University of Kansas
Special Education at the University of Kansas
The Ph.D. in special education at the University of Kansas is built on a mission to prepare civically committed scholars who, through rigorous and relevant research and transformational interventions, address significant educational and social problems in ways that advance education, social policy, research, care giving and public service to enhance the quality of life of persons of all ages with disabilities and their families. Program students and graduates rely on interdisciplinary theoretical knowledge and the full range of methodological approaches to engage, influence, and transform educational and social institutions and their practices to promote learning, equitable opportunity, full participation, inclusiveness, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.
Graduates of the special education Ph.D. program are scholars who steward the profession, working across disciplinary boundaries to address the educational and social challenges of the 21st century. Moreover, as civic professionals, they also engage in stewardship with their communities. Our graduates are scholars who recognize that resolving the great social and education challenges requires a sense of collective social purpose among the professions and inclusive of people with disabilities, and that the professions' greatest responsibility is to the people most affected.
Doctoral graduates are prepared to hold leadership positions in diverse sectors and organizations, including:
- Top-tier research universities
- Teacher preparation institutions
- Private and university affiliated research centers, foundations, research and development companies
- State and federal education agencies and legislative bodies
University of Kansas Faculty
Valarie Mazzotti, PhD
Valarie Mazzotti, PhD
Valarie Mazzotti, PhD
Dr. Valerie L. Mazzotti is a Distinguished Professor of
Special Education in the Department of Special Education at KU, affiliated with the KUCDD,
and a PI for NTACT:C. She will serve as the lead for KU by providing supervision and ensuring timely and quality completion of all project activities at KU. Dr. Mazzotti’s research focuses on se
Dr. Valerie L. Mazzotti is a Distinguished Professor of
Special Education in the Department of Special Education at KU, affiliated with the KUCDD,
and a PI for NTACT:C. She will serve as the lead for KU by providing supervision and ensuring timely and quality completion of all project activities at KU. Dr. Mazzotti’s research focuses on self-determination, secondary EBPs and predictors of postschool success, interagency collaboration, and secondary transition for students with disabilities. Dr. Mazzotti is a past president of DCDT, and currently serves as Co-PI on a IES NCSER measurement development project. She also serves as Project Director, PI, and Co-PI on multiple projects through the U.S. Department of Education, IES, NCSER, OSEP, and NTACT-C. She has published one book, 17 book chapters, and over 50 peer-reviewed publications.
Karrie Shogren, PhD
Valarie Mazzotti, PhD
Valarie Mazzotti, PhD
Dr. Karrie Shogren will serve as a Co-PI for the proposed
project. She is the Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education,
Senior Scientist in the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies (Life Span Institute), and Director of the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD). Dr. Shogren is a
Dr. Karrie Shogren will serve as a Co-PI for the proposed
project. She is the Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education,
Senior Scientist in the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies (Life Span Institute), and Director of the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD). Dr. Shogren is a DCDT Past-President and has an illustrious record of securing and managing extramural funding through various federal, state, and local sources.
Stacie Dojonovic, EdD
Valarie Mazzotti, PhD
Stacie Dojonovic, EdD
Dr. Stacie Dojonovic Schutzman will share responsibility
for the administration of the KU subaward by managing project resources and coordinating the
program with other relevant activities of the School of Education. Dr. Dojonovic is the coordinator of the online Master’s Secondary Special Education and Transition Program at KU and has ove
Dr. Stacie Dojonovic Schutzman will share responsibility
for the administration of the KU subaward by managing project resources and coordinating the
program with other relevant activities of the School of Education. Dr. Dojonovic is the coordinator of the online Master’s Secondary Special Education and Transition Program at KU and has over 20 years’ experience as an educator and transition specialist in urban and suburban school districts. Dr. Dojonovic is a DCDT Past-President and current Executive
Director. Dr. Dojonovic is a first-generation college graduate who grew up below the federal
poverty line.