News and Knowledge

As school children across the country hoist their backpacks and return to the classroom, reports about issues in special education are making headlines.

Lack of Confidence in Educator Preparation

According to 2018 a survey of nearly 1,500 special education teachers from around the country, just 8 percent reported that their general education colleagues were well prepared to educate students who have special needs. Only 12 percent of survey respondents had confidence in the paraeducators who support children with disabilities while they are in school.

The Council for Exceptional Children, which conducted the survey, noted in its introduction that the lack of confidence is troubling “given that inclusion is the most cited strategy for instruction of children with exceptionalities, the majority of whom are served in general education settings.” In fact, an article on the Disability Scoop website cited federal data showing that more than half of students with disabilities spend at least 80 percent of their school day in general education settings.

The Disability Scoop article highlighted some positive news as well: close to 70 percent of the special educators surveyed believe that they and related service providers, such as speech and occupational therapists, are well prepared for the work they do. They are not as sure of novice special educators, with the survey showing 38 percent of respondents expressing confidence in how well prepared they were.

Not Enough Special Education Teachers

In related news, an article on the Education Dive website reported a 17 percent drop in the number of special education teachers in the last decade. For the 2015-16 school year, there was one special education teacher for every 17 students with disabilities, according to an analysis of federal data by the Education Week Research Center released at the end of 2018. The average teacher-to-student ratio is one teacher to 16 students.

As the article described, the shortage has resulted in creative recruitment and retention strategies. In Denver, for example, special education paraprofessionals are paid at a higher scale than paraprofessionals who work with non-special needs students. A Kansas pilot program, one of two created to fill teacher vacancies, makes it easier for paraprofessionals to become fully licensed, according to an Associated Press article.

In Los Angeles, the school district recently introduced STEP UP and Teach, a program that offers financial support and mentoring for those who want to become full-time teachers in hard-to-fill areas like special education. In its first year, the article says, 150 paraprofessionals enrolled. In the second year, the number of participants rose to 260 staffers.

A new online master’s program at Black Hills State University in South Dakota launched this fall with the goal of meeting the need for special education teachers. The Master of Arts in Teaching in K-12 Special Education was developed for people who have a bachelor’s degree in a field besides education. It offers courses so students can earn their teaching licensure along with special education graduate courses. It can be completed in two years.

Canyons School District in Utah worked with the University of Utah to develop “Introduction to Special Education” courses taught by university faculty and offered as an after-school elective at two district high schools. Students earn college credit for the courses. The courses introduce peer tutors to the world of special education and encourage them to consider majoring in education in college, an article on the district website notes.

In the state of California, school employees — such as bus drivers, secretaries, and instructional assistants — are also getting state grants to earn their teaching credentials. The grants pay $4,000 a year for up to five years to help these employees complete their bachelor’s degree and earn a teaching credential. Participants take classes in the evening as a group, with the first group expected to be certified by 2020.