News Release

To address the shortage of special education instructors in Montgomery County, the Graduate Division of Education of The Johns Hopkins University and the Montgomery County Public Schools are once again working together to recruit and prepare special education teachers.

The Professional Immersion Special Education Master of Science (ProSEMS) in the university's School of Professional Studies in Business and Education is now accepting applications for study beginning in fall 2004. The program was established in 2003 after the Maryland State Department of Education declared a critical statewide shortage of certified special education teachers for the third year in a row. The MSDE report also noted a shortage of teachers who are male and members of minority groups.

The two-year ProSEMS program is open to individuals with a four-year undergraduate degree. It prepares special education teachers to work with students who have mild to moderate learning disabilities. The 42-credit program offers one concentration for those interested in teaching elementary or middle school (grades 1-8) and another for those interested in teaching secondary schools and adults (grades 6-12).

In addition to taking classes, students participate in field experiences. During the first year of the program, they work as substitute teachers the first semester and then as teaching interns during the second semester. During this time, students receive intensive supervision from Johns Hopkins faculty and educators from Montgomery County public schools.

Candidates receive tuition assistance and are eligible for a stipend in the second year of the program, when they become full-time teaching fellows. The program leads to a master of science degree in special education with eligibility for Maryland state certification in special education. Upon completion of the program, the teacher-candidates must teach for three years in Montgomery County public schools if offered a teaching contract.

The program is satisfying Everick Gross' desire to work in a job where he can help children. Gross, working both as a volunteer coordinator for the National Organization of Concerned Black Men and as a substitute teacher in Montgomery County, took his assistant principal's suggestion and looked into the program. A lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Gross started the two-year program in September. He attends classes at the university's Montgomery County Campus in Rockville. His first semester included both course work and substitute teaching.

"At Hopkins, I learn strategies in class that I can use in my own classroom; it makes sense to me," said Gross, who worked at Parkland Middle School in Silver Spring as a long- term substitute his first semester in the program. The school has a large minority population and 60 percent of the students are eligible for subsidized lunch. Gross added, "I used to work with kids in public housing and I saw the need for good schools and teachers who cared. The ProSEMS program is giving me the opportunity to become one of those caring teachers and make a difference in a child's life."

Applications are now being accepted for the next ProSEMS class, which will start in August 2004. For information and applications, contact Sarah Slater, ProSEMS program coordinator at 301-294-7940 or sslater@jhu.edu. Applications must be submitted by April 2, 2004. Members of the media interested in featuring the program should contact Amy Cowles at 443-287-9960.