Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded Texas A&M International University $287,314 to establish a graduate education degree program in autism.

“I applaud the lead that TAMIU is taking with this program because they are raising the bar and setting the standard on how best to address the needs of students with autism,” said Congressman Cuellar. “Once fully developed, this model program will be able to be used by other colleges and universities.”

With the funding, TAMIU will launch the Master’s Degree in Education Interventions with Autism program as early as January 2010, and its primary role will be to establish a model plan to evaluate teacher effectiveness with students. As part of the program, TAMIU will
design and implement a research-based Master’s Degree program, expand the current Autism Diagnostic Clinic to an Autism Interventions Center and develop a teacher quality evaluation model to use with candidates in the degree program.

“This funding will help us to respond to the overwhelming need for research-based instruction and training at the Master’s level for those teachers who serve children with autism. Autism is very much a part of our community and one of our most challenging arenas for both teachers and families. This support will help us serve that need with our collaborative Autism Intervention Center, a logical expansion of TAMIU’s existing Autism Diagnostic Clinic.”

The money comes under the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education that supports innovative projects to expand graduate-level programs at colleges and university with a high concentration of Hispanic American students.

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Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the U.S. House Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Government Oversight & Reform Committees in the 111th Congress. Accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development, and national security are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip and member of the Blue Dog Coalition.