Many special educators seek opportunities to learn more and to make systemwide changes. These educators, however, may not know what else to do or where else to look for answers to challenges they experience within their current roles and settings. Rather than continuing to search for answers within their current position, some special educators…

The mathematics achievement gap in special education is a chronic and significant challenge for the field. The need for improved teacher preparation in mathematics is crucial in addressing this gap. This study examines a capstone experience in higher level mathematics tutoring for preservice teachers. Results indicate that the experience was…

Despite the continued growth of inclusive practices, an increasing number of students with disabilities are being served in alternative school settings. However, the number of students served in these settings, and the services they are receiving, remains virtually unexplored. This study reports the results of a survey of alternative schools in…

Although mentoring programs for novice special education teachers have been highly touted, there is scant research describing either novice needs or mentor roles. This study is based on a sample of 66 randomly selected national board certified teachers (NBCTs) in special education in an effort to determine the nature and extent of their…

Paraprofessionals are critical to special education service delivery in inclusive classrooms where they are used to support teachers in reading instruction. This qualitative case study examines the use of paraprofessionals in reading instruction in an adolescent reading program. The study focuses on their roles, training, and the feedback…

The diversity of teacher roles has been a long-standing concern in the field of special education. Role complexity has been implicated in teacher burnout and attrition and in the inefficiency of service delivery models. Recent evidence suggests that new policy may be further complicating teacher roles and that teachers may not be prepared for such…

With the proliferation of alternative route (AR) special education teacher preparation programs, many teacher educators are likely to be involved in AR program design and implementation. Unfortunately, few resources have focused on best practices for program developers to prepare the nontraditional participants who typically populate their…

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 require that students with disabilities be included in statewide assessments and general education accountability systems, thereby placing increased demands on special education teachers. At issue is how new teachers are prepared to respond to…

Today's special education teachers are expected to be able to give all students access to the general education curriculum (McLaughlin & Thurlow, 2003). This responsibility can be particularly challenging given the wide range of ages, ability levels, and needs of the students they teach (Huefner, 2000). This paper describes results of a thorough…

For decades, critics of special education have been questioning whether the field has succeeded in its mission of educating students with disabilities. They argue that service delivery is fragmented, curriculum and instruction is inadequate, and student outcomes are poor, particularly in secondary settings. In this study, the author examines…

Over the last decade, concern has grown regarding the faculty shortage in special education (Sindelar & Rosenberg, 2003). In part as a reaction to a federally funded study conducted in 1999, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) increased funding for doctoral study in the form of Special Education Leadership Personnel Grants (Gilmore,…

Teacher attrition is a serious issue in the field of special education (Boe, Cook, Bobbitt, & Terbanian, 1998). Teachers leave the field in record numbers due to inadequate support in a variety of areas (Shoho, Katims, & Meza, 1998). However, the first few years of a special education teacher's career have been shown to be crucial for teacher…

Although state education agencies, teacher preparation institutions, and public schools often combine high incidence disabilities into one category and one placement, the students grouped under this label often have diverse educational needs. This study compares two samples of secondary special education teachers working at the same schools to…

Teacher burnout and attrition are epidemic in the field of special education. The annual attrition rate for special education teachers has been estimated to be between 8% and 10% (Whitaker, 2000), and special education teachers are leaving the field in much greater numbers than their peers in general education (Nichols & Sosnowsky, 2002).…

The field of special education has been consistently plagued with serious personnel shortages, high rates of teacher attrition, criticisms of inadequate teacher preparation, and questionable student outcomes. The recent focus on increased standards and improved student outcomes adds complexity to this situation. Of paramount concern are the need…