1998 CEC Professional Award Winners
CEC is proud to introduce you to our 1998 award winners who were honored at CEC's 1998 Convention in Minneapolis. CEC commends these outstanding special educators for their commitment to students with special needs, their contributions to the field, and their dedication to CEC. Please join us in congratulating these exceptional special educators.
1998 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award
Terri Chasteen
Terri Chasteen, recipient of CEC's 1998 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award, demonstrates the initiative, innovation, leadership, and caring that make an outstanding teacher of students with exceptionalities. Her enthusiasm and creativity have inspired teachers across the state of Missouri, as well as her students, to take risks, try new ideas, and meet their potential.
In her 18 years of service to students with disabilities, Ms. Chasteen has served as a teacher, vocational adjustment coordinator, and transition coordinator. She has spent much of her teaching career helping students with disabilities enjoy "real world" success after graduation. The practical, hands-on skills she has taught her students are long-lasting ones that help them get jobs and manage their own checkbooks. Ms. Chasteen has initiated an innovative functional curriculum with the establishment of numerous community-based work sites that provide her students with the practical skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Ms. Chasteen's first project was the development of a small business in which her students learned the basic economic principles of production and marketing through woodworking projects. With Ms. Chasteen's guidance, they expanded their product line to include the manufacturing of recycling bins. Through her efforts, students have also been successfully trained to provide maintenance services in a community day care center and have learned relevant skills in the retail food industry. Through Ms. Chasteen's most touted project, The Copy Shop, students perform all the copying needs for the school district and local businesses. Students do everything from billing to printing, learning good job skills along the way. The Copy Shop also helps bridge the gap between students with and without disabilities by placing them side-by-side in a cooperative working environment.
In addition to her work with children, Ms. Chasteen has presented at numerous conferences, received several teacher recognition awards, and co-authored a Life Skills Curriculum Guide, which is in use in 14 countries. She has also helped develop assessment and instructional materials for the Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) project and trained staff to use LCCE methods and materials.
Ms. Chasteen currently serves as transition and work experience coordinator at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, where she works directly with students and serves as a consultant to district personnel on vocationally-oriented student concerns. Ms. Chasteen earned her B.S. in Special Education and has continued to pursue graduate studies at Southwest Missouri State University.
CEC sends a heartfelt congratulation to Ms. Chasteen as the winner of the 1998 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award.
The Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award honors an outstanding teacher of children with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. The award honors a member of the Council who has demonstrated exemplary performance over a period of time as a teacher (or provider of direct services) and has exhibited such qualities as innovation, imagination, creativity, and the ability to inspire.
1998 Wallin Award
Corrine E. Kass
Few special educators will leave the legacy of CEC's 1998 Wallace Wallin Award winner, Corrine E. Kass. Dr. Kass's groundbreaking research on learning disabilities and human development set a new paradigm for special education, her teaching strategies enabled thousands of children to learn to read, and her inspiration and guidance resulted in hundreds who have become leaders in the field.
Dr. Kass's research led to the development of a powerful conceptual framework for describing and understanding learning disabilities. Her model, detailed in her book, "A Human Development View of Learning Disabilities: From Theory to Practice," has guided two decades of research in learning disabilities and has served as the foundation of one of the most productive doctoral training programs in the United States. Dr. Kass's research also resulted in effective strategies for teaching students with learning disabilities to read and improved assessment procedures.
But research is only part of Dr. Kass's contributions to special education. Her many graduate students remember her as a "master teacher"--one who was known for the vision and structure for intellectual challenge she created for her students, as well as her ability to model best practices through demonstration teaching with "live" students with disabilities.
"The brilliance of her insights into the learning processes of individuals with disabilities and her capacity to engage others in the search for better ways to assess and teach individuals with learning disabilities has been and will continue to be a profoundly important contribution to the field of special education," said Don Deshler, professor at the University of Kansas.
In addition to her research and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Kass has published numerous articles on the education of children with disabilities and is a recognized speaker on special education.
Dr. Kass has received many prestigious awards for her work, including the John F. Fogarty Award for Distinguished Government Service, the International Leadership Award from the International Federation of Learning Disabilities, and has appeared in the Who's Who Biographical Record--Child Development Professionals.
Dr. Kass retired in 1992 from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., where she was director of Graduate Studies and Professor of Education. Through her career, she also served as a professor at the University of Arizona and coordinated funding for teacher training programs in learning disabilities at the U.S. Department of Education. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and her MA from the University of Michigan.
The J.E. Wallace Wallin Award honors an individual who has made outstanding career contributions to the education of children and youth with disabilities in areas such as publications; research; development of new concepts, approaches or programs, and practical application of improved teaching devices. The award was named for and begun with the assistance of Dr. Wallin, a pioneer in the development of clinical psychology and special education in the United States.
1998 CEC Research Award
Donald McMillan
The seminal works of Donald McMillan, CEC's 1998 Research Award winner, have emphasized the importance of empirical studies over ideological pursuits and shaped special education policy in the United States.
