CAST and Boston College to Prepare Leaders in Universal Design for Learning

OSEP funds postdoctoral fellows to build capacity in UDL field

Wakefield, MA, September 12, 2009—CAST announced today that it will collaborate with Boston College’s Lynch School of Education on the launch of a postdoctoral fellowship program to prepare leaders for the field of universal design for learning (UDL). The program is funded through 2013 by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

“We are delighted to receive this highly competitive grant award,” says principal investigator Richard Jackson, Ed.D., Associate Professor of Special Education at Boston College and a Senior Research Scientist at CAST. “UDL Fellows will gain the leadership skills and competencies they need to address the pressing policy and systems issues related to growing the field of UDL.”

Universal design for learning (UDL) is a set of principles to guide the development of curriculum—including instructional materials, methods, assessments, and goals—that are more effective and inclusive for all individuals. UDL accomplishes this by simultaneously providing rich supports for learning and reducing barriers to the curriculum, while maintaining high achievement standards for all.

In funding the project, OSEP acknowledged UDL’s promise to improve K–12 education, especially for students with disabilities, and thereby meet the demand by federal law (IDEA, NCLB) to provide every learner with a high-quality education. Similarly, the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 places a special emphasis on UDL and the need for infusing UDL practices into all levels of education.

UDL Fellows will be in residence at CAST for one year and collaborate with research scientists, policy experts, and teacher education professionals from CAST and Boston College on UDL-based projects in two of the following four leadership areas:

* Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

* Policy Development at National, State and Local Levels

* Curriculum and Instructional Practices

* Formative and Summative Assessment Systems

These four areas were identified as priorities for growing the UDL field by participants in a National UDL Summit hosted by CAST and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation in November 2007.

UDL Fellows will be paid $60,000 per year, receive tuition credits at Boston College, and have access to the university’s resources and facilities. Application information is forthcoming and will be available at http://www.cast.org.