Are Paraprofessionals Being Hired to Replace Special Educators? A Study of Paraprofessional Employment

2021 ◽  
pp. 001440292110625
Author(s):  
Tiffany L. Fisher ◽  
Paul T. Sindelar ◽  
Dennis Kramer ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
State Level ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Educational Placements

Special education teacher employment began to decline in 2006, concurrent with increased paraprofessional employment. At the same time, the prevalence of students with disabilities in several categories changed substantially, and the proportion of students being served in general education settings increased as well. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the decline in special education teacher employment was related to increased paraprofessional employment, and if the increase in paraprofessional employment was related to shifts in the composition of students with disabilities, educational placements, or more general state-level factors. We created a panel dataset for 2006–2015 and analyzed these relationships using a two-way fixed effects model. We found that, although changes in paraprofessional employment were unrelated to changes in special educator employment, they were related to changes in the prevalence of students with autism spectrum disorder. In addition, states with larger populations and higher K12 expenditures employed more paraprofessionals.

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 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).

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.

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.

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.

Backtalk: Why no safety drills for students with disabilities?

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Perrodin
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Safety ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
School Administrator ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Safety Procedures

When students with disabilities are excluded from school safety drills, they are left woefully unprepared for any and all kinds of emergencies, says David Perrodin, a former special education teacher and school administrator. Perrodin considers the arguments against including these students in safety drills and enjoins school leaders to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to learn safety procedures.

scholarly journals Co-Teaching: A Simple Solution That Isn't Simple After All

2008 ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Marilyn Friend
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Common Planning Time ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Teacher ◽  
Professional Educators ◽  
Common Planning ◽  
The Many

Among the many programs that professional educators are developing to better help their increasingly diverse students reach their potential, co-teaching is emerging as an innovative and potentially effective approach. As a way to ensure that students with disabilities or other special needs have access to the same curriculum as other students and the opportunity to succeed in the general education setting, co-teaching occurs when two professionals, typically a general education teacher and a special education teacher or another specialist, partner in delivering instruction. Although the research base on co-teaching is still emerging, it suggests that co-teaching is far more complex to effectively implement than it might seem at first consideration. Challenges to co-teaching that have been identified and must be addressed include: arranging time for co-planning, building positive working relationships between co-teaching partners, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and ensuring administrative support. When creative strategies for arranging common planning time, building understanding and collaboration between co-teachers, planning and delivering instruction, and enlisting principal and other administrative supports are implemented, the potential of co-teaching for improving student outcomes is significant.

Teacher and Video Modeling: A Survey of Use and Perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaylee S. Wynkoop ◽  
Teresa A. Cardon ◽  
Nathan E. Kruis ◽  
Paul M. Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Video Modeling ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Use

The current study investigated special education teacher use of and perspectives on video modeling (VM) interventions to improve skills of students with disabilities using survey methodology. To date, no studies were found that explicitly examine teachers’ use of and perspectives on VM. The primary purpose of this study was to estimate the number of teachers using VM and to begin to identify where, with whom, and with what types of skills have been targeted via VM. Further, we identified possible barriers that hinder or prevent teachers from implementing VM. Results showed that only 26.1% of participants reported using VM with a student and the most commonly reported barriers included lack of training, access to necessary resources, and time to create videos. Findings may be used to guide future research on ways to make VM implementation easier and more manageable for teachers.

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