EMU Today

Eastern Michigan University faculty, students, and community members gathered at the College of Education Dean’s EduTalk to explore collaborative strategies in special education. This semester’s event featured Rebecca Louick, director of the Brehm Center and assistant professor of Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders, as keynote speaker.

Following a welcoming reception, Louick presented her research on academic motivation among adolescents with learning disabilities and the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration. “Even though my home area is special education, I usually collaborate with educational psychologists, and our work is shaped by our mutual interests in the learning experiences of kids with disabilities,” said Louick. “My presentation was about the importance of breaking down silos between job descriptions and subject areas so that we address students' needs more holistically.”

Louick also highlighted the unique role of the Brehm Center in developing future leaders and advocates in the field. “The Brehm Center offers the chance for EMU students to get full tuition support while they hone their skills as researchers and community leaders committed to addressing the needs of people with disabilities,” she said. “One of my goals is to extend the reach of the amazing research that our Brehm Scholars do every year. I also hope to raise awareness about the Brehm scholarship program so that more students know about the amazing opportunities it provides.”

During her keynote, Louick emphasized how EMU’s commitment to high-quality teacher preparation benefits the broader community and prepares teachers to collaboratively address classroom challenges. “The high quality of our teacher preparation programs is one of the greatest strengths EMU brings to the community. I think that one of our overarching goals as teacher educators should be to emphasize the importance of these high-quality teacher candidates from different areas learning to work collaboratively and apply one another's knowledge in the classroom,” Louick stated. “The challenges facing special education are considerable, and we'll only meet them if we all work together.”

The evening concluded with the 2023-2024 Brehm Scholars showcasing their research through poster presentations. The scholars’ presentations provided attendees with a closer look at the innovative research conducted by EMU students who are dedicated to supporting students with disabilities.

About the Brehm Center
The Delores Soderquist Brehm Center for Special Education Scholarship and Research is housed within the Department of Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Education. Each year, 10 Scholars and two Fellows are selected from a pool of applicants. The Brehm Center is based on the two mutually supporting principles of transformational education of 1) research and 2) scholar/teacher/leader Development. The goal is to create special education/speech language pathology professionals and researchers whose focus is on understanding and exploring best practices for supporting people with disabilities. These individuals collaborate with families, people with disabilities, and educational or health care organizations to identify and share best practices, and ultimately transform services by way of their leadership in these organizations.