Grieving Student Visiting Lectureship

Bring free, expert training to your school of education.

 

 

The Problem

Most students will experience the death of a close family member or friend before they finish school. Many will carry that grief into the classroom every day, struggling to concentrate, to remember, to engage. 

Most teachers are never trained to handle it. When surveyed, teachers say that lack of training is the main reason they don’t reach out to grieving students to offer support. That gap has real consequences. Without proactive support from educators, temporary academic challenges can become permanent academic failure. 

 

The Solution

Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the Coalition to Support Grieving Students are partnering to offer a free Grieving Student Visiting Lectureship to selected schools of education. 

Selected schools receive: 

  • A nationally recognized expert speaker for a 1–2 day program 

  • Free educational materials from grievingstudents.org 

  • Consultation to help integrate this topic into coursework and ongoing programming 

The program can be delivered in person, remotely, or in a hybrid format. All presenter expenses, including travel, are covered. Host schools are not asked to pay any honoraria or fees. 

 

Who Can Apply

Applications are invited from schools of education at colleges and universities. A required element of all proposals is a significant focus on educators-in-training: undergraduate or graduate students preparing for careers in education. 

Proposals may also include faculty and staff, local school professionals, community members, and partners such as children’s bereavement centers or school-based grief support programs. 

Up to six schools will be selected. 

 

What Should Your Proposal Include

Your application will ask for: 

  • Basic applicant and institution information 

  • A brief overview of what you aim to achieve and why this topic matters for your school 

  • A proposed agenda, including preferred dates, program length, and format 

  • A description of your intended audience and how educators-in-training will be a primary focus 

  • A plan for promoting the event, tracking participation, and assessing impact 

  • A plan for incorporating grief support into your curriculum beyond the lectureship 

 

Download the full Call for Proposals

 

Selection Criteria 

Proposals will be reviewed based on: 

  • Infrastructure and coordination capacity: your ability to promote the event, track participation, and manage logistics 

  • Potential for impact: the number of educators-in-training you expect to reach and opportunities to partner with other programs 

  • Sustainability: a realistic plan for integrating this content into coursework and professional development beyond the lectureship 

 

How To Apply

 

Apply Here

 

Questions? 

Contact:
Jose Gomez, Center Administrator, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. 
Email: jogomez@chla.usc.edu
Phone: 1-877-53-NCSCB (1-877-536-2722)