Preparing special education teacher candidates to teach English language learners with disabilities: How well are we doing?

Abstract

A utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 2008) was conducted to systematically investigate special education teacher candidates’ preparation to teach English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. The results were used to (1) determine current effectiveness of departmental programs and (2) guide program improvement efforts. The initial literature review on ELLs with disabilities and teacher preparation guided the development of a four element framework to organize and analyse the data and results of the program evaluation. Data were collected using (1) a document review of program materials, (2) a faculty questionnaire, (3) a faculty focus group, and (4) a survey of the teacher candidates’ knowledge and perceptions on their preparedness in this area. Data revealed a scattered and disjointed approach to preparing preservice teachers to teach ELLs with disabilities, leading to a lack of special education teacher candidate’s: (1) mastery of essential content and (2) sense of efficacy in teaching ELLs. This investigation also shed light on the range of faculty perspectives, knowledge, and practices in the preparation of special education teacher candidates to teach ELLs.

Beyond English centrality: integrating expansive conceptions of language for literacy programming into IEPs

“…This study corroborates with other research that demonstrates the importance of teachers' ability to leverage the multiplicity of students' languages into their instruction and assessment (Artiles and Ortiz, 2002;Jozwik et al, 2020;Ortiz et al, 2020). Miranda et al (2019) examined a special education teacher education program that had revised their curriculum to support the education of EBs with disabilities and found the content about EBs to be disjointed and teachers' sense of efficacy in teaching EBs to be lacking. Due to the insufficient guidance for educators, there remains "an urgent need to clarify the professional competencies that should be expected of bilingual special education teachers" (Wang and Woolf, 2015, p. 49).…”

The Heart of the Matter: How Reforms Unsettle Organizational Identity

“…An estimated 13.8% of the ELL students were diagnosed with learning disabilities (National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 2018b). These students brought rich cultural and linguistic diversity to schools, but they posed a challenge for teachers who were accountable for students’ academic performance under the reforms (Lucas, Villegas, Freedson-Gonzalez, 2008; Miranda, Wells, & Jenkins, 2017).…”

Triad Transition Planning for Students Receiving Special Education and English Learner Services, Families, and Teachers

“…Miranda et al (2019) found that teacher education programs in their study did not adequately prepare their preservice teachers for supporting dually identified students, with EL and special education instructional approaches often taught separately. This fuels the challenges that arise from the “intersectional gap” and interferes with teachers’ abilities to properly support dually identified students.…”

“…Furthermore, these low expectations are structurally reinforced through the education system, which perpetuates a deficit orientation toward students who do not fit neatly within the status quo and instills deficit beliefs within individual teachers (Paris, 2012). Miranda et al (2019) found that teacher education programs in their study did not adequately prepare their preservice teachers for supporting dually identified students, with EL and special education instructional approaches often taught separately. This fuels the challenges that arise from the "intersectional gap" and interferes with teachers' abilities to properly support dually identified students.…”