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This case study delves into the complexities faced by Principal Williams, a newly appointed leader at Hudford Elementary School, as she navigates the challenges of providing high-quality education for students with disabilities in an elementary school. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student with a disability is required to have access to the general education curriculum and specially designed instruction (SDI) that is tailored to the student's unique needs. As Principal Williams steps into her role as leader of Hudford Elementary School, she has questions about the current service delivery model for students, the distribution of responsibilities across general and special education, and the extent of inclusion. She is considering her next steps, including how she will address some problematic working conditions experienced by special educators at the school. Through this case, readers gain insights into the complexity of supporting students with disabilities in a time of teacher shortages and learn about identifying the resources teachers need to fulfill their responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induction is designed to support teachers' effectiveness, improve their students' learning, and foster their retention. We consider how high-leverage practices (HLPs) might provide an instructional framework for special education teacher (SET) induction. With sensemaking theory as a conceptual foundation, we posit that, by structuring induction experiences and instructional conditions around HLPs, schools and districts can send more coherent messages about effective instruction, thereby easing new SETs' efforts to make sense of their roles. We first provide a brief review of research on new SETs' experiences. Next, we consider how specific induction components (i.e., professional development and mentoring, teacher evaluation, and collaboration) and instructional conditions (i.e., collaboration, instructional curricula and resources, and schedules) might be structured to support SETs' learning of and use of these HLPs. We conclude with considerations for researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities and others who struggle in school largely depends on teachers who can deliver effective instruction. Although many effective practices have been identified to address the academic and behavioral needs of students who struggle in school, including those with disabilities, these practices are not used extensively in classrooms. This article provides a rationale for and description of major changes that are occurring in teacher preparation programs that are designed to improve the practice of beginning teachers. This is followed by a description of a set of high-leverage practices that was recently approved by the Council for Exceptional Children. These practices represent an initial attempt to delineate a core curriculum for special education teacher preparation to support the changes that are occurring in teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retaining teachers is an important priority for school leaders, especially in special education, a field with chronic shortages. We analyzed a nationally representative survey using conservation of resources theory to examine how job demands and resources interacted with one another and with teachers' assignments (i.e., as special and general educators) to predict intentions to continue teaching. We found that teachers were more inclined to stay in their schools when they experienced stronger school administrative and collegial support, had more access to instructional materials, and were more experienced. Teachers indicated weaker intent to stay when they experienced more problems with students, spent more time working, were less experienced, and served in higher-poverty schools. School administrative support moderated relationships between intent and (a) school poverty and (b) experience. We found no differences between special and general educators' intent to stay, though we did find differences in the conditions predicting special versus general educators' intent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special education teachers (SETs) are expected to use effective practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, yet even those who are well-prepared may not be effective in teaching these students, as problematic working conditions may limit their opportunities to teach effectively and their longevity in the profession. To complicate matters, the context of SETs' work has changed, calling into question the nature of their roles in supporting student learning. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad overview of what is known about working conditions and to articulate how we might improve them. The authors identify key themes from the research literature about the relationship of SETs' working conditions to their early experiences in schools and their burnout, attrition, and effectiveness. The authors then outline an action agenda focused on researching and leveraging the roles of varied stakeholders, teacher educators, educational leaders, and professional organizations to improve these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High rates of attrition make it challenging for schools to provide qualified special education teachers for students with disabilities, especially given chronic teacher shortages. We synthesize 30 studies from 2002 to 2017, examining factors associated with special educator attrition and retention, including (a) teacher preparation and qualifications, (b) school characteristics, (c) working conditions, and (d) teacher demographic and nonwork factors. Most studies examined working conditions (e.g., demands, administrative and collegial supports, resources, compensation) among special educators who left teaching, moved to other positions, transferred to general education teaching, or indicated that they intended to stay or leave. The majority of researchers used quantitative methods to analyze national, state, or other survey data, while eight used qualitative methods. Our critique identifies both strengths and weaknesses of this literature, suggests research priorities, and outlines specific implications for policy makers and leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students benefit from a teacher workforce that represents the full racial/ethnic diversity of the United States. We examine racial/ethnic composition of general education teacher (GET) and special education teacher (SET) workforce using the Schools and Staffing Survey. We find that the teacher workforce continues to be primarily White. In 2011–2012, 18% of SETs and GETS were people of color; however, 47% of students with disabilities were students of color. Among teachers of color, the majority identify as Black or Hispanic, with a smaller proportion of Hispanic SETs than GETs. Early career SETs are racially/ethnically similar to experienced SETs, while early career GETs are somewhat more diverse. There were dramatic differences across regions, type of districts, and schools; higher percentages of teachers of color taught in high-poverty and urban schools as well as in schools with higher enrollments of students of color. Results have important implications for education policy and teacher preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including natural science and virtual world metaphors in special education teacher development, power of simulation in education, and effectiveness of teacher education programs.

