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On most weekdays, Jacqueline聽Rodriguez 麻豆精品 S�13PhD, works from聽her home in the Boston area. She聽can play soft music while fielding phone聽calls from Washington, D.C., and chatting聽with Aspen, her German shepherd. But聽don 麻豆精品 S檛 let the gentle vibe fool you. As the聽CEO of the National Center for Learning聽Disabilities (NCLD), Rodriguez has a huge聽responsibility 麻豆精品 S� and she knows it.

麻豆精品 S淚 believe this is the pivotal civil rights聽issue of our time, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淔ifteen聽percent of the nation 麻豆精品 S檚 public school聽students have an identified disability.聽The largest proportion has a learning聽disability, and the majority are students聽of color. The way we educate our students聽with disabilities will define us as a society.聽This is urgent. 麻豆精品 S�

Rodriguez has a full-time staff of 14,聽plus a core group of consultants for the聽nonprofit NCLD, which was founded in聽1977 and serves individuals with learning聽disabilities through advocacy, research聽and partnerships with experts. It seems聽like a small squad to cater to tens of聽millions of needs, so why does Rodriguez聽sound so optimistic? It 麻豆精品 S檚 because she聽sees teams of people just like her in every聽community.

麻豆精品 S淲e cannot take the approach that a聽student with a disability is only taught聽by a special education teacher. These are聽别惫别谤测产辞诲测 麻豆精品 S檚 办颈诲蝉. 麻豆精品 S�

Here Rodriguez shares more about聽her career path and the importance of聽her work.

I’m atypical for this field.

The preponderance of people who enter special education has friends or family members with disabilities, but I took a wiggly route. I 麻豆精品 S檝e always wanted to serve communities [in need]. After graduating with degrees in international affairs and Latin American studies, I thought I 麻豆精品 S檇 be a diplomat. For my preparation program, though, I was told, 麻豆精品 S淭he only way you can stay in D.C. is if you teach special education. 麻豆精品 S� What I experienced changed everything.

I saw firsthand the problem with special education.

The classroom that needed the best聽teacher received the most unqualified聽person: me. I felt like a fraud for two聽years, knowing the outcomes for my聽students would be dependent on my聽ability to teach them effectively. We 麻豆精品 S檙e聽talking about 16- to 19-year-old students,聽some of whom still couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 read or聽write proficiently. I realized my students聽needed well-prepared professionals,聽not a college student with a degree in聽international affairs. That 麻豆精品 S檚 why I pursued聽a graduate degree in special education and聽advocate for every student to be taught by聽professionals who are qualified to meet聽their needs.

A classroom of kids with special learning needs is no place for experimentation.

The education Ph.D. program at UCF opened my聽mind to the power of technology. Mike聽Hynes, Lisa Dieker and Charlie Hughes聽developed a virtual reality (VR) classroom called TeachMe (now TeachLivE). You pass through a VR classroom of students with different abilities and behaviors. You 麻豆精品 S檙e figuring out the best ways to communicate a lesson plan so no one falls behind. It allows you to learn from failures without harming anyone. The program started at UCF and is now being used around the world.

I did not get into this field simply because I’m nice.

That 麻豆精品 S檚 how special education teachers聽are too often characterized: 麻豆精品 S淥h, you 麻豆精品 S檙e聽so nice, you should teach special聽education. 麻豆精品 S� No, it should be, 麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e聽highly intelligent. You 麻豆精品 S檙e a force. You聽know how to get things done. And yes,聽you have a big heart. 麻豆精品 S� But we need to do聽more to attract those people.

Two issues are creating a wide gap.

One, more students are being identified聽with disabilities. It used to be 麻豆精品 S渨ait until聽they fail 麻豆精品 S� before anyone would identify a聽specific learning disability. That approach聽leads to young people being pushed聽through school and into the world without聽the necessary knowledge or skills to be聽successful. We now reach kids earlier and聽support them through interventions.聽The second issue is the shortage of welltrained聽special education teachers.聽That 麻豆精品 S檚 what I want to change.

The contribution of a special ed teacher is as great as any profession on the planet.

Education will determine whether a聽person finds a purpose in life or not.聽That 麻豆精品 S檚 why I advocate for high-caliber聽professionals who devote their careers聽to teaching. They 麻豆精品 S檙e valuable, so they聽should be paid as such. Also, this is a civic聽service, so their degrees should be fully聽funded 麻豆精品 S� they should have no college debt聽when they start teaching. And finally, give聽them six years to prepare instead of four.聽I like the idea of a paid two-year residency,聽similar to a doctor. Our country will be聽better off if we do that.

My message to college students? Don’t copy my path.

You want to add value to society? See聽where each opportunity leads, because聽you never know. I wanted to be a diplomat.聽A turn of events piqued my curiosity about聽a big problem in education. Now I 麻豆精品 S檓 in a聽position to help do something about it.