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

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.

Online Dyslexia Professional Development for Diverse Practitioners: A Multiple-Case Study

The International Dyslexia Association estimates that on average, as many as 15% to 20% of the population may display symptoms of dyslexia, which include inaccurate or laborious reading, and weak spelling and writing. Unfortunately, many individuals with dyslexia have found themselves surrounded by school and community members who do not understand this pervasive and well-documented language-learning disability. Data on experiences of diverse practitioners attempting to gain expertise in dyslexia are one critical path for identifying potential mechanisms for mitigating these challenges. In this article, the authors report on a multiple-case study designed to better understand the experiences and contexts of graduate students enrolled in an online dyslexia assessment and intervention professional development program. Analysis revealed common contextual barriers to practice across unique settings and also common supports acquired as participants built their internal capacity through their online learning experiences.

Faculty Perspectives on the Recruitment, Retention, and Preparation of Special Education Doctoral Students of Color

The field of special education continues to grapple with the presence and implications of disproportional representation related to race and ethnicity. While research focuses mostly on disproportional representation of students, there remains long-standing acknowledgment that too few students of color populate our special education university doctoral programs. The present study, therefore, surveyed current special education faculty members at doctoral degree granting institutions to understand the practices used to recruit and retain doctoral students of color and perspectives on their programs’ climate related to racial and ethnic diversity. In addition, the research team conducted a series of exploratory analyses to examine whether responses depended on respondent race or whether the respondent worked at a minority-serving institution. Results suggest a general commitment to increasing doctoral student diversity; however, there appears a lack of formalized plans and culturally relevant coursework. Findings of the exploratory analyses suggest that programs within minority-serving institutions may provide important leadership in this area. We conclude with limitations and recommendations for doctoral programs.

Sufficiency of Teachers’ Access to Resources and Supports for Students With Disabilities

Students with disabilities are served by both special and general educators, yet teachers often feel unprepared to meet the needs of these students in their classrooms. Using data from a nationally representative survey, we examined the sufficiency of teachers’ access to supports available for meeting the needs of students with high-incidence disabilities, their access to development opportunities, and the sources teachers used to access interventions. We explored differences in teachers’ experiences by grade band, service delivery model, and teacher preparation model. We found teachers of students with disabilities rated the sufficiency of access to supports between somewhat insufficient and somewhat sufficient, with the lowest ratings for planning/release time and training and information. Teachers reported greater rates of access to collaboration than professional development. Colleagues were sources for resources related to academic interventions and administrators were sources for nonacademic intervention resources. There were few significant differences in these results by teacher characteristics.

Blended Preparation in Early Childhood and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education: Reflecting on the Past, Paving a Path Forward

The movement toward collaborative models of preservice early childhood preparation, those that attempt to “blend” preparation for both early childhood education (ECE) and early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE), is entering its fourth decade. This position paper presents a historical analysis of the blended movement through a conceptual framework based on a social foundations perspective that highlights how sociopolitical and foundational influences have affected blended preparation over time. Although blended models were first explored as a means to reconceptualize early childhood preservice preparation for inclusion, the recommendations shared in this article center on the need to reconceptualize blended preparation itself. A call to action is proposed for the development of a robust research agenda and the strategic coordination of advocacy to ensure current and future blended preparation meets the needs of the increasingly diverse contexts, roles, and responsibilities of ECE and EI/ECSE practitioners.

Teacher Workplace Bullying: How Pervasive is the Problem?

Bullying in schools is a national problem receiving much needed attention. Teacher workplace bullying is a lesser known but equally debilitating problem. Our purpose in doing this study is to examine the problem of teacher workplace bullying and its effect on teachers, students, and schools. We surveyed 173 general and special education teachers to determine the extent that teachers report workplace bullying by other teachers and administrators. We used the Negative Acts Questionnaire–Revised to examine three constructs of workplace bullying—personal, work-related, and physical intimidation. We also examined differences in self-reported workplace bullying between general and special education teachers. Results suggest special education teachers reported a significantly high level of workplace bullying compared with general education teachers. Unsatisfactory administrative support was the most significant factor contributing to workplace dissatisfaction overall. We offer possible starting points to deal with the problem and discuss implications for teachers, students, and the field.

Mixed-Reality Simulation With Preservice Teacher Candidates: A Conceptual Replication

Given the critical importance of discrete instructional practices in special education, teacher candidates must be prepared to implement them upon entering the classroom. In preservice teacher education programs, field placements and clinical experiences rarely provide enough opportunities for preservice teachers to gain the proficiency needed to provide effective instruction. In this study, a randomized control research design was used to investigate the effects of a mixed-reality simulation experience compared with traditional classroom practice in the implementation of a system of least prompts. Results suggest that mixed-reality simulation with additional coaching supports significantly improved preservice teachers’ implementation of the prompting sequence. Social validity data collected offer insights into the use of mixed-reality simulation in practice with preservice teachers. Limitations and suggestions for future work are discussed.

Integrating Assistive Technology Into a Teacher Preparation Program

Assistive technology (AT), a major source of adapted educational services, has been accepted as a valuable tool for students with disabilities in schools. Teacher readiness is a key factor in determining a student’s successful inclusion, but many general and special education teachers are not fully prepared to implement AT in schools. In this study, special and general education preservice teachers received introductory instruction on AT, including lecture, demonstration of AT devices, discussion, and hands-on experience, at the Assistive and Instructional Technology (AIT) Lab. After the AIT Lab orientation, preservice teachers in both special and general education responded with higher scores regarding their preparedness to implement AT and more positive perspectives toward AT. The results showed that the AIT orientation was particularly beneficial to general education preservice teachers in their preparation for implementing AT.

Examining Teacher and Teacher Educator Perspectives of Teacher Leadership in Extensive Support Needs

Teachers of students with extensive support needs (ESN) often perform many leadership-related tasks, such as supervising paraprofessionals or advocating school wide for student accessibility and inclusion. While teacher leadership has received considerable attention in research and practice, much of the attention has resided in general education and on formal pathways toward increased responsibility in the school. In this study, the authors explored the perspective and experiences related to teacher leadership competencies of both teachers and teacher educators in the field of ESN in one midwestern state. Teachers reported high confidence and moderate to high engagement in each of the competencies, contrasted with self-reported low coverage of many related topics in their teacher training programs. Teacher educators perceived the competencies as highly relevant to the teaching position and generally held moderate to high confidence in their program coverage and their student preparation to perform the related activities.

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Use Visual Representations as Strategy to Solve Mathematics Problems: What Did They Learn?

Recognizing the multiple interacting layers of pedagogical content knowledge, in this article, we present the findings from a study that examined the extent to which participation in case-based instruction about self-generated visual representations (VRs) supported special education pre-service teachers ( N = 25) in enhancing their (a) knowledge of VRs, specifically what and how to teach, as a strategy for solving mathematics problems, and (b) applied instructional practices, specifically analysis of student knowledge and instructional planning, about VRs for students with disabilities (SWDs) to solve mathematics problems. The data revealed that case-based instruction about VRs in a special education mathematics methods course enriched pre-service teachers personal understanding about VRs and their ability to target SWDs learning needs regarding VRs. Implications for pre-service teacher preparation and research are provided.