The Wyoming Collaborative Mentorship Academy: A Field-based Program for Certifying Fully Qualified Special Education Teachers in a Rural State

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth S. Simpson ◽  
Dorothy Jean Yocom ◽  
H. Timothy Blum
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
The State ◽  
Alternative Route ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Rural State

The purpose of Wyoming Collaborative Mentorship Academy (WCMA) is to provide school districts in Wyoming with an alternative route to certification for teachers who are currently teaching out of field in special education. The WCMA is a program designed to meet the needs of the students with disabilities in the state by providing a program which will increase the number of highly qualified and certified special educators, trained mentors, and administrators.

Special Educators Who Teach Health Education

1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Ellery ◽  
Judith Rabak-Wagener ◽  
Richard D. Stacy
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
The State ◽  
Educational Practices ◽  
Education Services ◽  
Health Education Services

Current educational practices indicate that an increasing number of students with disabilities may now be receiving health education services through specialist health education teachers instead of special education teachers. In this survey, we explored the extent to which special education teachers in the state of nebraska taught health education to students with disabilities and how prepared they felt they were to teach in this area. Results of the study showed that almost one third of the special education teachers responding to the survey taught health education to students with disabilities but also indicated that many of these teachers did not perceive themselves as being adequately prepared or confident in their ability to address health education issues related to students with disabilities. Further research and curriculum development for teaching health to students with disabilities are recommended.

From Caring to Cared For

2019 ◽  
pp. 102-117
Author(s):  
Lindsey A. Chapman ◽  
Chelsea T. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Retention ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Practical Application

Special educators dedicate their careers to caring for one of the most vulnerable and historically marginalized populations of students despite often working in environments that do little to reciprocate this care. Amidst an ever-changing education landscape, special education teachers are becoming increasingly stressed, experiencing burnout at alarming rates, and far too frequently leaving the field altogether. In this chapter, caring school leadership is examined in the context of special education. The authors seek to bridge a theoretical stance with practical application to the field. Three necessary conditions for caring are discussed and specific “transactions of care” are recommended. The chapter concludes by upholding the idea that ensuring special educators feel cared for by school leaders has the potential to mitigate issues of poor working conditions, teacher retention, and consequently, promote positive outcomes for students with disabilities.

Visual Representation in Mathematics: Special Education Teachers’ Knowledge and Emphasis for Instruction

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delinda van Garderen ◽  
Amy Scheuermann ◽  
Apryl Poch ◽  
Mary M. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Visual Representations ◽  
K 12

The use of visual representations (VRs) in mathematics is a strongly recommended practice in special education. Although recommended, little is known about special educators’ knowledge of and instructional emphasis about VRs. Therefore, in this study, the authors examined special educators’ own knowledge of and their instructional emphasis with VRs in mathematics for students with disabilities (SWDs) in Grades K-12. A total of 146 teachers (pre- and in-service) responded to an online survey. A mixed methods triangulation research design was utilized. Findings include the following: (a) teachers hold conceptions about VRs and the roles they serve in problem solving; their ideas, however, lack depth and are narrow in perspective; (b) what teachers emphasize about VRs to SWDs tends to match their own conceptions, but the explanations they provide for SWDs need expanding and refinement; and (c) given their narrow conceptions, VRs may be limited to a peripheral role in special educators’ instruction.

NCLB and the Demand for Highly Qualified Teachers: Challenges and Solutions for Rural Schools

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary T. Brownell ◽  
Anne M. Bishop ◽  
Paul T. Sindelar
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Teacher Shortages ◽  
Teacher Supply ◽  
Teacher Supply And Demand

Teacher shortages in special education have been a source of longstanding concern for professionals and parents involved in the education of students with disabilities. Because of their geographic location, culture, and lack of resources, rural administrators have always struggled to staff their schools with qualified special education teachers. No Child Left Behind and its definition of highly qualified teacher present new challenges to rural district administrators attempting to secure adequate numbers of special education teachers. In this paper, we outline the challenges rural administrators face in reducing special education teacher shortages, present strategies being used nationally and regionally to reduce strategies, and critique those strategies. We conclude our paper by advocating for a more comprehensive approach to solving teacher supply and demand problems, one that is driven by personnel data.

