Two federal grants will support Alabama A&M University (AAMU) initiatives focused on special education, STEM and workforce development.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded AAMU’s College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences a five-year, $1.25 million grant that will fund 25 AAMU scholars to obtain their master’s degree in special education with Alabama state certification.

“We are calling this Project STRIVE (for Specialized Teachers Responsive in Interventions for Varying Exceptionalities) and plan to implement inclusive practices to provide support of students with high-intensity needs,” said Tamar F. Riley, associate professor of Special Education.

AAMU will start recruiting students across the state in spring 2024, with the first cohort slated to be in place in fall 2024.

“The award is critical to support the preparation of diverse scholars in acquiring highly effective practices to improve the outcomes for students with disabilities in our K-12 schools across Alabama. Scholars will receive comprehensive support in developing evidence-based practices to implement data-driven decision making,” Riley said.

Another grant, from the National Science Foundation, will go to AAMU’s College of Education and its collaborative research partners, the University of Georgia (UGA) and Texas State University.

The four-year, $1.3 million grant will fund activities leading to advances in racial equity in STEM education and workforce development for those most impacted by the inequities caused by systemic racism, according to an AAMU news release.

Peter Eley, AAMU dean and professor; Dorothy White, professor of Mathematics, University of Georgia; Juanita Silva, assistant professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Texas State University; and Luz Maldonado, associate professor of Bilingual Mathematics Education, Texas State University, are working collaboratively under the National Science Foundation grant. (contributed)

AAMU will use $343,789 from the grant to support research and student travel to UGA and Texas State at San Marcos during the summers to work collaboratively with students from those institutions and share experiences, said Peter Eley, AAMU interim dean of College of Education and professor of Mathematics Education.

The research grant will support six to eight elementary education STEM students at AAMU and provide computer, travel and research stipends. The work is set to begin in spring 2024.

“The purpose is to help build communities of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) … teachers that can provide a space for them to share and grow with each other. They will explore each experience’s differences and similarities, and work to create solutions to mitigate existing systems,” Eley said.

“Working collaboratively with institutions will help us build our research capacity and support the growth of our pre-service teachers and faculty,” Eley added. He said the study will expose student teachers to programs in other states and allow them to travel to foster professional and personal connections. “I am excited about the possibilities …” he said.