Research Spotlight

Special education preparation programs share the following features with exemplary general education programs—they have extensive, well-planned field experiences, include faculty collaboration across disciplines, focus on diversity and inclusion, provide routine assessments of candidate's learning, and have a well-articulated program orientation.

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High-quality induction and mentoring programs can improve the skills of beginning special education teachers beyond their initial preparation.

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Beginning special education teachers benefit from mentors who are special educators themselves. Beginning special education teachers tend to ask for more help and receive more quality assistance when the mentor has comparable job responsibilities, even if it means going outside of the beginning teacher's building.

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Questions & Answers

Q:We are committed to recruiting more candidates from diverse backgrounds into our preparation program. Any suggestions?

A:Nationwide, only 14 percent of candidates in special education teacher preparation programs are from diverse backgrounds. This may be due in part to the challenges faced by these candidates—for example, lack of financial assistance and test requirements. COPSSE researchers identified strategies that may support recruitment and retention, including initiating early opportunities to learn about teaching, providing financial assistance, making test preparation courses available, and ensuring role models.

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Q:Does initial preparation make a difference in a special education teacher's classroom effectiveness?

A:COPSSE research suggests that preparation contributes to the quality of beginning special education teacher instruction. When asked about preparation practices that contributed to their success, effective beginning teachers noted preparation in generic special education, classroom management, and having opportunities to practice and apply information in the classroom as part of their preparation.

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Notify Me with Updates

Teacher Preparation Quality

Being well-prepared matters. Yet, preparing effective special education teachers is not an easy task—and there is no single best way to do it. COPSSE links you to research on effective preparation.

Date	Type	Title/Description	Download
06/01/2003	Issue Brief	U.S. Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Programs: A Look at the Present and a Vision for the Future Examines shortages and issues related to the preparation of teachers of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.	Download Full Document Download Summary
06/01/2006	Issue Brief	Teacher Education and Students with Significant Disabilities: Revisiting Essential Elements Discusses the development of teacher education in the area of severe disabilities.	Download Full Document Download Summary
11/09/2006	Presentation	Special Education Teacher Education: An Update Presents overviews of research in the areas of special education teacher supply and demand; attrition and retention; initial preparation and beginning teacher quality; technology applications in teacher education; the current status of alternative route preparation and teacher preparation cost effectiveness.	Download Full Document
04/01/2004	Presentation	Special Educator Supply and Teacher Quality: The Critical Role of Teacher Induction Discusses the potential of induction programs to reduce teacher shortages and increase teacher quality.	Download Full Document
10/01/2004	Presentation	Beginning Teacher Quality in Special Education—Implications for Initial Preparation Describes the practices of beginning special education teachers and relates them to student engagement.	Download Full Document
11/18/2003	Presentation	Optimal Investments in Special Education Teacher Preparation Reports findings from a cost effectiveness analysis of special education preparation options.	Download Full Document
04/17/2004	Presentation	Findings from Studies of Beginning Teacher Quality and Preparation Alternatives Overviews COPSSE research findings.	Download Full Document
10/01/2002	Presentation	Growing and Improving the Special Education Teacher Workforce: Balancing Competing Demands Describes factors that contribute to teacher shortages in special education.	Download Full Document
11/13/2003	Presentation	Studies of Beginning Teacher Instruction in Special Education Describes beginning special education teachers' efforts to teach reading, with implications for teacher education.	Download Full Document
06/01/2004	Presentation	Teacher Quality, Initial Preparation, and Meeting the No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Mandate Addresses issues concerning teacher quality and preparation.	Download Full Document
04/06/2006	Presentation	How Can You Be an Effective Special Education Teacher? Portraits of Literacy Expertise Presents COPSSE research on highly effective special education reading teachers by examining their practices, beliefs, knowledge, and personal attributes.	Download Full Document
10/29/2005	Presentation	Teacher Education in the 21st Century: Issues and Research Insights for Special Education Teacher Education Provides research insights and examines various issues related to special education teacher education in the 21st Century.	Download Full Document
11/10/2006	Presentation	Defining Teacher Quality in Special Education: What We Have Learned About Teaching Reading? Presents findings from two COPSSE studies aimed at understanding the knowledge and classroom practices of 30 beginning special education teachers, and a larger pool of 60 special education teachers who varied in classroom practice.	Download Full Document
06/21/2005	Report	Teacher Education Research Agenda Overviews COPSSE research agenda that documents the scope and complexity of preparing special education personnel.	Download Full Document
03/01/2004	Report	Beginning Teacher Quality Overviews COPSSE research plan for studying beginning special education teacher quality.	Download Full Document
02/01/2005	Research Preview	Successful Beginning Special Education Teachers—What Differentiates Them From Those Who Struggle? Describes factors that may influence beginning special education teacher practice.	Download Full Document
07/01/2003	Research Synthesis	Critical Features of Special Education Teacher Preparation: A Comparison with Exemplary Practices in General Education Teacher Education Reviews special education preparation program practices in relation to those deemed exemplary in general education.	Download Full Document Download Summary
09/01/2003	Research Synthesis	New Teacher Induction in Special Education Describes best practices and concerns regarding new teacher induction programs.	Download Full Document Download Summary
07/01/2003	Research Synthesis	Conceptions of Beginning Teacher Quality: Models for Conducting Research Describes models for measuring beginning special education teacher quality.	Download Full Document Download Summary
02/01/2004	Workforce Watch	Diversifying the Special Education Workforce—It Starts with Recruitment into Teacher Preparation Programs Describes challenges faced by individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as they enter teacher education programs.	Download Full Document
02/01/2004	Workforce Watch	Exemplary Features of Special Education Teacher Preparation Programs Discusses how special educators might use features of exemplary teacher education programs to enhance their own programs.	Download Full Document
02/01/2004	Workforce Watch	Measuring Beginning Teacher Quality in Special Education—A Summary of Research Models Overviews five models for measuring beginning special education teacher quality.	Download Full Document
02/01/2004	Workforce Watch	Retaining and Supporting First Year Teachers—Have You Considered the Elements of Successful Induction and Mentoring Programs? Overviews features that can enhance the success of induction programs and mentoring arrangements.	Download Full Document
02/01/2004	Workforce Watch	Shortages and Demographic Changes Require New Approaches—The Preparation of Qualified Deaf Education Teachers: What States Should Know Considers how demographics of deaf and hard of hearing students affect teacher quality and preparation.	Download Full Document