Chapman Initiatives Focus on Equity for People With Disabilities

Chapman University has earned important new support for its interdisciplinary work to promote public policies that improve the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities. That extraordinary support comes from two Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grants totaling more than half a million dollars.

Chapman’s Thompson Policy Institute will use the first grant of $420,000 to support the California Teacher Residency Lab. Chapman is partnered with the University of Kansas, the University of Florida and the California State University Chancellor’s Office on this project. In addition, TPI developed the Active Education Webinar Series during COVID-19.

This series, made possible with the support of the foundation, enabled TPI to support pre-service teachers in fulfilling teaching credential clinical hours when schools closed last spring. TPI is continuing the successful series this fall with four additional webinars and a professional learning community.

TPI has also started developing a proposal to operate an education center named California Educator Preparation Innovation Center (Cal EPIC) with the support of a $250,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.