Neurodiversity Education Research Center

THE MISSION OF THE NEURODIVERSITY EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTER IS TO (CONT'D ON SCH O) EQUIP AND PREPARE STUDENTS FOR AN EMERGING 21ST CENTURY GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE. WE WILL ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION THROUGH RESEARCH-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES, HIGH-PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND SENSORY INTEGRATION INCLUDING BEHAVIORAL, SPEECH, AND OCCUPATIONAL SUPPORT.NERC WILL WORK TOWARD OUR BELIEF AND VISION THAT NEURODIVERSE INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM CAN BECOME SCIENTISTS. WE WILL ACHIEVE OUR VISION FOR NEURODIVERSE CHILDREN AND ADULTS BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACADEMIC, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL GROWTH THROUGH TEACHING AND LEARNING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS AND SUPPORTING EDUCATORS AND EMPLOYERS IN HELPING THEM BE SUCCESSFUL.

NEURODIVERSITY EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTER (NERC)., AN INNOVATIVE STEM MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL FOR NEURODIVERSE STUDENTS IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA, IS EXPANDING ITS MISSION AND IMPACT TO TRANSFORM THE EDUCATION AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS WITH AUTISM OR OTHER DIVERSE LEARNING AND THINKING STYLES. NERC WILL FOCUS ON INCREASING THE SUCCESSFUL PARTICIPATION OF NEURODIVERSE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS IN THE CLASSROOM AND SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH (STEM) WORKFORCE AND PROVIDE CRITICAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND INSIGHTS TO EDUCATORS, EMPLOYERS AND OTHERS INVESTED IN THEIR SUCCESS.WE ENVISION NERC AS AN ACCELERATION OF THE GOALS, STRATEGIES AND APPROACH OF NEURODIVERSITY EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTER.(CONT'D ON SCH O) THE SUCCESS OF SCIENCE PREP ACADEMY, A PRIVATE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL FOCUSED ON STEM, CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR 6TH-8TH GRADE STUDENTS WITH AUTISM, NOW IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, INSPIRED US TO CONSIDER NEW STRATEGIES AND PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE WITH AUTISM. OUR VITAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EXPERIENCE WITH NEURODIVERSE STUDENTS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY ARE PREPARED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL AND IN THE STEM WORKFORCE. NEURODIVERSE/AUTISTIC STUDENTS WHO WANT TO TRANSITION INTO THE STEM WORKFORCE BENEFIT FROM RESEARCH-BASED TEACHING STRATEGIES, CURRICULA, AND CAREER PREPARATION PROGRAMS. STEM TEACHING STRATEGIES AND WORKFORCE PREPARATION PROGRAMS EMBEDDED WITH SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SUPPORT REDUCES BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT, WHICH BENEFITS THE ECONOMY AND OUR COMMUNITY.NERC'S STRATEGIC PLAN AND ROADMAP DESCRIBES OUR APPROACH TO STRENGTHENING OUR OPERATIONS AND CAPACITY AND ESTABLISHING A PREMIER EDUCATION CENTER FOR HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCHED-BASED PRACTICES THAT EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT NEURODIVERSE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS TRANSITIONING INTO THE STEM WORKFORCE. WE SEEK PARTNERSHIP WITH ALLIES SUCH AS COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES AND OTHER EMPLOYERS, VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROVIDERS, STEM EDUCATION INSTITUTES, AND K-12 SCHOOLS IN ARIZONA AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.THE NEURODIVERSITY EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTER LIVES OUR VALUES, EQUITY, INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, POSITIVE THINKING, AND SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, IN THE WAY WE SUPPORT NEURODIVERSE INDIVIDUALS IN THE CLASSROOM AND PREPARE THEM FOR THE WORKFORCE.NERC IS AN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT RESEARCH CENTER DEDICATED TO IMPROVING ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR NEURODIVERGENT HUMANS. STAKEHOLDERS IN THE NEURODIVERSITY COMMUNITY RELY ON US TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT DEMAND AN OBJECTIVE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACHONE THAT INTEGRATES EXPERTISE ACROSS STEM EDUCATION, SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.