Project INSPIRE

Project INSPIRE is a doctoral leadership preparation opportunity designed to provide individuals with the necessary skills and experiences to support the teachers, staff, and leaders in working with vulnerable and marginalized youth in residential and juvenile justice facilities. 

​Project INSPIRE will develop and graduate 4 scholars with the skills to improve the services of youth specifically in residential and juvenile justice facilities through the integration of systems, data, and practices and multi-tiered systems of support across academic, behavioral and social-emotional domains.  

Funding made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs #H325D190007

Meet our Fellows! 

Aimee Hackney 

Aimee Hackney’s research area is in infusing trauma-informed practices and social and emotional learning skills within tiered behavioral supports for students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders [EBD] in restrictive educational settings. Her research focus includes on enhancing Check in Check out Interventions with trauma-informed relationship building strategies between student and check-in/check-out facilitator  Allyson Pitzel 

Allyson Pitzel’s research area is emotional and behavioral disorders [EBD] and adapting tiered supports for use in residential and juvenile justice facilities. Her research foci are: a) combining self-regulation development strategy (SRSD) with instruction on self-determination skills to improve writing and reading and, b) implementing social-emotional and behavioral interventions to support transition back to less restrictive settings.
​
Ashley Virgin 

​Ashely Virgin’s research areas of focus and expertise include emotional regulation strategies for both youth and staff within juvenile justice and residential facilities. Empowering youth in juvenile justice and residential facilities to increase their resiliency, self-advocacy, and ability to make positive decisions through social emotional learning (SEL) curriculums and implementation is another research area of focus and expertise. Additionally, she has expertise in crisis de-escalation with the intent of reducing or eliminating restraint and seclusion within both alternative settings and more traditional K-12 settings.