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Faculty |
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Elaine Beason, Ed.D. Professor
of Special Education Phone:
903-233-3035 Fax:
903-223-3120 |
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Dr. Beason loves teaching at
A&M-Texarkana because of the students and the size of classes. She is very enthusiastic about the field of
education as being the most important profession because "it makes people
what and who they become." She
often remarks that she is, "Hooked on Special Education" and that
about sums up her dedication to the field. Dr. Beason brings 36 years in the field
of education and an extensive counseling background to the special education
program at A&M-Texarkana. She is a licensed professional counselor
and certified public school counselor. She has a wealth of experience in
working with families and children, students with disabilities and their
families, as well as students who are gifted and talented. Additionally, Dr.
Beason holds 10 certifications in Texas that qualify her to teach courses in
special education, educational diagnostician, and counseling. As an experienced Texas Special Educator, Educational Diagnostician, Counselor, and Teacher Educator, Dr. Beason serves on state committees that develop standards and examinations for certification. Her current research on emotional intelligence applies to teachers, adolescents and children. Dr. Beason brings this research into her courses, which brings her students into the “cutting edge” of education. In 2002, Dr. Beason was honored by the A&M-Texarkana Alumni Association with the Distinguished Faculty Award. Students frequently say that she is a most caring, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic educator and that they hope to be just like her. |
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Marty Harris, Ph.D. Associate
Professor of Special Education Phone:
903-233-3036 Fax:
903-223-3120 |
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Dr.
Harris has 18 years of public school teaching experience in special education
and general education. She taught all age levels of special education from
early childhood to adolescence in several types of special education delivery
systems such as, resource class, self-contained class, collaborative teaching
within general education classes, and inclusive settings. Dr.
Harris has taught in both rural and urban settings across five states and has
attended twelve different universities and colleges. At Illinois State
University she completed a bachelors degree in elementary and special
education (developmental disabilities). At Xavier University, she completed a
masters degree in special education (emotional disabilities and learning
disabilities). Her doctoral studies were at the University of Arizona in
special education (early childhood and learning disabilities) with a minor in
teacher education. Dr. Harris’ courses are all "web-enriched" which means there are course websites designed specifically to enhance the traditional "face-to-face" instruction. She states that she learned technology the hard way and aims to make it easy for A&M-Texarkana students by infusing technology into SPED courses. After 25 years of teaching, she still looks forward to the start of every school year, every semester, every class, and every teaching day! |
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Carmelyn Bragiel is the Director of Special Populations and
Federal Programs at Texarkana ISD. She has extensive experience in the area
of dyslexia programs, Content Mastery and Resource teaching. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from
the University of Illinois. Additionally, she has two graduate degrees:
Masters of Education in Educational Administration from A&M-Texarkana and
a Masters in Education from Fresno Pacific University. |
Cheryl Carpenter has been an Educational
Consultant at Region VIII particularly addressing Inclusion. She has a B.S. from Baptist Christian University,
Shreveport, LA and a masters degree from the University of Texas at
Tyler. She taught special education for 3rd -5th grade for 8 years. Her
expertise is in brain-based learning and inclusion strategies and techniques. |
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Janis
McClure is currently a Special
Education Behavior/Autism Consultant for Region 8 Education Service Center.
She has been in this position for 11 years. Janis has a B.S. in
Psychology from LSU-Shreveport, a M.A. in Counseling from Louisiana Tech
University and an additional 60 graduate hours in School Psychology, also
from LSU-S. |
Dr. Mikki Perry is a licensed specialist
in school psychology who has both teaching and counseling experience. Her
Ph.D. in Christian Counseling is from Louisiana Baptist University. She has
two graduate degrees: Masters in Counseling Psychology from Mary Hardin
Baylor University and a Masters in School Administration from
A&M-Kingsville. Her B.S. degree is in curriculum and instruction from
A&M-College Station. |
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Agnes Tirrito received a Bachelor of Science degree in
Elementary and Special Education at East Texas State University,
Texarkana in 1984. She has endorsements in Kindergarten, Early
Childhood, and Mental Retardation. She completed a Masters of
Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in
English at Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2000. She has 22 years
of teaching experience in first, second, third, and fourth grades. She
has also been a special education teacher for grades 1-3. She has
presented workshops on teaching strategies at the campus, district, and
regional level. She was selected Regional Teacher of the Year for the
state of Texas in 2002-03. |
Marth Vincent is a Best Practices expert in the field of mild,
moderate, and severe disabilities with 25 years hands-on classroom
experience. She is currently employed as the Low Incidence Disabilities
Special Education Consultant for Region VIII Education Service Center. She
holds a B.S. in Elementary ED, and SPED, from University of Houston and a
masters in Curriculum and Assessment from Texas Wesleyan University, Fort
Worth TX. |