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The shortage of special education teachers has prompted the creation of alternative certification programs. The effectiveness of the University of Memphis's (U of M's) 14-year-old alternative Special Education Institute program in preparing teachers to teach and remain in the field was examined. The program was compared to the U of M's traditional certification program. During spring of 2009, data were collected through information obtained from the U of M's College of Education's database and information from four local school districts about the current employment of special education teachers. The number of program graduates from the traditional and alternative programs was compared for longevity. It was found that a larger percentage of the alternatively prepared teachers (50%) were employed at local school districts than the traditional program graduates (33%). But there was evidence that alternatively prepared teachers may not stay as many years (4.1 as compared to 6 years). The male graduates were also more likely to be employed in area school districts than females from both programs. Similarly, a larger percentage of African American students were employed by area school districts than were their White counterparts. The results give support that alternative programs do lead to additional employment and teachers were retained for several years.

Given the recent interest in the use of video self-modeling (VSM) to provide instruction within iPod apps and other pieces of handheld mobile assistive technologies, investigating appropriate prerequisite skills for effective use of this intervention is particularly timely and relevant. To provide additional information regarding the efficacy of VSM for students with autism and to provide insights into any possible prerequisite skills students may require for such efficacy, the authors investigated the use of VSM in increasing the instances of effective initiations of interpersonal greetings for three students with autism that exhibited different pre-intervention abilities. Results showed that only one of the three participants showed an increase in self-initiated greetings following the viewing of videos edited to show each participant self-modeling a greeting when entering his or her classroom. Due to the differences in initial skill sets between the three children, this finding supports anecdotally observed student prerequisite abilities mentioned in previous studies that may be required to effectively utilize video based teaching methods.

No abstract

In an investigation of three comprehensive school reform models, Accelerated Schools, Roots and Wings, and Voices of Love and Freedom, teacher surveys were collected and analyzed to determine their impact on special education. There were no differences found in the special education teachers' perceptions of the models in the areas of professional development, resources, pedagogical changes, or outcomes. Teachers reported that there was increased inclusion and social interaction for special education students as well as some accommodations for students' learning needs. Weaknesses identified in implementation included a fast-paced curriculum and lack of modifications for special education students. Although the literature on these school reform models promises to improve the learning of all students at the school, especially at-risk students, the special education teachers in the urban school district gave mixed views on whether implementation of their school's model was of great benefit to their students.