The Wyoming Collaborative Mentorship Academy: A Field-based Program for Certifying Fully Qualified Special Education Teachers in a Rural State

Abstract

The purpose of Wyoming Collaborative Mentorship Academy (WCMA) is to provide school districts in Wyoming with an alternative route to certification for teachers who are currently teaching out of field in special education. The WCMA is a program designed to meet the needs of the students with disabilities in the state by providing a program which will increase the number of highly qualified and certified special educators, trained mentors, and administrators.

Technology-Mediated Consultation to Assist Rural Students: A Case Study

“…In health fields, for example, "telehealth" technologies have been embraced for multiple purposes such as sharing of medical records and linking specialists with other health practitioners in order to offer services in areas where access to health care is limited (University of Alaska Statewide Health Program, 2004). In special education, distance education that incorporates various technologies is well accepted and its use documented in personnel preparation programs (e.g., Gruenhagen, McCracken, & True, 1999;Ludlow & Spooner, 2001;Simpson, Yocum, and Blum, 2005). In general education, practices such as videoconferencing are employed to permit face-to-face communication in meetings of administrators at various locations and for students' uses such as "virtual classroom" field trips (Texas Education Agency 'Region 10' Education Service Areas Case Study, n.d.).…”