Interested applicants should contact Chris Lemons at lemons [at] pitt.edu for more information.

Final Slot Available for One Post-Doctoral Fellow Beginning January, 2012 for 20 Months

Vanderbilt University is inviting applications for post-doctoral fellows in the two year Postdoctoral Intervention Research Program in Special Education. Fellows will work closely with a faculty advisor in the Department of Special Education matched to their interests in intervention research and with Karen Harris, Project Director. The special education faculty at VU are nationally recognized as leaders in intervention research in special education (see Peabody’s special ed site for more information). Fellows are sought across the areas of Early Childhood, High Incidence (EBD/LD/ADHD and other struggling learners) and Severe Disabilities. Participating advisors include: Donald Compton, Stephen Elliott, Doug Fuchs, Lynn Fuchs, Steve Graham, Karen Harris, Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ann Kaiser, Erik Carter, Joseph Wehby, Mark Wolery, and Paul Yoder. Fellows will be prepared to make a difference in intervention research though (1) intensive mentoring by appropriate faculty members and the Project Director, (2) additional rigorous training in research methods and the science of learning beyond that received in their doctoral programs and tailored to their individual interests in intervention research, (3) concentrated experiences in one or more currently funded intervention research programs, (4) participation in an Intervention Research Reading Group that will allow intense study of critical works on intervention research, and (5) experience in writing IES research proposals, writing for publication, and presenting at research conferences. Upon completing this postdoctorate, fellows will have begun to build a programmatic line of research that will have significant impact on practice and the field of special education.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a doctoral degree in special education or related area, as well as experience with individuals with or at risk for disabilities. Assistant professors as well as recent doctoral graduates are encouraged to apply.

Applicants should send a letter of application indicating their areas of interest in intervention research and relevant work, CV, and a list of references to Karen Harris (Karen.Harris [at] Vanderbilt [dot] edu). U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required. Applications will be reviewed as received. Vanderbilt University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Members of under-represented minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary is $50,000 per year (the position is for 20 months only). This position begins in January, 2012 and concludes at the end of Summer semester, 2013.

Fellows will receive the postdoctoral health insurance, but no other benefits.

There is a fund of 15,000 for this fellow to cover computers, supplies, books, publications and other materials needed for research, plus conference travel.

Each fellow receives funding to cover a trip to DC for the IES postdocs awards meeting.

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2011 semester. The program does not lead to teacher certification.

More information can be found at Arizona’s Online Master’s Degree in Special Education

Webinar: Everything You Wanted to Know About Evidence-Based Practices (and Shouldn’t be Afraid to Ask)

On 8 March 2011, CEC and the Division for Research are co-hosting a webinar on evidence-based practices that DR has developed as a service to its members and to other university faculty and their graduate students. The webinar, presented by Bryan Cook, the new chair of CEC’s Committee on Evidence-Based Practices, explores what evidence-based practice means for researchers, teacher educators, practitioners and administrators, and how evidence-based practices differ from other practices that claim to be research-based. As with CEC/DR’s previous webinars, one registration can be used for a group, as long as the group is using one computer. All you need is an internet connection, a speaker phone, and a computer projector, and your entire group can participate in the webinar. After the webinar is over, you will receive your own copy of the webinar file, which you can keep to re-show to classes or other groups at your convenience. With the CEC member discount, each webinar registration costs only $89.00.

Click here to register online at the CEC web site.

Hosted in Collaboration with CEC’s Division for Research (CEC-DR) Anyone who goes to a conference, attends professional development, or even has a conversation about instruction is bombarded with the term “evidence-based practice.” Evidence-based practices represent the most recent, and perhaps most sophisticated, attempt to identify what works and what has the potential to meaningfully improve the educational outcomes of students with disabilities. But what exactly does evidence-based practice mean for practitioners? How are evidence-based practices different from “best practices” and “research-based practices”? Where can you find them? How should you select them? How can you use them? How can you evaluate them? This webinar will provide researchers, teacher educators, administrators, teachers, parents and other stakeholders with the answers to these and other questions related to evidence-based practices for students with disabilities.

DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, 8 March 2011, 4:00-5:00 PM Eastern time (-5 hours GMT)

PRESENTER: Bryan Cook, University of Hawaii
Bryan Cook is a professor of special education at the University of Hawaii. He received his PhD in special education from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1997. One of his primary areas of research interest is evidence-based practices—how they are identified as well as issues related to their adoption and maintenance. Dr. Cook has published broadly on the topic, serving as lead guest editor, for example, for recent special issues related to evidence-based practices in special education in Intervention in School & Clinic (2008), Exceptional Children (2009), and Intervention in School & Clinic (2010). He is currently president-elect of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Research (CEC-DR) and chairs CEC’s Evidence-based Practice Workgroup. He is also the previous recipient of CEC-DR’s Distinguished Early Career Research Award.

Here’s that link again: Click here to go to the registration for this excellent webinar

For more information on the program, including how to apply for the scholarships, contact Raimondi at Raimondi [at] buffalo [dot] edu or call 716-645-5042. Students from culturally and linguistically diverse populations, as well as individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.

The VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development is seeking up to four post-doctoral scholars (full-time) to collaborate on a large-scale community-based intervention project. The Institute is a National Academic Center of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Institute is housed in the VCU Department of Psychology, but faculty, staff, and students from the School of Education, Department of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Government & Public Affairs, and Department of Psychiatry, are also represented. The Institute’s mission is to empower youth, schools, families, and other stakeholders to promote the healthy, safe, and otherwise positive development of youth from early adolescence through emerging adulthood. Faculty within the Institute are engaged in a variety of research projects representing both applied research (e.g., risk and protective factors associated with youth violence) and development and evaluation of preventive interventions in school and community settings. Additional information regarding the Institute is available on our website (www.clarkhill.vcu.edu).

Post-doctoral fellows will work on a research project to develop and evaluate a comprehensive youth violence prevention strategy at the community level with (a) school-based universal and selective interventions for middle school youth, (b) a community intervention designed to provide high quality youth development programs and resources for 10-to-20 year old youth in high-risk neighborhoods within the community, and (c) a selective family intervention for high-risk youth aged 11-to-17. Fellows will provide support in intervention development and implementation, community-academic relationship building, data collection, data analysis, and writing manuscripts. Fellows will also develop and submit a grant proposal and participate in mentoring activities. Although fellows will have opportunities to participate in multiple aspects of this project and to collaborate with multiple researchers within the Institute, each fellow will also be given a primary assignment to one of the following core areas: the Evaluation Core led by Dr. Albert Farrell, the Community Intervention Core led by Dr. Kevin Allison, the Family Intervention core led by Dr. Rosalie Corona, and the School Intervention Core led by Dr. Terri Sullivan. Applicants interested in the Evaluation Core will be expected to have a background in evaluation research and advanced quantitative methods. Applicants interested in the community intervention core will be expected to have experience working with youth-serving organizations in urban neighborhoods. Applicants interested in the family intervention core will be expected to have clinical training and fluency in Spanish is desirable. Applicants interested in the School Intervention Core will be expected to have experience working with teachers and students in school settings.

Qualified candidates will have earned a doctorate in Psychology, Education, Social Work, Public Health or other relevant discipline by the time of appointment. Expertise in quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis, strong written and oral communication skills, and strong organizational and interpersonal skills are required. The position offers a competitive salary plus health benefits. Initial appointment will be for one year with funding for a second year dependent on available funds and performance review.

We anticipate that appointments will begin in June, 2011, with some flexibility for starting earlier or later – though no later than September, 2011. Applicants should send a cover letter including a statement of career goals and degree of interest in one or more of the core areas, CV, a writing sample and three letters of recommendation to Albert D. Farrell. Ph.D., Director, Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development, Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 842018, Richmond, VA 23284. Address email inquiries to afarrell _at_ vcu.edu or kallison _at_ vcu.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the positions are filled.

Canada’s Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are part of a long-term investment for developing science and technology leadership for the future. The awards, prestigious two-year fellowships worth $70,000 per year, are open to both Canadian and international researchers who have recently completed a Ph.D., Ph.D.-equivalent, or health-professional degree.

Professor Savage welcomes expressions of interest followed by applications for research on basic and applied research on reading and spelling development. Note that the internal deadline for these applications and letters of support is 10 October 2010.

Read more about the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships and contact Professor Savage at robert [dot] savage [at] mcgill [dot] ca.

These early-career visiting faculty positions are designed to provide recent doctoral program graduates with a “post-doctoral” experience with an emphasis on teacher education knowledge and skills development and related research and writing with KU faculty, staff, and students. Positions may be renewed for a second year based on Department need and VAP performance.

Contact: chrisswt_at_ku_dot_edu

Chriss Walther-Thomas, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Special Education
University of Kansas