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John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), has announced the appointment of Alexa Posny as the director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) effective April 17, 2006. Troy Justesen had been serving as acting director of OSEP since May 9, 2005.
Since 2001, Posny has served as the deputy commissioner of education in the Kansas State Department of Education. In this position, she was responsible for the overall operations of the Learning Services Division, leading and supervising the delivery of services for school districts and teacher-preparation institutions. These services included: school improvement and accreditation; licensure and teacher education; state and federal education programs; special education and technical education; and planning and research.
Posny began her career as a teacher of students with emotional and learning disabilities. Prior to her appointment as deputy commissioner, she served as the state director of special education for the Kansas State Department of Education. During her career, Posny has been a director of special education in school districts in Kansas, Wisconsin and Illinois, and the director of curriculum and instruction at the Title I Technical Assistance Center in Kansas. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Kansas. Posny holds a doctorate in educational administration with a minor in special education, as well as a master's degree in behavioral disabilities from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She also holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.
The Office of Special Education Programs is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) authorizes formula grants to states, and discretionary grants to institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, technology and personnel development and parent-training and information centers.
For more information, visit OSEP's Web site or contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, by e-mail at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext.4159.
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