): A model of success developed by Institute for higher education policy (IHEP, 2007), developed by NSF and NASA to increase racial and ethnic minorities in science fields working with minority institutions

• LU has adapted these strategies, impacts and lessons learned

2. Model based on Wenger’s (1998) “community of practice”• LU has invited experts to campus to lecture and serve

on dissertation committees (n = 20 over 14 yrs.)

Policy context: quantity, quality & diversity

• Our future DEPENDS UPON…diversity of the workforceTHUS,– We have strong connections

with Deaf history and Deaf/disabilities civil rights struggle that permeates the culture and curricula at LU

LU strategies (adapted MIH)

• Recruitment efforts– Pipeline univ in state (SFA, UT, UNT, TWU and out of

state: CSUN, McDaniel, GU)– Community college level (recruit undergrads to deaf

ed field)

• Student support– DOE, NSF, NEA funding– tutoring, mentoring

• Faculty Support– Funding research, travel to conferences, professional

development

• Curriculum development (evolving)

LU strategies

• Physical Infrastructure– Designing space for students to meet and study– Designing dormitory “Deaf friendly” – Renovation ASL lab, computer labs

• Graduate Initiatives– Network with national deaf education experts– Present at conferences– Encourage participation on boards, officers in Deaf

organizations, minority-Deaf organizations, professional organizations

– Help publish in journals, book chapters– Assist in finding jobs

Impacts in Nation in Leadership Training

1. GRADUATES:– 20 graduates (as of Dec. 2007).

– Employed: New Mexico State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Utah State University, CSUN, Danville Community College, WVA, Emporia State Univ in Arkansas, Univ California-Sacramento, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, Lamar University, Austin Community College, North Harris Community College, University of Puerto Rico, King Fausal University in Saudia Arabia.

Impacts in Leadership Training in Residential Schools

• Alabama School for Deaf– 4 administrators/teachers completed 60 hours

of coursework– Distance learning, online and summers at LU

• Texas School for Deaf– 1 teacher at Texas School for the Deaf

enrolled in program

• Planning new cohort for South Carolina School for the Deaf

Impacts in Leadership Training in Public Schools (self-contained &

inclusive settings

• 2 doc candidates in Houston public schools

• 1 in Dallas charter school

• 1 in Del Rio public school

Impact in Leadership Training in Community Colleges

• About half of nation’s students of color start their professional education at community college (US Dept of Education, 2005)

• 3 doc candidates at TX community colleges• Teach undergraduate deaf students and hearing

students in interpreter training• Feeder system for our masters program and

potentially our doctoral programs in careers in deaf education

• An untapped resource!

Lessons Learned… the importance of…

• Evolving curriculum (changing to reflect research)

• Invite deafness experts to campus to challenge the status quo

• Deaf-hearing collaborative teams

• Constant improvement of support services

• Participation in professional and advocacy organizations

LU program

• 60 credit hours

• + dissertation

• 10 courses = core in deaf ed

• 3 courses in educational research & statistics

• 5 courses = cognate (minor)

• 2 courses = electives

Core areas

• Deaf history• ASL literature• Cognition, socio-emotional development• Curriculum, learning theories, school placements• Forensics, law• Multicultural Education• Ethics• Bilingualism (theories, practice, assessment)• Administration• Auditory technologies including Cochlear Implantation,

Digital hearing aids, assistive listening devices• Visual technologies: multimedia, LCDs, web-based

courses, computer technologies, etc.• Proposal writing, grantsmanship

Research and Statistics

• Statistics

• Research Design

• Quantitative Research

• Qualitative Research

Cognate/elective areas

• Educational leadership• Administration• Bilingual education• Educational technology• Gifted education• Special education• Speech pathology• audiology

Exciting opportunities to collaborate

• Deaf Education + Audiology/Speech Language Pathology– Psycholinguistic seminar in ASL

language acquisition and speech acquisition

– Au.D. doctoral candidates take class with Deaf Education doc students

– Summer reading clinic for deaf children with cochlear implants

– Assessments of hard of hearing youth in public schools

– Assessments of special populations (ie. Down Syndrome children)

Exciting opportunities to collaborate

• Deaf Education + Chemistry– Funded 2 times by National Science

Foundation– Create multimedia science materials in ASL,

Spanish and English– Funded 2 doctoral dissertations in Deaf Ed– Funded 1 masters degree thesis in

Chemistry Science Education

Exciting opportunities to collaborate

• Deaf Education + Criminal Justice + Forensic Psychology– Funded by Research Enhancement Grant (Lamar

program)– Translated Conroe, TX prison handbook in Contact

Signing and ASL– Investigated readability of Miranda Warning– Readability studies on legal documents– Resulted in publications for faculty and students– Field trips to Huntsville State prison– Funded one dissertation for doc student

Exciting opportunities to

collaborate

• Deaf Education + Art Dept– NEA funded Deaf Artists Exhibit

(April, 2008– Art students and Deaf students

host art exhibit– Jointly create DVD on Deaf

artists lives and art work– To be distributed to

schools/programs for the deaf.– Au.D. doctoral candidates take

class with Deaf Education doc students