Special Education Teacher Quality and Preparation: Exposing Foundations, Constructing a New Model

Abstract

The authors trace changes in conceptions of special education teacher quality and preparation in response to developments in special education research, policy, and practice. This developmental arc is a backdrop for understanding contemporary special education practice and charting future directions for preparing special education teachers. Federal policy, and recent research on teaching and learning, and the response-to-intervention (RTI) movement require a shift in thinking about how to prepare quality special education teachers and the expertise they need to be effective. To function effectively in RTI and fulfill federal highly qualified teacher requirements, special education teachers must master an increasingly complex knowledge base and sophisticated repertoire of instructional practices. The authors contend that preservice preparation is inadequate for this purpose and that preparation for special education teaching should build upon an existing knowledge base and demonstrated competence in classroom practice.

Aligning Components of Recognition and Response and Response to Intervention to Improve Transition to Primary School

“…Families can provide information related to detailed background information, learning and behavioral There is also a concomitant need for training of preschool and primary grade professionals to learn about the RtI and R&R frameworks and their implementation (Brownell, Sindelar, Kiely, & Danielson, 2010). This is necessary at the pre-service preparation and professional development levels.…”

Self-Evaluation of Special Education Teacher Competence in Inclusive School in Indonesia

“…Therefore, the competence of SETs is determined by their ability to perform their duties and professional role as SET. The importance of SET's competence is showed by the many studies discussing the SET competence (Bukvic, Z., 2014; Brownell, M. T., Sindelar, P. T., Kiely, M. T., & Danielson, L. C. [7]; Brownell, M. T., Bishop, A. G., Gersten, R., Klingner, J. K., Penfield, R. D., Dimino, J., Haager, D., Menon, S., & Sindelar, P. T. [8]; Billingsley, B. S. [9]; Carlson, E., Lee, H., & Schroll, K. [10]). …”

Special Education Teachers’ Knowledge about Genetic Disorders

“…It is stressed out that special educators need an understanding of how disability presents itself in a variety of aspects such as genetics and neuropsychology as recently research on disabilities has grown in volume and sophistication. It is claimed that researchers and special educators provide more evidence about how the brain works and how it works, how brain function affects the computing capacity of some students with disabilities and how the brain can intervene to improve the information processing capacity [9]. Science is argued to be an important partner of the field of special education.…”