Critical Look At The Contributions Of A Special Educator In Co-teaching Settings In A us Secondary School: A Case-study

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-53
Author(s):  
Bharti Tandon
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
Diverse Student ◽  
Field Notes

Co-teaching occurs between two or more professionals who are actively involved in providing substantive instruction in a shared physical space to a diverse student population in inclusive settings. It is often compared to "professional marriage." Research has established various benefits o f co-teaching for children with and without disabilities, both socially and academically. In addition, co-teaching provides opportunities for general and special educators to collaborate and learn from each other's expertise. However, most o f the time special education teachers adopt a supportive role in co-teaching rather than one of equal professional status, thus highlighting the limited contributions of special educators in the instructional partnership. The focus o f the study was on the contributions and the roles of the special education teachers in co-teaching in content areas. Data sources were interviews; observations; artefacts and field notes. The characteristic of this high performing team, and the way their relationship evolved confirmed many o f factors that have been identified as contributing to successful co-teaching. The special education teacher contributed both in planning and in teaching biology; in addition to a supportive role, he also took a lead role in teaching, thus; providing meaningful learning experiences to both students with and without disabilities.

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.

Policies That Define Instruction: A Systematic Review of States’ and Districts’ Recommendations for Evaluating Special Educators

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 645-655
Author(s):  
Allison F. Gilmour ◽  
Nathan D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Effective Instruction ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Technical Aspects ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Systems

Educational policies addressing instruction may fail to acknowledge that effective instruction is not the same for all learners. We reviewed teacher evaluation systems across all states and the 25 largest districts to determine how states and districts approach the evaluation of special education teachers, a policy aimed at improving teaching effectiveness. We found that most states and districts did not provide guidance to schools for adapting evaluation systems for these teachers. Some states provided guidance on technical aspects of special education teacher evaluation, such as incorporating student achievement into special education teachers’ scores. Districts were more likely to focus on instructional considerations. We discuss the implications of these findings for policies that aim to promote the use of effective instructional practices.

Explaining the Decline in Special Education Teacher Employment From 2005 to 2012

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Dewey ◽  
Paul T. Sindelar ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini ◽  
Erling E. Boe ◽  
Michael S. Rosenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Public Law ◽  
General Educators ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Disability Prevalence ◽  
Constituent Elements

Demand for special education teachers grew continuously from the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975 through 2005, when this trend reversed. From 2005 to 2012, the number of special education teachers employed by U.S. schools declined by >17%. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine factors that contributed to this decline. We parsed change in number of special education teachers employed into four constituent elements and found that these recent reductions were fueled by decreases in disability prevalence and the relative ratio of teachers to students in special versus general education, which favored the latter. These changes have important implications for teacher preparation programs’ efforts to adequately prepare special and general educators and for policies designed to improve teacher quality.

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.

Variables Affecting the Reintegration Rate of Students with Serious Emotional Disturbance

1994 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elana Esterson Rock ◽  
Michael S. Rosenberg ◽  
Deborah T. Carran
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Emotional Disturbance ◽  
Teacher Attitudes ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Serious Emotional Disturbance ◽  
K 12

This study examined educational program and teacher variables to identify factors that predict the reintegration of students with serious emotional disturbance (SED) into less restrictive placements. Data on program demographics, reintegration orientation, teacher reintegration training, and teacher attitudes toward reintegration were collected from 162 special education teachers and 31 administrators in restrictive placements for K-12 students with SED. This information was compared to the reintegration rates of students in those schools through the use of a hierarchical set regression analysis. Results indicated that reintegration orientation, demographic characteristics of restrictive SED programs, and particular experiences/training of special educators predict the reintegration of students with SED into less restrictive programs.

scholarly journals Teacher Leadership in Special Education: Exploring Skills, Roles, and Perceptions

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-63
Author(s):  
Sylvia Bagley ◽  
Kimmie Tang
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Leader ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Diverse Field

Special Education teachers frequently assume formal or informal leadership roles and responsibilities across disciplines (Council for Exceptional Children, 2015a, 2015b). However, despite the increasing attention paid to teacher leadership on an international scale (Wenner & Campbell, 2016), little research exists on the experiences and needs of teacher leaders within the diverse field of Special Education. In this descriptive phenomenological study, we addressed the following questions: 1) What does teacher leadership within the landscape of Special Education look like? 2) How does this work relate to the roles and dispositions laid out in both the Teacher Leader Model Standards (2011) and the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Specialist Preparation Standards (2015a, 2015b)? We found that Special Education teacher leaders primarily demonstrate leadership via support, specifically through the skills of advocacy, facilitating, innovating, and ‘administrating’.

scholarly journals Developing an Explicit Instruction Special Education Teacher Observation Rubric

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn S. Johnson ◽  
Yuzhu Zheng ◽  
Angela R. Crawford ◽  
Laura A. Moylan
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Rasch Measurement ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Observation ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Video Observations ◽  
Psychometric Quality

In this study, we developed an Explicit Instruction special education teacher observation rubric that details the elements of explicit instruction and tested its psychometric properties using many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Video observations of classroom instruction from 30 special education teachers across three states were collected. External raters ( n = 15) were trained to observe and evaluate instruction using the rubric and assigned scores of “implemented,” “partially implemented,” or “not implemented” for each of the items. Analyses showed that the item, teacher, lesson, and rater facets achieved high psychometric quality for the instrument. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Special Issue—A Necessary Step in Pursuit of Equity: Developing a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Special Education Teaching Force

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey A. Trainor ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini ◽  
LaRon A. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Equitable Access ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Racial Ethnic ◽  
Teaching Force

This special issue of Remedial and Special Education is a collection of theoretical and empirical research addressing equity in the preparation of a diverse special education teaching force, with a focus on racial/ethnic diversity. The purpose of this special issue is to open a conversation about equity as it pertains to special education teachers, including both students’ equitable access to special education teachers who share their racial/ethnic and/or cultural background and prospective special educators’ equitable access to the profession.

Improving Teaching Quality for Students With Disabilities: Establishing a Warrant for Teacher Education Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-44
Author(s):  
Mary T. Brownell ◽  
Nathan D. Jones ◽  
Hyojong Sohn ◽  
Kristabel Stark
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Teacher Workforce ◽  
Future Work

In the 2010 issue of Teacher Education and Special Education ( TESE), Sindelar and colleagues examined the current status of research on special education teachers and outlined future work necessary to improve the special education teacher workforce. In this article, the authors focus explicitly on Sindelar and colleagues’ charge to increase the quality of research on teacher education. They begin the article by conducting a literature review of all articles published in TESE from 2010 to 2019, examining papers focused on advancing theory, measurement, and practice in teacher education. They compare patterns in the research to the broader teacher education literature captured in seven special and teacher education journals. They conclude by discussing needs of the field going forward and provide some thoughts about how we might address those needs through a comprehensive research agenda—one that articulates a vision for how we might develop teaching quality at the intersection of general and special education.

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