Minnesota State Mankato Special Education, School Psychology Graduate Programs Awarded $1.25 Million Training Grant | Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Minnesota State Mankato Special Education, School Psychology Graduate Programs Awarded $1.25 Million Training Grant
News and Events
Minnesota State Mankato Special Education, School Psychology Graduate Programs Awarded $1.25 Million Training Grant
October 29, 2025 | News Story
Mankato, Minn. –
Minnesota State University, Mankato’s graduate programs in special education and school psychology were recently awarded a five-year $1.25 million training grant by the U.S. Department of Education’s
Office of Special Education Programs
The training grant will fund Project LEAP-IT (Leaders in Education promoting Academic achievement and Positive behavior through Interdisciplinary Training) at Minnesota State Mankato.
Project LEAP-IT extends the work funded by a five-year $1.20 million grant awarded in 2022 to Minnesota State Mankato by the U.S. Department of Education for
Project PASS-IT
PASS-IT trained special education teachers and school psychologists to lead collaborative efforts to use current evidence-based practices that maximize the academic achievement of students who have high-intensity needs, including students with specific learning disabilities (SLD).
LEAP-IT will extend the work with an increased emphasis on behavioral assessment and intervention and the reciprocal relationship between behavioral difficulties and poor academic outcomes. LEAP-IT will also address best practice in the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom to maximize benefits for both students and educators.
LEAP-IT is led by principal investigator
Dana Wagner
, a faculty member from Minnesota State Mankato’s Department of Special Education, along with co-principal investigators and faculty members
Alexandra Hilt-Panahon
(Special Education),
Kiersten Hensley
(Special Education) and
Shawna Petersen-Brown
(School Psychology).
During the course of the five-year grant period, Project LEAP-IT will provide funding for 36 students to earn master’s degrees. For more information about the grant, contact Dana Wagner by email at
dana.wagner@mnsu.edu
Minnesota State Mankato’s
Department of Special Education
is part of the University’s
College of Education
, while the
School Psychology Doctoral Program
is part of the
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,721 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 26 colleges and seven universities.
Categories: News Story
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