Special Education Attrition in the State of Utah: Rural vs. Urban School Districts

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Anne Prater ◽  
Temma Harris ◽  
Lane Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
School Psychologists ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Urban School Districts ◽  
State Office ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Education Personnel ◽  
Special Education Personnel

Critical shortages of special educators in the U.S. are not new. Approximately 1.1% of all U.S. special education positions have remained unfilled for the last five years (Boe, 2006). The authors were commissioned by the Utah State Office of Education to collect data on special education personnel, including special education teachers, school psychologists and speech language pathologists. This study compared all Utah rural and urban special education personnel who left their districts during the combined school years of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Results reveal that rural special education personnel left their positions at a significantly lower rate than is to be expected. Similarities and differences among special education leavers in rural and urban districts as well as their reasons for leaving are discussed.

scholarly journals A Survey of School Administrators’ Training and Support Related to Evaluating Special Education Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janelle E. Rodl ◽  
Wes Bonifay ◽  
Rebecca A. Cruz ◽  
Sarah Manchanda
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Job Functions ◽  
Training And Support

School administrators are often responsible for observing and evaluating special education teachers. The current study examined the training school administrators received, their needed knowledge and supports, and their confidence in performing job functions related to special education teacher evaluation. A total of 929 school administrators in California completed a 26-item survey in which they reported the training they had received, the usefulness of the training for informing practice, and the confidence they felt in evaluating special educators. Results indicated that most school administrators did not have a background in special education, did not receive training related to evaluating special educators, and felt less confident evaluating special educators than general educators. School administrators, especially those without a background in special education, may need more training and support related to evaluating special education teachers during preparation and in the early years of administration. Training and support should focus on evidence-based practices for teaching- ing students with disabilities.

Rural Special Education Teachers' Knowledge and Use of Telecomputer Networks1

1996 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Ron Nelson ◽  
Flint Simonsen ◽  
Karen Michaelson
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Student Access ◽  
Teacher Use

This study investigates rural special education teachers' knowledge and use of telecomputer networks and telecomputer resources. Specifically, special educators from 173 rural school districts were surveyed regarding: (a) their familiarity with and use of telecomputer networks; (b) teacher use of resources available on telecomputer networks; (c) student access to telecomputing resources, and (d) obstacles to using telecomputer networks. The results of the survey indicate that telecomputer networks and telecomputer resources are not utilized relative to their potential. The implications of the results are discussed.

Special Education Faculty Positions Advertised from 1991 to 1997: Reflective of Current Practices?

2000 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Eichinger ◽  
June Downing ◽  
Kelly Evans ◽  
Amy Feck ◽  
Robert Ike
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Faculty Positions ◽  
Job Advertisements ◽  
General Education Classrooms

As inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms becomes more common, it is important for special education teachers to have the necessary skills and competencies to meet the needs of a heterogeneous group of students, some of whom may have severe disabilities. Given this need, it is imperative that institutions of higher education have faculty who can prepare future special educators to be successful in inclusive environments. The purpose of this study was to examine advertisements in The Chronicle of Higher Education to determine the demand for faculty positions from 1991 to 1997, particularly those related to severe disabilities, inclusive practices, and cross-categorical teacher preparation. Results indicated that for all years except 1997, 8%-10% of the job advertisements were for positions in severe disabilities. Position announcements that designated expertise in severe disabilities and used an inclusionary term (mainstreaming, integration, or inclusion) increased from 5% to 35% and then decreased to 20%. Position announcements for jobs other than in severe disabilities that also specified an inclusionary term increased from 8% to 22%.

Republication of “NCLB and the Demand for Highly Qualified Teachers: Challenges and Solutions for Rural Schools”

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary T. Brownell ◽  
Anne M. Bishop ◽  
Paul T. Sindelar
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Highly Qualified Teachers ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Teacher Shortages ◽  
Qualified Teachers

Teacher shortages in special education have been a source of long-standing concern for professionals and parents involved in the education of students with disabilities. Because of their geographic location, culture, and lack of resources, rural administrators have always struggled to staff their schools with qualified special education teachers. No Child Left Behind and its definition of highly qualified teachers present new challenges to rural district administrators attempting to secure adequate numbers of special education teachers. In this article, we outline the challenges rural administrators face in reducing special education teacher shortages, present strategies being used nationally and regionally to reduce strategies, and critique those strategies. We conclude our article by advocating for a more comprehensive approach to solving teacher supply and demand problems, one that is driven by personnel data.

scholarly journals An Examination of Resiliency in Rural Special Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory C. Zost
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Teacher Turnover ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Special Educaiton

Retention of rural special education teachers is a dilemma for many school districts. Districts in rural areas suffer from a lack of qualified special educaiton teachers. Therefor, the problem of having enough qualified special educators is not easily solved. Many rural distrits are able to hire teacher candidaes, but fail to retain them for various reasons. Building resiliency in new teachers and educators during the first several years of teaching may be part of the answer to addressing the high rate fo teacher turnover in rural areas. This paper summarizes highlights from research completed with rural Nebraska teachers on th topics of intrinsic resiliency and building resiliency in rural teachers.

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