School of Education
Professional Outreach
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The Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education supports the following professional outreach programs.
- Mississippi Deaf-Blind Project
Mississippi Deaf-Blind Project is a federally funded project to provide technical assistance to individuals between the ages of birth and 21 years. Whether it is in the home, school, or agency setting, our staff can provide assistance and training to help make a better quality of life. The overall mission of the Mississippi Deaf-Blind Project is to collaborate and coordinate with state agencies and organizations in order to provide family support and cost-effective technical assistance to families and service providers of children/young adults with deaf-blindness:
- REACH Mississippi
Realizing Excellence for ALL Children in Mississippi (REACH MS) is Mississippi’s State Personnel Development Grant which focuses primarily on supporting school-wide and district-wide implementation of Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Awarded to The Mississippi Department of Education in 2005, the grant is operated by the University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education.
- America Reads - Mississippi
America Reads - Mississippi (ARM) is a national service AmeriCorps program that addresses the issue area of education. The ARM program is dedicated to improving the reading skills of students, encouraging public awareness and support of literacy, and helping to increase the number of certified teachers in Mississippi. It is the largest AmeriCorps program of its kind in the nation with 80 full-time members serving in approximately 30 school sites across the state of Mississippi. ARM AmeriCorps members strive daily to achieve the program’s mission by: (1) tutoring K-3rd grade students in reading during school and in extended-day programs; (2) recruiting volunteers to assist with six national service projects as well as with reading activities in the classroom; (3) engaging students in service learning projects; and (4) participating in professional development opportunities. Housed in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, & Special Education, the USM Region of ARM has 22 AmeriCorps members serving in 9 public schools throughout south Mississippi.