Michael Lloydhauser just completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Education. His research interests include equity practices of teacher education and special education teacher preparation, induction and retention. His advisor were Dr. Sharon Conley and Dr. Sarah Roberts and he enjoyed serving as a CTERIN doctoral fellow. Michael earned his B.S. in elementary education and his M.S. in special education, both from Manhattan College, and spent five years as a classroom teacher in the Boston area.
GGSE: What does Job Design mean to you?
Lloydhauser: Job design focuses on the overall practicality of an occupation. It is important that special education teachers be given the necessary support and environment to effectively teach students with disabilities. Additionally, special education teachers need to be properly prepared for the occupation. When these factors are not accounted for, it negatively impacts the teachers and their students.
GGSE: Tell us a little bit about Special Education Teacher Preparation Pathways.
Lloydhauser: Traditional teacher-preparation pathways, based in institutions of higher education, are well known and account for the preparation of most teachers. “Alternative teacher education pathways'' is a broad category that is used to describe pathways that are very different from one another. National recruitment pathways like Teach For America use an internship model in which individuals are teaching prior to becoming fully certified. Other programs like teacher residency programs, "grow your own" programs, and programs aimed at career changers use an apprenticeship model where pre-service teachers work closely with a mentor teacher. These programs attempt to assuage decreasing enrollments by offering significant tuition assistance. There are also online teacher education programs that enable individuals to access teacher preparation from remote or rural areas. It is important that these programs not be viewed in competition with each other but as organizations working toward the same goal, a well prepared special education teacher workforce.
GGSE: How has GGSE impacted your passion for education?
Lloydhauser: I feel so fortunate to have attended GGSE, where I was able to meet such amazing faculty, staff, and students. There are seemingly endless challenges and problems in education but GGSE has shown me that there is a wealth of ingenuity and commitment to achieving more equitable educational opportunities for all children. GGSE has reaffirmed the importance of being a cog in the wheel.
GGSE: What’s next for you?
Lloydhauser: What is next is to be determined. I have a final-round interview next week for a position as an internal evaluator/researcher for a non-profit that implements teacher professional development, which I am very excited about so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
GGSE: Are there people at the Gevirtz School you would like to thank?
Lloydhauser: There are so many people to thank at GGSE. All of the faculty and staff are so supportive of the students. I am immensely grateful for my advisors Sarah Roberts and Sharon Conley as well as Tine Sloan who served on my committee. Without them, I couldn’t imagine having had the positive experience I had.