Educational Psychology
Prof writes guide to surviving grad school
School of Education, Health, and Society
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Leah Wasburn-Moses signs books at Council for Exceptional Children meeting.
4/15/09
Miami University assistant professor Leah Wasburn-Moses is author of Surviving Graduate Study in Special Education: An Insider’s Guide, published March 2009 by the Council for Exceptional Children. Wasburn-Moses teaches special education in Miami’s department of educational psychology. Editor of the book is Lee Sherry, associate professor and chair of the department of special education and child development at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The book is a guide for those considering a graduate degree in special education. Some of the topics addressed include: how to find funding, what elements to focus on to ensure success, how to find the right program and how to identify and avoid common obstacles that plague students.
Wasburn-Moses’ research focuses on how to improve the preparation of special education teachers, who often “fly under the radar” and have departure rates among the worst in the teaching profession, she says. She is investigating the levels of mentoring of special education teachers, which appears to have a direct impact on both teacher quality and teacher retention and comparing that to what general teachers receive.
She was named one of five finalists in the recent National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) research competition for her project, “Rethinking Mentoring: Comparing Policy and Practice in Special and General Education.”
Wasburn-Moses joined Miami’s faculty in 2005. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University and a doctorate from Michigan State University. She served as a high school special education teacher from 1997 to 2001.