OR DECADES, the supply of qualified special educators has been critically low. In 1983, the shortage of special educators was highlighted in A Nation at Risk. It is still with us 25 years later and shows no signs of disappearing, and in the coming decades it could well worsen. Although the production of teachers in special education increased during the 1990s, the most recently available data indicate that just .86 teachers were prepared for each available position in special education, while more than twice as many teachers were produced for each available position in elementary educa-A Field at Risk: THE TEACHER SHORTAGE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION A shortage of special education teachers existed in 1983, and the problem persists today. The authors emphasize that there is a pressing need not only to recruit and retain qualified special education teachers but also to diversify the special education teaching force.
HE IDEA that our education system is at risk is not a new one. Though its history is longer, this notion was brought to the top of the public agenda 25 years ago with the publication of A Nation at Risk. And it is still actively being addressed through legal reforms, mandates, and laws. Here we will discuss the recommendations outlined in that landmark report that are specifically related to the field of special education, look at efforts to address those recommendations, and end with a glimpse into the future of the field. THE ROLE OF STANDARDIZED TESTING A Nation at Risk addresses the matter of testing and discusses the use of testing in the education system. In brief, the report recommends that standardized achievement tests be administered to students at major transition points in their education; that these tests be used to identify the need for remediation or for accelerated work; and that the tests be given as part of a nationwide system of state and local standardized tests, which would also include other diagnostic procedures designed to help teachers judge student progress. While it seems that A Nation at Risk was on the right track with its A Much Delayed Response To A Nation at Risk: RECENT INNOVATIONS IN GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION The authors narrow down the focus of A Nation at Risk to consider a subpopulation of students at risk. They discuss the implications for special education of the report's recommendations on standardized testing and classroom management.
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