Education Guide 10.18.26 - Flipbook - Page 6
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| Sunday, October 18, 2026
Salisbury University students Edie Young, Stephen Shockley, and McKenna Pritchett.
New Programs Prepare
Students for Specific Careers
Specialized programs for teaching, health care and technology
By Linda L. Esterson, Contributing Writer
A
s requirements of teachers
in K-12 positions expand, so
do the university programs
designed to prepare them for
their future careers.
At Salisbury University, all students
majoring in education take one or two
courses that provide a general overview
of being inclusive in their teaching to
meet the needs of all students, particularly those in rural areas. However, that
is not enough to adequately fulfill the
needs of students who are diagnosed
with learning disabilities and challenges,
notes Andrea Suk, Ph.D., assistant pro-
fessor of inclusion at the Seidel School of
Education at Salisbury.
To meet this growing need, the university launched a new minor in special education last January, aiming to better equip
future teachers with tools to improve their
skills in teaching a wide range of students
with a variety of disabilities.
“As we know, the needs of students
are becoming more and more diverse
in our classrooms. We are seeing an
increase of students being diagnosed
with disabilities in our K [kindergarten]
through [grade] 12 settings, based on
expanding definitions and characteristics
in the medical field of those disabilities.
To be a successful teacher nowadays,
you do need a lot more skills on how to
adapt your content to meet the needs of
all of your learners,” Suk explains.
While the two courses provided an
overview for student teachers, they wanted more. They want dual certification and
more knowledge and tools to assist them
in the classroom. The minor was created
to fulfill those requests, with 21 credits
of coursework and summer internships
that provide one-on-one experiences
with students and with writing individual
education programs, assistive technolo-
gy, assessments, and student support.
The courses and internships are offered
exclusively during the January and summer terms supplemental to the education
major program coursework offered during
the fall and spring semesters.
The new program is already filling
up with 15 students enrolled in the first
semester and another 25 anticipated to
join for the January term.
“Special ed is always listed as one
of the highest critical areas of need for
teachers,” Suk notes, particularly in rural
areas with a surplus of students designated as high need with severe or significant behavioral disorders and learning
disabilities. “Then when you break it
down and look at the different types of
special education needs, they’re always
the majority.”
Several students at Salisbury jumped
at the chance to minor in special education.
McKenna Pritchett, a junior elementary education major from Easton, Md.,
experienced the need for specialization
first-hand through her younger brother’s
eyes. Witnessing what his needs and
