scholarly journals Transforming Special Education Teacher Education: A Reaction to the Report Transforming Teacher Education through Clinical Practice: A National Strategy to Prepare Effective Teachers

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Newton ◽  
Michael J. Kennedy ◽  
Christine Walther-Thomas ◽  
Jake Cornett
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Effective Teachers ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Social Success ◽  
Achievement Data

Policy makers, university teacher education faculty, school leaders, and government officials are asking the same question: How do we recruit, prepare, and retain effective teachers who will produce desired student outcomes in every classroom? This complex question garners distinct opinions depending on the queried stakeholder, but most agree that significant improvement is needed in the processes of teacher preparation and induction (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Greer & Meyen, 2009; Sykes, Bird, & Kennedy, 2010; Wang, Odell, Klecka, Spalding, & Lin, 2010). An argument can be made that the need for improvement is most urgent within the field of special education teacher preparation (Brownell, Sindelar, Kiely, & Danielson, 2010; Piper, 2007; Pugach, Blanton, & Correa, 2011; Simonsen et al., 2010; Sindelar, Brownell, & Billingsley, 2010) . To illustrate, recent achievement data for students with disabilities provides striking evidence of the critical need for improvement in areas of literacy, graduation rates, and other postsecondary outcomes (e.g. National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2009; Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Levine, & Garza, 2006). There is substantial variability in the numerous factors that contribute to the struggles of students with exceptionalities on measures of academic and social success (see Skiba, Poloni-Staudinger, Simmons, Feggins-Azziz, & Chung, 2005; Wagner et al., 2006). Many complex factors influence a teacher's impact on student achievement, which leads to the need for us to continue to examine and reform our current models of teacher preparation. Thus, teacher educators and practitioners must continue to investigate and evaluate the effects of new and existing policies, programmatic structures, and individual practices on outcomes of interest and disseminate those findings. Although calls to reform teacher education and P-12 instruction for children with exceptionalities are not new (Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003), it is clear that new thinking is needed to overcome traditional barriers to academic and social success for individuals with exceptionalities. However, despite the critical need for improvement, teacher preparation models within special and general education largely remain fixed to traditional methods that reflect the status quo as opposed to evidence-based practice (Boyd, Grossman, Lankford, Loeb, & Wycoff, 2009; Brownell, Griffin, Leko, & Stephens, 2011; Sykes et al., 2010).

scholarly journals Transforming Special Education Teacher Education: A Reaction to the Report Transforming Teacher Education through Clinical Practice: A National Strategy to Prepare Effective Teachers

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Newton ◽  
Michael J. Kennedy ◽  
Christine Walther-Thomas ◽  
Jake Cornett
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Effective Teachers ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Social Success ◽  
Achievement Data

Policy makers, university teacher education faculty, school leaders, and government officials are asking the same question: How do we recruit, prepare, and retain effective teachers who will produce desired student outcomes in every classroom? This complex question garners distinct opinions depending on the queried stakeholder, but most agree that significant improvement is needed in the processes of teacher preparation and induction (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Greer & Meyen, 2009; Sykes, Bird, & Kennedy, 2010; Wang, Odell, Klecka, Spalding, & Lin, 2010). An argument can be made that the need for improvement is most urgent within the field of special education teacher preparation (Brownell, Sindelar, Kiely, & Danielson, 2010; Piper, 2007; Pugach, Blanton, & Correa, 2011; Simonsen et al., 2010; Sindelar, Brownell, & Billingsley, 2010) . To illustrate, recent achievement data for students with disabilities provides striking evidence of the critical need for improvement in areas of literacy, graduation rates, and other postsecondary outcomes (e.g. National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2009; Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Levine, & Garza, 2006). There is substantial variability in the numerous factors that contribute to the struggles of students with exceptionalities on measures of academic and social success (see Skiba, Poloni-Staudinger, Simmons, Feggins-Azziz, & Chung, 2005; Wagner et al., 2006). Many complex factors influence a teacher's impact on student achievement, which leads to the need for us to continue to examine and reform our current models of teacher preparation. Thus, teacher educators and practitioners must continue to investigate and evaluate the effects of new and existing policies, programmatic structures, and individual practices on outcomes of interest and disseminate those findings. Although calls to reform teacher education and P-12 instruction for children with exceptionalities are not new (Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003), it is clear that new thinking is needed to overcome traditional barriers to academic and social success for individuals with exceptionalities. However, despite the critical need for improvement, teacher preparation models within special and general education largely remain fixed to traditional methods that reflect the status quo as opposed to evidence-based practice (Boyd, Grossman, Lankford, Loeb, & Wycoff, 2009; Brownell, Griffin, Leko, & Stephens, 2011; Sykes et al., 2010).

