Dr. Peterson-Ahmad plans to use the two course releases and $1,000 that come with the professorship to help smooth the transition from student to teacher.

“After our students graduate, they may not get as much support and specific feedback on specific teaching strategies or practices as they had while in the program,” she says.

That’s what this project is about. Each month, the new teachers will be observed and videotaped while working in the classroom. Then, I’ll meet with the new teacher so we can watch the video together, discuss what we saw, and set goals for the next month. This cycle will repeat throughout the entire school year.”

So far, Dr. Peterson-Ahmad is working with two first-year teachers from the M.S.Ed. in Special Education program: Josh Wolf, a 2019 graduate, and Renee Ward, a (planned) 2020 graduate.