Teacher holds up picture to student

Gaske Gives Gift for Future Special Ed Teachers

Ellen Gaske

After more than 40 years in the special education field, Dr. Ellen Gaske ’75, knows how important it is that teachers have the right training.

“When I came out of school, I was fortunate to feel like I had a really good understanding of special education and it’s evolved over the years,” she said. “I want to see it continue for the future teachers.”

To help support that need, she and her husband, Paul Gaske, a 1976 graduate of the Clark School of Engineering and member of their Board of Visitors, have made a generous gift to the University of Maryland College of Education. The Ellen Gaske Scholarship will help students who are planning to become special education teachers pay for college.

“There’s such a shortage of teachers in general, but special education in particular,” she said.

The gift will help multiple students based on eligibility criteria. Dr. Gaske and her husband formed the Paul and Ellen Gaske Foundation. The foundation supports a number of education-related initiatives, but this is their first collaboration with the College of Education.

She always knew special education was her calling. As a child with chronic severe ear infections, she experienced intermittent hearing loss, which affected her early education. “Over time, I improved, but realized that accommodations and “specialized instruction” was what I needed,” she said. Dr. Gaske also has a first cousin who has severe cognitive limitations due to Down Syndrome. “I saw what my aunt and uncle went through back then trying to get help,” she said. “So, I decided to pursue special education based on personal experience and a desire to help others.”

After receiving her bachelor’s at Maryland in a dual certification in general and special education in 1975, Dr. Gaske worked in the Howard County Public School System for 23 years, earning her master’s and doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins University in 1977 and 1991, respectively. She began as a resource room teacher, eventually moving into supervisory positions, before being part of the team that launched High Road Academy, which are specializing in remedial programs tailored to students with severe reading disabilities.

“I’ve always had a real passion for helping students with reading issues,” she said.

High Road Academy later became Specialized Education Services, Inc., and was absorbed by Catapult Learning, in 2014. Dr. Gaske serves as senior vice president, academics, for Catapult Learning, coordinating academic programs in all participating schools. She spearheads research and development of web-based programming and is responsible for coordinating specialized educational interventions.

“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to make sure our teachers have the tools and the training to be able to be successful with all of our students, so they know how to do proper diagnosis, they know how to affect the best outcomes,” she said. “It really comes down to the special ed teacher—they have to be the ones to pull it off. If they’re not equipped, we’re not doing a good service.”

Photo courtesy of Ellen Gaske.

A version of this article originally appeared in Endeavors Summer 2019 issue, the College of Education's alumni magazine.