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.