Developing a Theory of Program Vision as Professional Socialization in Special Education Teacher Preparation

2021 ◽  
pp. 088840642110589
Author(s):  
Hannah Morris Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Professional Socialization ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities

In general education, researchers find candidates’ pre-service experiences are a tool for socialization into the knowledge, norms, and values of the profession. An important aspect of this process is program vision—the collective understanding of teaching put forth by a preparation program. Yet, few investigations in special education examine program vision. Using interviews with candidates across six teacher preparation programs, the author generates theory to understand the role of vision in special education teacher candidates’ professional socialization and how experiences of program vision are associated with their conceptions of their future roles and responsibilities. Candidates’ conception of special educators’ roles reflected three characterizations consistent within, but distinct across programs: Direct Instructor, Supportive Differentiator, and General Responder. Each profile was associated with unique roles and responsibilities for special educators. Findings draw attention to the importance of examining vision as a tool for professional socialization in special education teacher preparation.

Ethical Issues in General and Special Education Teacher Preparation: An Interface with Rural Education

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy M. Sileo ◽  
Thomas W. Sileo ◽  
Thomas B. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Rural Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Education Teacher

Teacher education may be the most important variable to ensure consideration of ethical issues in public schools. However, many teacher preparation programs may not equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to make moral judgments and decisions necessary to provide high quality education for all students. This article addresses ethical issues and practices that impact teacher education, their interface with rural education, and results of a national research study that assesses extent to which and how preservice teacher preparation programs attend to ethical issues. Survey results indicate that teaching about ethical and professional practices is important to teacher preparation, and yet, receives little emphasis in most programs. Key Words: Educational Equity, Ethics, Morality, Rural Education, Special Education, Teacher Preparation, and Values

Effective Pedagogical Practices in Inclusive Classrooms for Students With Disabilities

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-60
Author(s):  
Rashmi Khazanchi ◽  
Pankaj Khazanchi
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Teacher ◽  
High Quality Standard

Inclusive education means educating students with special needs in an age-appropriate general education setting where students receive high-quality, standard-based instructions, interventions, and support that enable them to experience success in the general education classroom. Effective pedagogical practices involve the collaboration of both special education teacher and general education teacher to identify and implement effective teaching practices which enhance student engagement and promote higher-order thinking skills. Special education teacher supports the general education teacher in adapting curriculum and teaching methods, modifying assessments, and providing accommodations to students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Effective pedagogical practices are affected by teacher's belief; students' disabilities; and their roles and responsibilities towards the students with disabilities. This chapter examines previous researches and studies that investigate effective pedagogical practices in inclusive classrooms for students with disabilities.

scholarly journals Critical Skills for Special Educator Effectiveness: Which Ones Matter Most, and to Whom?

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara B. Woolf
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Teacher Effectiveness ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
Education And Employment

Special education teachers are expected to fulfill diverse teaching and nonteaching tasks in comparison to their general education peers. However, their performance is evaluated with measures that were normed for use with general education teachers. These specialty teachers are also routinely evaluated by professionals who may lack formal special education training or experience. These conditions render special educators vulnerable for inaccurate performance evaluation. Explicit research is needed to clarify the professional skills that are most critical to special educators’ professional effectiveness and ensure continuity of focus on these skills in preservice teacher education and employment contexts. This qualitative study builds on an earlier empirical investigation that demonstrated consensus among three sets of professionals that the standards developed by Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) represented skills that are critical for special education teacher effectiveness. The current study describes which skill domains were identified as critical for special education teacher effectiveness across participant groups and those that reflected distinct groups’ perspectives. Implications for future research are presented relative to strategies to more clearly articulate special education teacher expertise and ways to strengthen continuity across preservice special education teacher education and in-service professional development contexts.

