Research & Projects

The Special Education Department has obtained federal grant funding designed to increase the number of highly qualified special education teachers and school counselors who are prepared to meet the educational needs of the diverse student population of the Southern California region.

The grants provide scholarship support to students pursuing a Preliminary or Clear Education Specialist special education teaching credential, or an M.A. in Special Education at San Diego State University.

Each grant focuses on cultural and linguistic diversity as well as an additional specialized emphasis. Each grant provides significant scholarship support to students who are admitted to the grant cohort. 

Grant Funded Projects with Student Scholarships

  • Project PARTNERS Is an initiative that supports doctoral students specializing in special education at SDSU and partner universities strategically chosen to address leadership needs in urban and rural communities. SDSU’s Ed.D. program in educational leadership prepares school principals, district superintendents, and other administrators. Collaborating with Ph.D. students at partner institutions, the program seeks to create a nationwide network of future university and school leaders committed to enhancing educational opportunities for students with disabilities.
  • Project PERSPECTIVES San Diego State University offers two pathways aspiring early childhood special education teacher candidates with full financial support: a bachelor's degree and preliminary teaching credential in just four years through the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), or a one-year post-bachelor credential program. Project PERSPECTIVES supports students every step of the way.
  • Project SPLASH! addresses the critical shortage of special education teachers in high-need San Diego County districts through a collaborative effort involving SDSU and local school districts. The program recruits and prepares community-based candidates for the Educational Specialist Instructional Credential, emphasizing culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. This initiative seeks to enhance educational equity for students with disabilities and strengthen the capacity of local educational systems.

Grants for Program Development and Enhancement

  • Project Oceanside Is a five-year initiative funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. The federal grant supports the development of a new dual credential program that is committed to increasing the number of dual-credentialed educators. Through this initiative, it will develop a new teacher preparation program at SDSU for candidates to receive their preliminary teaching credentials in both the Multiple Subject (general education) and Education Specialist (special education).

Grants to Strengthen Partnership with Districts, Agencies, and Community Colleges

  • CAPTAIN San Diego/Imperial Counties The California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) is a cross-agency network developed to support the understanding and use of evidence-based practices for individuals with autism spectrum disorder across the state of California. CAPTAIN San Diego/ Imperial Counties is the regional branch of the statewide organization.
  • Project PIPELINES (Preparing Intervention Personnel as Early LearnIng Navigators using Evidence-based Strategies) provides professional development and support to community college faculty who are preparing early childhood educators so that they have the knowledge and skills to teach students enrolled in their courses how to maximize the potential of young children with disabilities, including dual language learners, and provide support to families living in the diverse communities served by the college. 
  • San Diego LEND The San Diego Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities program (San Diego LEND) is a unique, interdisciplinary leadership training program funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The San Diego LEND is administered through the UC San Diego Altman Clinical Translational Research Institute Dissemination and Implementation Science Center in collaboration with San Diego State University and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, and government and community agencies within San Diego and Imperial Counties. San Diego LEND is part of a national network of 60 LEND training programs. 

Funded Research Projects

  • CPRT Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching is a school-based intervention designed specifically to address the needs of autistic learners ages 3-10. An adaptation of Pivotal Response Training (PRT), it utilizes developmental and behavioral principles to get, maintain, and increase motivation for learning. Prior research has shown greater increases in student IEP goal attainment after teachers have learned CPRT compared to teachers who have not yet learned CPRT. Additionally, teachers report that they have more fun teaching and their students have more fun learning! The currently-funded research project aims to design web-based tools, including an interactive CPRT learning module and a data-based individualization tool, to further CPRT use and then compare teacher implementation and student goal acquisition between teachers who learn to use CPRT from a traditional, in-person workshop vs. the designed web-based tools.
  • Project Express is now recruiting middle schools to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of two programs designed for groups of 2 to 8 autistic middle school students: PEERS and UnStuck and OnTarget. For more information contact Laura Hall at [email protected] 

Past Projects - Archive

Learn about past projects of the Department of Special Education.