AP Photo Minot State University’s Holly Pedersen, professor of special education, left, and Katherine Terras, CEO of Certification Central, right, pose for a photo at Minot State’s spring awards event.

Minot State University special education programs have received a Bush Foundation Award to continue to recruit, train and retain special education teachers to serve in rural communities.

The award was received for Project PIPELINE (Partnership Initiative to Prepare Educators for Licensure in ND special Education) Expansion, according to MSU information.

The five-year $5.25 million grant will support the growth of a robust special education personnel preparation pipeline, which begins with high school career exploration and culminates in graduate-level leadership preparation.

The project is a collaboration led by Minot State University and Certification Central, North Dakota’s alternative special education teacher licensure program. Co-project directors are Holly Pedersen, professor of special education at MSU, and Katherine Terras, CEO of Certification Central.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Certification Central and expand the special education personnel pipeline for our state. Minot State has a rich history of preparing high-quality special education personnel for more than 60 years. We’ve been able to do this by being innovative and responding to changing needs in the field,” Pedersen said. “This support from the Bush Foundation ensures this important work will continue, and we look forward to more collaborative problem-solving with our stakeholders around the state.”

Project PIPELINE seeks to integrate on-the-job learning, reduce coursework redundancy, and shorten the time spent in post-secondary education, without compromising quality preparation. This multi-pronged effort will ensure that high-quality personnel are available at all levels to support students with disabilities in public schools.

Pedersen and Terras received an initial Bush Foundation grant in April of 2022, which developed the framework for PIPELINE through curriculum development, technology for distance delivery, student tuition support, mentor recruitment and training, and stakeholder engagement.

Founded in 1953 by Archibald and Edyth Bush, the Bush Foundation has made grants and investments to support organizations and people who think bigger and think differently about solutions to problems in their communities.

“Minot State is leading some exciting work that has the potential to transform the special education teacher pipeline in North Dakota,” said Tony LookingElk, grantmaking director at the Bush Foundation. “This work builds on past success where they laid the groundwork for initial parts of a pilot program, and now, they are well-positioned to have even greater impact. Establishing a pipeline that begins in high school career exploration and ends in graduate-level leadership preparation will open many doors for many people throughout the state to enter and remain in the special education profession. We hope this work will serve as a model to address this challenge across the region and even nationally.”