The degree to which special educators serve in a meaningful collaborative capacity in inclusive classrooms has come under scrutiny, and hence, the quality of collaboration training afforded requires examination.This article describes the results of a survey conducted with 53 undergraduate pre-service special education training programs…

This article describes how teacher education is affected by evolving law, especially when the teacher is called upon to communicate evaluative comments about a trainee in the form of letters of reference, telephone recommendations, or submissions for placement files. (Author/PB)

General education and special education teacher candidates lack experience in collaborating with each other as colleagues; however, upon graduating and entering their own classrooms, most are expected to know how to provide services to students with disabilities in the general classroom. This study describes the efforts of two professors, one in…

A survey of 298 administrators of special education training programs found that 56 percent of the programs required special education majors to complete a health education course, while 77 percent of the administrators felt that special education majors would benefit from health education coursework. (Author/JDD)

Regular classroom teachers (n=114) who had taken a special education course were queried as to the value of the information presented to them, after they had begun to teach mainstreamed students. Results indicated that teachers considered the topics covered to be very important, and reported themselves to be fairly competent to deal with…

While Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 apparently protects individuals with emotional or behavioral disabilities when applying for admission to teacher education programs, closer inspection reveals that other legal and moral issues must be considered in protecting the public interest, especially the education of children and youth…

Analysis of written assignments and course and advising discussions with 182 undergraduate special education majors found that 75% of the students expressed at least one of seven beliefs considered detrimental to inclusive school practices. Teacher education programs are urged to seek antidotes to these beliefs. (Author/DB)

The effects of 15 factors on 81 students' selection of concentration areas in special education were investigated. Six factors were consistently rated high regardless of year and concentration area: ages served, prior work and volunteer experience, curriculum content, site visits provided prior to concentration area selection, job availability,…

This paper discusses the background and context of the national assessment movement as it relates to special education teacher preparation programs; the relationship between assessment and accreditation, with attention to the federal regulations for education effectiveness; recommendations for assessment planning; and suggested content areas for…

A graduate program component that assigned mentors to preservice special education teachers of students with severe disabilities is described. Characteristics of effective mentoring programs, the mentoring needs of preservice teachers of students with severe disabilities, and the mentorship program components are discussed. An evaluation of the…

This study investigated the perceptions of 79 senior special education practicum students regarding the appropriate role of their university supervisor during a field-based experience. Content analysis showed that students perceived two distinct roles for supervisors: provider of evaluative feedback and support person. (Author/JDD)

The University Affiliated Program at the University of Southern Mississippi developed and implemented a model preservice transdisciplinary training program to prepare graduate leadership personnel in early intervention. The program components include a competency-based curriculum; options for field experiences; diverse training options; and links…

The paper describes Colorado's needs-based special education programs and investigates the most useful predictive performance measures for 100 students enrolled in a teacher education preservice program, analyzing such factors as the relationship between admission criteria and student teaching performance. Recommendations for revisions in…