The article explores online resources and Web 2.0 technologies that can be used to provide support services and aid in the mentoring process for first year special education teachers. It describes how traditional teacher mentors, professional workshops, and teacher orientation programs often fail to provide new teachers support in areas such as paperwork for individualized education programs (IEPs), developing behavioral management plans, and implementing effective teaching methods. It provides a list of web sites that cover several topics related to new teachers including stress management, content knowledge, and assessment and examines how Web 2.0 technologies such as online social networks, wikis, and social bookmarking provide teachers with a collaborative environment.

The authors used teacher data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education to compare the district and school supports, work manageability, professional development, and induction of early career special educators in high- and low-poverty districts. Teachers in high-poverty districts reported less desirable work conditions than their counterparts in more affluent districts. When compared to teachers in low-poverty districts, those in less affluent districts viewed their principals and colleagues as less supportive, perceived less involvement in school decisions, reported having fewer materials, and indicated higher and more diverse caseloads. By contrast, the two teacher groups reported similar professional development and induction opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Seven boys, 10 to 14 years old, with autism spectrum disorders and good verbal communication, were interviewed to determine how they establish and maintain friendships. Parents and the boys’ teachers were interviewed for supportive information. All of the boys had friends, and 6 described establishing friendships as the most difficult aspect. Reasons for difficulty in establishing friendships included the desire not to be the one who initiated contact, the intention to avoid violating the social hierarchy of the school, and concerns related to being exploited or being a nuisance. The 7th boy did not desire friendships beyond family friends. All participants described shared interests as critical to maintaining friendships. Four youth have maintained stable friendships across distances and transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article,the authors propose an agenda for special education teacher education researchers, with particular attention to policy work and studies of innovations in pre-service preparation, induction and mentoring, and professional development. Because previous research is limited and unfocused, the foundation for future research is weak, but opportunities to study questions of importance and interest are seemingly limitless. The authors discuss strategies to bolster the research foundation, namely, by oversampling special education teachers in the Schools and Staffing Survey and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey and by fostering the development of models of teacher development and related measures of teacher quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although effective practices have been developed to address the needs of a wide range of students with disabilities, evidence suggests a limited use of these practices. Potential contributors to the research-to-practice gap focus on problems with preservice teacher preparation, professional development, and the nature of research. The authors present evidence that the lack of well-qualified special education teachers, the instability of special education teachers in teaching positions (i.e., attrition and migration), and inadequate work conditions contribute to the research-to-practice gap. They also address the need for comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained efforts to reduce the teacher shortage and improve the likelihood that special educators have the work conditions needed to use effective practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This national study of 859 teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) provides a profile of their characteristics and preparedness to teach and compares these teachers with 3,687 other special educators. Teachers of students with EBD were disproportionately male, were more diverse, and had significantly fewer years of teaching experience than other special educators. A smaller percentage of teachers in the EBD group was certified and a greater percentage entered through alternative programs than the other special educators. Only a small percentage of respondents teaching in grades 6-12 holds certification in the core academic areas defined under the No Child Left Behind Education Act (2001). Respondents felt least prepared to meet the needs of students from culturally and linguistically different backgrounds and to use technology in instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualified special educators are needed to carry out research-based practices in schools. The shortage of special educators, the high numbers of uncertified teachers, and high attrition rates threaten the practice of science in the schoolhouse and, consequently, the education that students with disabilities receive. If teachers are to use research-based practices to benefit students with disabilities, care must be directed toward teachers, what they do, and the complex conditions in which their practice occurs. In this discussion, I focus on four factors that are important to special education teacher retention--responsive induction programs, deliberate role design, positive work conditions and supports, and professional development. These retention-enhancing factors also serve to cultivate qualified special educators by providing the conditions in which they can thrive and grow professionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a profile of early career special educators' (n = 1,153) working conditions, induction support, and career plans using data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE). The majority of respondents are Caucasion and female, and 80% are certified for their main assignments. Most respondents reported receiving informal support from other teachers and viewed this informal support as more valuable than other forms of support. Approximately 60% of respondents participated in formal mentoring, although one third did not find this support helpful. Those who reported higher levels of induction support reported greater job manageability and success in getting through to difficult students. School climate was related to teachers' intent to remain in special education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of qualified special education teachers threatens the quality of education that students with disabilities receive. Attrition plays a part in the teacher shortage problem, and efforts to improve re-tention must be informed by an understanding of the factors that contribute to attrition. Specifically, the author provides a thematic analysis of studies investigating factors that contribute to special edu-cation teacher attrition and retention. She addresses four major themes: teacher characteristics and per-sonal factors, teacher qualifications, work environments, and teachers' affective reactions to work. Following this thematic review, a critique of definitional, conceptual, and methodological approaches used to study special education attrition is provided, as are priorities for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the effect of job satisfaction on teachers' intent to stay in teaching. Factors associated with teacher retention and commitment; Measurement of variables using extant scales; Influences of commitment, job satisfaction, employability, role, stress and principle support on teachers' intent to stay in teaching.

