School of Education project coordinator to serve on NYS special education panel

School of Education project coordinator to serve on NYS special education panelJanuary 03, 2006Patrick Farrellpmfarrel@syr.edu

Melissa Price, project coordinator for the New York Higher Education Support Center for SystemsChange at Syracuse University’s School of Education, has been appointed to the New York State Commissioner of Education’s Advisory Panel for Special Education Services. Price’s role on the panel will be to represent the interests of institutions of higher education. Her term on the panel begins immediately and will continue through June 2008.

The Commissioner’s Advisory Panel (CAP) is responsible for advising the State Education Agency (SEA) of unmet needs within the state in the education of children with disabilities. The panel also is required to comment publicly on any rules or regulations proposed by the state regarding the education of children with disabilities. In addition, the panel advises the SEA in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in federal monitoring reports and in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for children with disabilities. CAP also advises the SEA on eligible students with disabilities in adult prisons.

As a CAP member, Price will be assigned to one of the panel’s three standing committees (Preschool Special Education, Transition of Students to Postsecondary Opportunities and Preparation of Special Education Personnel). CAP members also are frequently asked to review and provide comment on proposed regulations and State Education Department documents and publications. CAP meets three times each year; the next session is scheduled for the end of January.

“I am so pleased that Melissa has been tapped for this important role,” says Douglas Biklen, dean of the School of Education. “I know of no professional more in touch with the importance of educational opportunity for students with disabilities. Melissa knows the latest research and also has her feet on the ground in classrooms and schools where inclusive education takes shape.”

Price joined the SystemsChange Project at Syracuse University in 1996 as the project coordinator. More than 100 New York state schools took part in the project, which focused on developing inclusive settings for students with low incidence and emotional disabilities. The project demonstrated the viability of partnerships between inclusive teacher preparation programs and ongoing staff development efforts in high-need schools. In 2002, the New York State Education Department’s Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Students with Disabilities (VESID) agreed to support the SystemsChange Project as the New York Higher Education Support Center for SystemsChange (HESC) program, retaining Price as project coordinator.

Price began her career in education as a special education teacher in New York’s Southern Tier. She later served as an inclusive education consultant and Special Education Training and Resource Center (SETRC) coordinator for the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES region. Price is certified in elementary and special education in New York and Pennsylvania. She holds B.S.Ed. and M.S.Ed. degrees in special education and is working on a Ph.D. degree in the School of Education’s teaching and curriculum program.