Special Education

College of Education alumna Lauren Schafer

In the news: Recent COE graduate filling a vital need in special education

College of Education alumna Lauren Schafer is already making a big impact as a special education teacher at Hoover Elementary in Iowa City.
Seth King, associate professor of Special Education

In the news: King pens article on use of AI in special education

Special Education Associate Professor Seth King discusses some of the pros and cons of generative AI use by special education teachers.
Professor Shawn Datchuk

In the news: Datchuk discusses why handwriting is still important for students

Professor Shawn Datchuk and a team at the UI-based Iowa Reading Research Center have developed new tools to help elementary students learn cursive and print.
Headshot of woman smiling

Celebrating a legacy of learning: Pamela Ries retires after 25 years of impact

Monday, December 8, 2025
Pamela Ries retires after 25 years at the University of Iowa, leaving a powerful legacy in special education, teacher preparation, and inclusive learning.
lone yellow flower beside the Iowa River

College of Education community celebrates the life of Professor Emeritus Alan Frank

Thursday, October 9, 2025
Professor Emeritus Alan Frank, who worked nearly 30 years as a faculty member in the College of Education, passed away at the age of 85.
Seth King, associate professor of Special Education

Training grant to expand services, personnel for special education

Friday, October 3, 2025
The University of Iowa was recently awarded a five-year, $1.2 million training grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help address critical workforce shortages and advance evidence-based services for students with disabilities.
cartoon brain weightlifts letters in front of weight rack with letters imprinted on them

Handwriting: beneficial to reading and often misunderstood

Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Handwriting is a powerful—but often overlooked—foundation for early literacy. Research-based tools from the Iowa Reading Research Center help teachers seamlessly build handwriting into instruction, boosting skills like letter recognition, spelling, and reading.
Shawn Datchuk stands in front of a bookcase

In the news: Datchuk discusses new tool that helps teach cursive

UI special education professor Shawn Datchuk, director of the Iowa Reading Research Center, has developed a free tool to help teachers everywhere teach cursive.
Shawn Datchuk stands in front of a bookcase

In the news: Datchuk discusses how learning cursive could impact reading proficiency

Iowa Reading Research Center Director Shawn Datchuk describes how learning cursive impacts the development of reading and writing skills in an article recently published by The Conversation.
The Provost's medallion.

Faculty, Staff, and Student 2023-24 Awards

Monday, September 16, 2024
College of Education faculty, staff, and students garnered recognition and honors from our university, state, and national organizations.
Shawn Datchuk, Leah Zimmerman discuss LIFTER on KCRG

In the news: Everyday Iowa - Iowa Reading Research Center

Tuesday, July 23, 2024
UI Director of Iowa Reading Research Center Shawn Datchuk and clinical assistant professor of special education Leah Zimmermann discussed why Iowa adding cursive handwriting to the state education standards is a good thing for youth on KCRG.
New faculty stand outside of Lindquist just before the fall 2024 semester

New faculty join the College of Education

Thursday, July 11, 2024
The College of Education welcomes several new faculty who bring decades of expertise, cutting-edge research, and innovative teaching to our community.