From 2013 to 2019, the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education offered a one-of-a-kind fellowship program training future leaders in the field of education. Fellows were immersed in a full-time, interdisciplinary, mentored program centered on the neuroscience of learning, principles of behavior change, school law, and methods of scientific and educational inquiry.

Beginning in the summer of 2021, the Center will embark on a new training model that will allow the Center to reach a greater number of educators per-year and enhance the field to a greater degree. In partnership with the University of Maryland College of Education, the Center will be offering a new graduate certificate which will provide educators with a unique interdisciplinary teacher education experience to equip them to meet the needs of students with intensive behavioral needs. Educators who enroll in this one-year blended learning program will work with behavioral psychologists, neuropsychologists, hospital-school liaisons, and professional learning experts as well as University of Maryland Special Education faculty to learn about neurodevelopment and the science of behavior change as well as school law and policy and methods for shifting instructional practices as the school level. Students will also gain interdisciplinary experiences through field experiences hosted at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Supporting Children with Intensive Behavior Needs Graduate Certificate

The Center for Innovation and Leadership at Kennedy Krieger Institute, in partnership with the University of Maryland College of Education, is pleased to offer a new Certificate program which will equip educators to meet the needs of students with intensive behavior needs within various K-12 settings. This blended learning program includes online courses taught by a combination of Kennedy Krieger Institute and University of Maryland Faculty and include on-site experiences at the Kennedy Krieger Institute to provide educators with interdisciplinary experiences and foster connection between developmental medicine and K-12 education.

This program is designed for educators who work with students with intense behavioral needs and who wish to increase their skills while they continue to work.

Graduate Certificate Courses:

Fall 2021

EDSP 613: Principles of Behavior Management (Online)

EDSP 402: Field Placement Severe Disabilities I (at Kennedy Krieger Institute)


Spring 2022

EDSP 610: Neurodevelopment and Disability for Educators with Lab (Blended; Course work online, Lab at Kennedy Krieger Institute)


Summer Term 1, 2022

EDUC 645: Leading Instructional Improvements (Online)

EDUC 689: Practicum in Educational Administration and Supervision (Blended)


Summer Term 2, 2022

EDSP 675: Special Education Law and Policy – 3 credits (Summer Term 2, 2021)


The application process is open online for applicants. Students will be admitted on a rolling basis until August 10, 2021.

Apply Today