NAU Awarded $3 Million Federal Grant to Fund Two Yuma-Based Degree Programs in Special Education
Northern Arizona University has been awarded a five-year $3 million grant to prepare teachers in Yuma for certification in special education at the undergraduate and graduate levels including an ESL endorsement. The Bilingual ESL Special-Education Teacher-Education (BEST) project will fund 22 participants in the Master’s Degree in Special Education with certification and 44 participants in the Bachelor’s Degree in both Special Education and Elementary Education (dual certification). The goal is to improve classroom instruction for English Language Learners by preparing teachers to be certified in elementary and special education with an ESL endorsement. Grant funding for these in-person programs will cover the cost of tuition, fees, and textbooks for each participant. The first cohort for each degree program will begin January 2022. Contact Dr. Russell Prust (russell.prust@nau.edu) for additional information. For applications, contact Judith Ulrich (judith.ulrich@nau.edu).