In his 30-year special education career, Dr. McMillan has significantly and widely influenced the field by studying of a broad range of topics using diverse research methodologies. A sampling of his research includes dropouts, school attitudes and behavior, the effects of the EMR label on self-concept and behavior, nondiscriminatory tests and the validity of differential diagnosis, effects of decertification and mainstreaming on program planning, behavior modification and punishment, the history of self-contained classrooms, cognitive strategies used by students in classrooms, assessment models in relation to at-risk students, and social status adjustment of students with mild disabilities. In addition, his work with school communities has positively influenced the communities' special education policy and practice.
Dr. McMillan has published more than 20 books, among those the widely used Mental Retardation in School and Society, more than 100 articles, and prepared more than 120 papers for lectures or workshops. His numerous awards from various organizations confirm that his contributions are valued by the field and acknowledge him as a versatile, prolific, and respected scholar.
Currently, Dr. McMillan holds the Distinguished Professorship of Education at the University of California at Riverside where he has devoted his time for the past 14 years. He received his bachelor's degree from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and his master's and doctorate at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. McMillan's colleagues describe him as "a shining beacon of outstanding productivity and quality in our field" who must be recognized for his "competence, knowledge, and accomplishments... and for knowing how to collaborate successfully--to 'make music'--with others."
The CEC Research Award recognizes individuals, groups of individuals, or institutions and agencies whose research has contributed to the body of knowledge about the education of exceptional children and youth, leading to the improvement of their education. The award was designed to reinforce the Council's commitment to research as an integral focus of exceptional education, acknowledge an influential body of research, encourage researchers to direct attention to raising the quality of research, and encourage application of research findings in instructional settings.
1998 CEC Outstanding Contributor Award
Parthenia Cogdell
The Council for Exceptional Children is proud to recognize Parthenia Cogdell as its 1998 Outstanding Contributor.
Through Ms. Cogdell's endless energy and commitment, she has influenced numerous CEC members, guiding them as they developed their own leadership skills, as well as initiated and developed CEC programs that are still in place today. As member of the board of directors and president of the Foundation for Exceptional Children (FEC), helped create and implement FEC's school to work program and was a vital and guiding force in the success of the "Yes I Can!" program.
Ms. Cogdell has also held numerous CEC leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels. She has served as CEC president, governor-at-large, member of the Board of Governors, and chair of local committees. In addition, Ms. Cogdell has served on CEC standing committees, task forces and advisory committees, helping guide and set CEC policies.
Ms. Cogdell received her BS in Elementary Education from Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC, and her MA in special education from Trenton State College in Trenton, NJ. She began her career as a special education teacher but within five years, in 1972, was promoted to supervisor of special education. In 1974, Ms. Cogdell became the Program Director of the Burlington County Special Services School District and in 1979 she accepted the position of Director, Bureau of Regional Day Schools/Special Projects in New Jersey. Since 1992, Ms. Cogdell has served as the Director of Personnel Services of the Camden, NJ, Public Schools.
Ms. Cogdell has received numerous awards for her work, including Who's Who in American Education; Who's Who in Black America; Woman of the Year, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Zelta Delta Zeta; New Jersey Federation Daniel Ringleheim Outstanding Educator Award, and National Education Policy Fellow.
Throughout her 31-year career in special education, Ms. Cogdell has embodied the spirit of CEC in her work for the organization and in behalf of children with exceptionalities. We congratulate this outstanding contributor.
The CEC Outstanding Contributor Award recognizes CEC members who, as a result of continued and sustained involvement at local, state or provincial, national, and/or international levels, have contributed significantly to the Council's being recognized internationally for its commitment, leadership, and dedication to service for exceptional children and youth.
1998 CEC Business, Agency, and Community Award
Advantage Products of Murray, Utah
The Council for Exceptional Children proudly recognizes Advantage Products of Murray, Utah, as a business that has promoted and supported the full participation of individuals with disabilities in their community.
Advantage Products is a manufacturing company that specializes in children's' furniture, doll furniture and futon frames. Over the past five years, owner/operator John Sharer has worked closely with GIFTS, one of Granite School Districts' transitional programs, to integrate a partnership with the education system and the community to assist people with exceptionalities to achieve independence. Advantage has always gone that extra mile by offering opportunities to students requiring a considerable amount of involvement and understanding.
"It's interesting to me that they [Advantage Products] always select a student with very challenging and unique needs to employ. Because of the type of student they select, they are very accommodating in modifying their work area to meet the needs of these employees," says Jeff Rydalch, administrator Granite Services.
It is Advantages' conviction that they have a responsibility to contribute to the community. Not only does Advantage Products consistently hire and train exceptional students, they also display a remarkable ability to individualize accommodations and programs that help students overcome obstacles.
Advantages employees' involvement extends beyond the job site. With each student, the employees' patience and caring transcends the usual employer/employee relationship. Whether it is a special outing designed to reward a students' progress or lending a helping hand with a home project, John Sharer and the employees of Advantage Products create a positive environment in which every student can realize his or her own self worth and potential.
"John shows such a joy in the process of helping our students," says Randy Schelble, Utah Federation President. "He is one of the most wonderful, kind, and above all, patient employers we have had the pleasure of working with."
The Council for Exceptional Children commends Advantage Products on their significant efforts to support students with exceptionalities in their transition to employment and community life by presenting it with the CEC Business, Agency, and Community Award.
The CEC Business, Agency, and Community Award recognizes a business, agency, or community that has promoted and provided for the enhancement, awareness, and employment of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents in order to promote and support their full participation in the community
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