Determines if the factors that influence intent to stay in the teaching profession are the same for teachers of students with emotional disorders and as they are for other special educators. Teacher retention and commitment; Influences on the intent to stay; Influences on job satisfaction.

Identifies special and general teachers' perceptions of principal support. Investigation of the effects of perceived principal support on teacher stress and personal health, job satisfaction, school commitment and intent to stay in teaching.

Reviews research findings related to teacher retention and attrition in special education. Context for special educators' career decisions; Conceptual and methodological considerations.

Identifies variables that influence teachers' commitment and job satisfaction among both general and special educators. Professional and organizational commitment; Job satisfaction; Study rationale; Descriptive statistics for both special and general educators; Implications.

Investigates the reasons why some special education teachers choose to stay in teaching but leave their special education assignments. Identification of deterrents and incentives for special education teaching; Relationship between attrition in special education and stressful teaching conditions.

Tackles a variety of issues about the supply and demand in special education teachers.

Examines the written expression of learning disabled and normally achieving students at three grade levels using measures of productivity, syntactic maturity, vocabulary and mechanics. Comparison of group differences at each grade level; Differences by groups across the grades; Learning disabled students' difficulty with punctuation.

School–university partnerships have served as possible solutions for many contemporary educational challenges. As centers for clinical practice, they are potential vehicles for the development and refinement of candidate use of high-leverage practices (HLPs). This article describes our institution's efforts to utilize our framework for clinically rich preparation to infuse HLPs into programming for undergraduate, dual-certification majors (i.e., general and special education). With the goal of program revision, general and special education faculty mutually agreed on a draft set of HLPs, which were finalized based on extensive feedback from school partners. To assess the viability of these collaboratively crafted HLPs, a subset of HLPs were identified and integrated into course content and clinical experiences during a pilot project. We highlight these learning experiences; discuss organizational, pedagogical, and empirical challenges; and offer general recommendations for next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a framework and description of pedagogies that may be used in teacher preparation across a range of settings from college classrooms to P-12 settings to support teacher candidates as they learn to use high-leverage practices (HLPs). These "pedagogies of enactment" must include a continuum of opportunities to use teaching practices in increasingly authentic settings, ranging from video analysis, case studies, rehearsal, and virtual simulations to use of practices with coaching support in a classroom (e.g., lesson study, structured tutoring, and aligned field experiences). In this article, we use research on the development of professional expertise and from cognitive science to identify pedagogies from the teacher education research base that have promise for promoting candidates' learning and describe how these pedagogies might be scaffolded over the duration of a teacher education program to promote learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we summarize more than a decade of work on high-leverage practices being used in the context of science teacher preparation. We describe the challenges and insights that ultimately resulted in more robust practices, a diversified suite of tools to support these practices, expanded knowledge of our own teacher education pedagogies, and stronger bonds between our preparation program and its local network of K-12 schools. The special education community has now formulated an ambitious practice-based vision for professional preparation, and advocates will find our narratives to be a mix of cautionary tales and cause for optimism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]