Education Guide 10.18.26 - Flipbook - Page 17
| Sunday, October 18, 2026
Teacher Shortage,
continued from page 2
supervised and coached by Goucher
faculty as well as their supervisors at the
school where they teach. By the end of
their year at Goucher, they will have the
learning, experience and qualifications
needed to thrive as special education
teachers.
Loyola University Maryland has offered
training for special education teachers for
many years, but mostly at the graduate
level. Because of strong interest among
their students who want to pursue special
education, Loyola will offer a new bachelor’s degree program in the fall of 2027.
Updated coursework will reflect changes
in the field in recent years.
There is an interdisciplinary nature to
this work. Besides courses in speech,
psychology and disability studies, there
will be the liberal arts background that
Loyola believes is needed in today’s
professions. “You’ve got to figure out not
only your life, your vocation,” says Afra
Ahmed Hersi, Ph.D., dean of Loyola’s
school of education, “but how to stay
renewed in that vocation.”
From their first course, these students
Student Support Services,
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organization was established in 202122 to demonstrate that support of the
LatinX/Hispanic community was not an
“abstract commitment.”
“Students feel empowered and uplifted to be advocates for the community,”
says Fernandez-Dizon, observing that
many of the students come from diverse
backgrounds themselves and bring a
“rich cultural experience” to their studies
and to their future careers.
“Being part of LANUM has taught
me more than I ever expected to
learn in nursing school,” says LANUM
Co-President Miriam Callejas. “It has
given me a deeper sense of purpose,
knowing that the work we do genuinely
helps students feel connected, empowered and capable of succeeding in nursing school. I have grown in ways that
go far beyond leadership titles. LANUM
showed me the importance of creating
a space where every student feels seen,
supported and connected as they navigate the challenges of nursing school.”
“Being part of LANUM has opened
my eyes to leadership in a way I never
will be in the schools, in specialized
learning environments where they will
be learning, working and collaborating
with the school-based educators. These
are the mentor teachers who will guide
the students through the program. First,
students observe and learn, and then
they do more hands-on work as they get
further into their clinical experience.
Another new opportunity is the use
of simulations in the classroom where
students get to watch and interact with
a problem in a safe space. This is one of
the ways AI is being used for these students to gain experience.
Faculty and students at Loyola also
benefit from partnerships with Kennedy
Kreiger Institute and Baltimore Lab
School for opportunities for research
and experience with people with special
needs.
Students interested in this program
can join as incoming freshmen, or transfer from one of the community college
partners of Loyola. Transfer students will
have all the prerequisites in place when
they arrive at Loyola. With the technical and clinical experience all students
receive in this program, they will be
prepared for placement and licensure in
K-12 schools anywhere in Maryland.
expected during nursing school,
especially while balancing so many
other responsibilities,” adds LANUM
Co-President Kelsey De La Cruz. “It has
pushed me outside my comfort zone
and has helped me grow as a leader,
work alongside other students, and build
a community that brings Latinx nursing
students together while also welcoming
and involving students from all backgrounds.”
Fernandez-Dizon observes that
LANUM helps students recognize their
own perspectives as strengths when it
comes to working with diverse communities. “From peer support to mentoring
to advocating for equitable care, the
university has been a strong supporter
of LANUM,” she says.
LANUM also works with local high
schools to introduce students to nursing
as a viable career, in addition to encouraging leadership and supporting their
individual and professional growth.
“By working together with both the
community and other organizations on
campus, we are encouraging collaboration and demonstrating the beauty
of diversity in action,” says FernandezDizon.
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