The Alice S. Neeley Special Education Institute has been re-named the Alice Neeley Special Education Research and Service (ANSERS) Institute.

“Associates of the Institute believe that the acronym ANSERS better reflects our desire to seek solutions, or answers, to the challenges faced by teachers, administrators and educational researchers in the field today,” says Lindy Crawford, the Ann Jones Endowed Chair in Special Education for the College of Education. “We’re trying to help people understand what we do as well as use the acronym to make remembering it easier.”

The change follows Crawford’s appointment last fall, providing an opportunity to redefine the institute’s two main missions — providing research and service to the special education community.

The institute’s research includes Crawford’s $1.5 million federal grant examining the effectiveness of the Math Learning Companion, as well as studying educational equity issues in Chinese preschool education.

In addition to training teacher candidates to work with students with special needs, the institute serves as a resource to parents, teachers and administrators.

In April, the institute hosted a breakfast with area special education directors and superintendents to explain the name change and also solicit ideas for improving special education.

Crawford said attendants emphasized the need for professional development as the state cuts back on funding for education, including teacher training. One idea in the works is developing a website with video instruction offering strategies for working with students with diverse learning differences.

“Things like that, which are easy, that they can pull up and use and see an example,” Crawford says. “That’s what we want to provide.”

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