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.