High Fidelity Co-Teaching Through Collaboration, Varied Co-Teaching Models, and Differentiated Teaching Strategies

2022 ◽  
pp. 67-92
Author(s):  
Randa Keeley
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Special Education Services ◽  
Education Services ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Curriculum ◽  
School Day ◽  
Inclusion Classroom

Co-teaching is a service delivery option for students receiving special education services that is characterized by the presence of both a general education and special education teacher providing support in an inclusive classroom. A co-taught classroom can provide access to the general education curriculum to students with disabilities while they are simultaneously being supported by a special education teacher. The inclusion classroom, a classroom in which both students with and without disabilities are instructed, has been suited with the task of upholding the protections put in place by legislation for students with disabilities. A large number of students receiving special education services (64%, approximately 4,600,000) are placed in the general education, inclusion classroom 80-100% of the school day. This chapter will explore the implementation of excellent instructional practices in the inclusion classroom setting to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

An Overview of Disability Identification and Special Education Teacher Preparation in Cuba

2020 ◽  
pp. 105345122091489
Author(s):  
Alexandra Shelton ◽  
Jerae Kelly ◽  
Xiomara Sánchez Valdés
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Global Perspectives ◽  
Disability Identification

The conclusion of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 ushered in extensive changes to education in Cuba. One such substantial change was the formal establishment of special education in 1962. Since then, Cuba has maintained a national commitment to the education and inclusion of students with disabilities. However, education professionals in the United States remain largely unaware of these efforts. This Global Perspectives column presents a brief historical overview of Cuban special education as well as describes current special education practices that relate to identifying and serving students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders and special education teacher preparation.

Music Teacher Preparation for Teaching Children With Exceptionalities

2019 ◽  
pp. 543-557
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Hourigan ◽  
Alice M. Hammel
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Music Teacher Preparation ◽  
Working Together

This chapter examines a framework for special education teacher preparation within music teacher education. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, as of the 2013–2014 academic year, 6.5 million students representing 13% of all public school children qualify for special education services. This was an increase from 4.7 million, or 11%, in 1990–1991. Music education and special education share similar challenges with teacher preparation. Finding, preparing, and developing a qualified workforce in special education presents one of the field’s biggest challenges. The first logical place to examine pathways to successful preparation for music teachers is the literature focused on teacher preparation in special education. Brownell (2005) proposes a framework for special education teacher preparation that includes crafting impactful field experiences, working together (collaboration), examining outcomes of teacher education, and focusing on inclusion and cultural diversity.

The Special Education Teacher Pipeline: Teacher Preparation, Workforce Entry, and Retention

2021 ◽  
pp. 001440292110101
Author(s):  
Roddy J. Theobald ◽  
Dan D. Goldhaber ◽  
Natsumi Naito ◽  
Marcy L. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Setting ◽  
Licensure Programs

We used data on the student teaching placements, degrees, teaching credentials, and workforce outcomes of more than 1,300 graduates of special education teacher education programs in Washington to provide a descriptive portrait of specific measures of special education teacher preparation and their relationships with workforce entry and early-career retention. Although rates of workforce entry and retention for these special education candidates were high, we documented considerably lower rates of entry into and retention in special education teaching positions for candidates who hold a dual endorsement in special education and another subject. These patterns have potential implications for the state’s new dual-endorsement requirement and for dual-licensure programs more broadly. Student teaching with a cooperating teacher who is endorsed in special education was also associated with a higher likelihood of becoming a special education teacher, even when controlling for whether the placement was in a special or general education setting.

Effective Pedagogical Practices in Inclusive Classrooms for Students With Disabilities

2022 ◽  
pp. 397-414
Author(s):  
Rashmi Khazanchi ◽  
Pankaj Khazanchi
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Teacher ◽  
High Quality Standard

Inclusive education means educating students with special needs in an age-appropriate general education setting where students receive high-quality, standard-based instructions, interventions, and support that enable them to experience success in the general education classroom. Effective pedagogical practices involve the collaboration of both special education teacher and general education teacher to identify and implement effective teaching practices which enhance student engagement and promote higher-order thinking skills. Special education teacher supports the general education teacher in adapting curriculum and teaching methods, modifying assessments, and providing accommodations to students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Effective pedagogical practices are affected by teacher's belief; students' disabilities; and their roles and responsibilities towards the students with disabilities. This chapter examines previous researches and studies that investigate effective pedagogical practices in inclusive classrooms for students with disabilities.

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