Adjunct Faculty Play Pivotal Role in Cal Poly’s Special Education Program

In describing the impact and importance of both Megan Best and Billy Hanna to the Cal Poly Special Education Program, Coordinator Mike Ruef described  Best and Hanna as “successful and positive role models who have drawn countless prospective students to our program. They have a passion and an energy that is contagious. They are living examples of what we want our candidates to become.”

Megan Best

Megan Best (M.A., Education and Special Education Teaching Credential, 2006) has taught students with disabilities in the Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) for eight years. Parents, colleagues and administrators all recognize Best's ability to successfully deliver differentiated instruction to children with complex learning needs, including children with autism and challenging behaviors. She has also contributed to Cal Poly’s special education program in countless ways, including serving as a mentor teacher and teaching a range of courses in the Integrated Credential/M.A. Program. During the 2013-14 academic year, Best played a vital role when she assumed key duties in curriculum development and candidate supervision both in schools and in the Autism Inquiry Project.

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Billy Hanna (M.A., Education and Special Education Teaching Credential, 2008) currently works as a resource specialist at Georgia Brown Elementary School in Paso Robles, Calif. Hanna has received numerous awards for his tireless work on behalf of children with disabilities, including the school district's Golden Apple Award in 2009, the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center's Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2009, and the California Association of Resource Specialists and Special Educators' Diana Blackman Transition Planning Award in 2010. Hanna has also given back to Cal Poly’s Integrated M. A in Education/ Special Education Teaching Credential Program by serving as an instructor in numerous courses and mentoring fieldwork candidates. Hanna has been instrumental in organizing trips to conferences for special education program candidates for several years running.

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School of Education
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
805.756.2126
soe@calpoly.edu