Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2005)
o UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ^ 2005 Summer Session Classes Begin June 20 Register for MER^ Summer Classes Book Your Summer in Oregon Pick up your free summer catalog today in the Summer Session office (333 Oregon Hall), at the UO Bookstore, or read it online. You can speed your way toward graduation by taking required courses during summer. Check Out Our Website! http://uosummer.uoregon.edu EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity Lane County’s ^Hottest Gentlemen’s Club! /Jf \ _ .... Receive a free stage dance on your birthday! We've got sp< at www.dailyemerald.com Nicolf. Barker | Photographer Dr. Edward J. Kame’enui has accepted a position as the nation’s first commissioner for special education research. Professor accepts national post for special education Dr. Edward J. Kame'enui will take an indefinite leave of absence to begin the new research position BY BRT1TNI MCCLENAHAN NEWS REPORTER Dr. Edward J. Kame’enui, profes sor of special education, will be taking an indefinite leave of ab sence from the University to take a new position as the nation’s first commissioner for special education research. He will be leading the National Center for Special Educa tion Research, a newly established office within the U.S. Department of Education. Kame’enui will begin his new posi tion in Washington, D.C., on July 1. “I’m honored,” Kame’enui said. “It’s a great field, with great people who are very serious, dedicated and smart.” Kame’enui earned a bachelor of arts degree at Pacific University in Oregon and a master’s and Ph.D., both in spe cial education, at the University of Ore gon. He began his career in special ed ucation as a houseparent, working with children identified with serious emotional and behavioral problems at a residential treatment center in Wis consin when he was only 21 years old. “I couldn’t find a job as an Eng lish teacher, and that was that,” Kame’enui said. Before coming to Oregon in 1988, Kame’enui taught at the University of Montana and Purdue University. His areas of expertise include early literacy research, school-wide reading im provement, and design of high-quality educational tools and instruction. “The reason I came to this univer sity was the colleagues,” Kame’enui said. “There are wonderful people here. The faculty and students here are great, and it’s a really unique place.” The National Center for Special Education Research, one of four centers within the education depart ment’s Institute of Education Sci ences, supports research on special education and related services and aims to provide school officials with sufficient information regarding children with learning disabilities. IES Director Grover “Russ” White hurst said in an education depart ment press release that Kame’enui is “uniquely qualified” to lead the new center. “We arc so pleased to have someone with Ed Kame’enui’s background and considerable skills fill this key posi tion,” Whitehurst said. According to the Department of Ed ucation’s Web site, the new program is designed to increase effectiveness in education to students with disabilities through the latest sciences and tech nologies geared to understanding and developing new techniques for stu dents with learning disabilities. The center came from the Individu als with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, which ensures that all children with disabili ties have access to free, appropriate public education that emphasizes spe cial education and related services designed to meet their needs and pre pare them for further education, employment and independent living. Under IDEA, the federal govern ment protects the rights of children with disabilities and ensures that ed ucators and parents have the neces sary tools to improve educational re sults and to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities. Kame’enui said he welcomes this opportunity and hopes to make a posi tive impact on education. “The more experience you have, the wiser your decisions will be,” he said. “Hopefully it will help make the right decisions. You make connections with people and learn from your successes and mistakes.” bmcclenahan@dailyemerald.com
