Awards

ACRES currently offers the following national awards:

  • Exemplary Rural Special Education Program Award
  • Special Educator of the Year Award
  • Research Proposal of the Year Award NEW!

Exemplary Rural Special Education Program Award
There are eight Exemplary Rural Special Education Program Award categories. We award up to eight awards per year. The categories are:
 
CATEGORY 1: Preservice/Inservice Training
CATEGORY 2: Infant and Early Childhood Intervention
CATEGORY 3: Vocational Training and Transition
CATEGORY 4: Interagency Collaboration
CATEGORY 5: Services to Persons with Disabilities In The Least Restrictive Environment
CATEGORY 6: Cross-Cultural Services
CATEGORY 7: Educational Technology
CATEGORY 8: Research and Evaluation Nomination forms: * Exemplary Program Nomination Form [ONLINE] NOW AVAILABLE!

Outstanding Special Educator Award Nomination forms: * Special Educator of the Year Nomination Form [ONLINE] NOW AVAILABLE!

Research Proposal Award Nomination
Annually, the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) provides a $500 award to a graduate student proposing completion of thesis or dissertation research relevant to delivery of services to persons with disabilities in rural areas in the United States. In addition to the $500 award, the recipient of the award is provided with a one year membership to ACRES and receives free registration to the ACRES National Conference the year after receiving the award (the awardee is required to present research outcomes at this conference). Selection of the award winner will be made on the overall quality of their proposal, relevance to rural special education and the potential impact of the research upon completion. This award is delivered annually at the ACRES National Conference held in March. To be eligible for the ACRES Research Proposal of the Year Award, an applicant must:

  • Demonstrate that they are currently a graduate student
  • Demonstrate that the proposed thesis or dissertation research relevant to persons with disabilities in a rural area has been accepted. (A signed letter on department letterhead from the student's committee chair verifying acceptance of proposal is sufficient).
  • Complete the following online form detailing key elements of their proposal (hot link)
  • Upload a copy of Vita (hot link)
  • Upload an electronic copy of your full proposal. Proposal should be double-spaced and should not exceed 30-pages, including references.

 
The full proposal should include the following sections: (a) Rationale for the study, including a brief summary of relevant literature; (b) Purpose or problem statement; (c) research questions or objectives; (c) Methodology, including research design, measures, procedures and data analysis; (d) Hypothesized findings; (e) potential of proposed research to positively affect research, policy, and practice relating to rural special education.
 
APPLICATION PROCESS
Completed applications must be received by February 15. Application forms: * Research Proposal of the Year Nomination Form [ONLINE] NOW AVAILABLE
For more information on any of the ACRES national awards, please contact Cathy Keramidas:
E-mail: cathy.keramidas@mail.wvu.edu