The Impact of Federal Level Special Education Policy Internships in Preparing Special Education Faculty: A Preliminary Investigation

Authors

Katie Miller
Lisa A. Finnegan
Wilfred Wienke
Angel Lopez

Abstract

In this manuscript, the authors examine the reaction of special education doctoral scholars and their response to a federal policy internship. Six doctoral scholar participants participated in a summer federal policy internship opportunity and partook in the study. Doctoral scholars responded to a survey about their knowledge of federal legislation and their perceptions of the federal policy internship. Data were collected and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Three themes emerged after completing their doctoral internship which include: importance of advocacy and its impact on policy, importance of evidence based practices and their role in policy making, and increased knowledge of national organizations and their impact on federal policy. Overall, the doctoral internship experience had a positive impact on the six special education doctoral interns in terms of knowledge and skills regarding policy and legislation.

Recommended Citation

Miller, Katie; Finnegan, Lisa A.; Wienke, Wilfred; and Lopez, Angel (2017) "The Impact of Federal Level Special Education Policy Internships in Preparing Special Education Faculty: A Preliminary Investigation," Journal of Educational Leadership in Action: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62608/2164-1102.1050
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/ela/vol5/iss1/4

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