CEC-DR Council for Exceptional Children Division of Research

The Division for Research of the Council for Exceptional Children is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Coyne is the recipient of the 2008 Early Career Research Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding scientific contributions in special education, in basic and/or applied research, within the first 10 years following receipt of the doctoral degree. The award, co sponsored by the Donald D. Hammill Foundation, includes $1000 presented at the DR reception at the 2008 CEC Annual Convention and an invited presentation at the CEC convention the following year.

Associate Professor at the Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Dr. Coyne received his Ph.D. in 2001 from the University of Oregon. He was a special education teacher for several years before completing his doctoral degree. The nominators and award committee members were impressed with the depth, breadth, and quality of his scholarship and the impact his work has had on the field of special education. He is the author of 14 refereed journal articles, 8 book chapters and 1 book, with a second book in development. He is also co-director of two research projects currently funded by the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. His work has focused primarily on literacy and literacy instruction. He has examined the efficacy and durability of early reading intervention, and the integration of shared book reading and explicit vocabulary instruction for students with reading difficulties in the primary grades. As noted by Dr. John Lloyd, University of Virginia, “three things are particularly impressive regarding his research: the methodological rigor, the breadth of questions asked, and the importance of the topics he chooses to study.” Dr. Lloyd concluded by noting that, “we wish we had him here, and you do too.” Dr. Coyne has also made substantial contributions to the translation of research into practice in the field of special education and has served as mentor and collaborator with numerous students. As Dr. Russell Gersten, Instructional Research Group, stated, “Dr. Coyne epitomizes the qualities of an exceptional early career researcher, and indeed, represents the future of the field.”