Special education consultation is widely supported by teacher educators as a necessary component of the role of the special educator, particularly those educators being trained to work with mildly handicapped students. Data indicate, however, that in practice special educators spend very little of their time consulting. This article examines (a) the emergence of the consulting movement, (b) barriers that impede consultation from being integrated into the role of the special educator, and (c) ways to address those barriers.
The purpose of this study was to survey supervisors and service providers to determine their perceptions of the skills needed to be an effective supervisor of an early intervention program. Of the 1,166 surveys distributed, 442 service providers and 422 supervisors in six states responded to the survey, resulting in a response rate of 74%. Findings revealed that few differences existed between the two professional groups regarding their perceptions of necessary supervisor competencies. Survey items ranked as the most important had three themes: knowledge of rules and regulations, competence in interpersonal skilb, and awareness of best practice in early intervention. Prior to the passage of P.L. 99-457, there were increases in the personnel shortages at all critical personnel shortages across the counprofessional levels and across disciplines (e.g., try (Meisels, Harbin, Modigliani, & Olson, 1986; paraprofessionals, therapists, teachers, adminSmith & Powers, 1988). As states now strive istrators/supervisors) will occur. to develop or expand their early intervention The increased need for personnel who can services in light of the passage of P.L. 99-467, fulfill the mandates of P.L. 99-457 has influ-136
The authors describe key factors in teacher preparation and continuing professional development. They pinpoint efforts promulgated by the Council for Exceptional Children on special educator standards and assessments. To meet the demands for improved teacher performance, there is a need to align the standards for state licensing, program accreditation, and national certification. The alignment should span entry, to the profession, continuing practice, and advanced practice. Finally, they summarize themes of authors contributing manuscripts to this special section of Teacher Education and Special Education.
The purpose of this paper was to determine what past presidents of TED believe about past, present, and future issues in the field of special education. Twenty-seven past presidents were contracted to participate in the study, and 19 responded (for a 70% response rate). Respondents were asked to comment on issues they believed would be and would not be important in the future and on trends in teacher education that concerned them. These data were analyzed using a content analysis procedure. Themes within the data are presented and synthesized.
The Georgia P-16 Initiative provided an opportunity for Georgia Southern University to revisit the College of Education's conceptual framework. This initiative, coupled with the statewide move from a quarter to semester course delivery format, allowed development and implementation of programmatic changes focused on (a) raising standards in the preparation of teachers, (b) modeling instruction in the area of effective teaching strategies for all grades and in all education settings, and (c) placing qualified and competent teachers in P-12 classrooms.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.