The best EISE graduate degree programs offer these essential benefits
“If an EISE teacher isn’t communicating effectively with the parents and other adults in a child’s life,” says special education administrator Lori Kellogg, “she’s not really getting anywhere.”
Kellogg has been training and mentoring early intervention special education teachers for nearly 20 years in her role as coordinator of EISE for Oregon’s Northwest Regional Educational Service District. She believes the top-ranked EISE graduate degree programs emphasize more than direct, one-on-one teaching skills.
“Those skills are essential,” she says, “but the best EISE degree programs take a well-rounded approach that prepares you to excel professionally.”
In top EISE programs, Kellogg notes, teachers go beyond excellent communication skills to develop professionally. They get exposed to and use a number of resources including new software and databases. They become proficient at developing individual service plans that include in-depth assessments of each child’s strengths and areas of needed progress. They become sharp evaluators who can integrate quantitative and qualitative measurements.
Above all, Kellogg says, the best EISE graduate programs produce relentless communicators who mold family members, service providers, and caregivers into strong support communities around every child.
Tips for choosing the best early intervention special education degree program
Kellogg and other experts believe the top EISE graduate degrees are distinguished by certain characteristics. When you’re deciding what the best EISE program is for you, pay attention to:
- Practical, hands-on training. You’ll get the best EISE preparation from a program that offers field experiences in multiple settings, such as preschool classrooms, Head Start centers, and private homes.
- Job placement record. Graduates of top EISE programs land the best jobs at the highest salaries, because of their institution’s strong reputation among employers.
- Research and innovation. Look for a program that’s rooted in evidence-based practice and teaches you to employ forward-looking techniques such as Positive Behavior Interventions (PBIs).
- Emphasis on infants and toddlers. While many special education graduate degrees address a broad spectrum of ages, the best EISE career training comes from a program that specifically focuses on children from birth to age 3.
- Professional activities of faculty. You’ll learn the most current practices in an EISE degree program that’s taught by faculty who are actively engaged as teachers, evaluators, or administrators.
Portland State University offers one of the top EISE graduate degrees
Based on Lori Kellogg’s years of experience in the Northwest Regional ESD, Portland State University rates as one of the best early intervention special education master’s degree programs.
“Students coming out of Portland State University’s EISE graduate program are very well prepared compared to students from other universities,” says Kellogg, who has hired numerous EISE teachers directly from PSU. “They have a really good understanding of child development, the range of disabilities, and the goals of early intervention special education.”
PSU students also exhibit the professional commitment and thirst for experience that are emblematic of outstanding EISE teachers, according to Kellogg.
“We had a student teacher from PSU recently who spent many hours beyond the requirement,” she says. “She was eager for extra time with her supervising teacher, and she attended parent meetings, family training events, curriculum planning sessions, and so on.”
“We’ve had a very robust partnership with Portland State University over the last 20 years,” Kellogg adds. “We’ve conducted research with them, they’ve provided our staff with training, and we’ve had very strong two-way collaboration. That’s ultimately a benefit not only to us, but also to the students in their EISE graduate program.”