Persistent shortages of special education teachers, particularly in rural areas, exist across the country. This study assessed the openness of teacher candidates enrolled in an introductory education course at two rural Midwest universities to a special education career path. Survey findings confirmed that work or volunteer experience involving…

A code of ethics serves as a compass, guiding professionals as they perform the roles associated with their profession. These codes are evidence to the public that professionals are concerned about the services they provide and the individuals to whom they are provided. Codes of ethics should be living documents, changing focus as the fields they…

This research examines special needs education professional development needs among both general and special education schoolteachers in northern Malawi. A semi-structured questionnaire with open and close-ended questions was used for the research. Quantitative and thematic analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which teachers believe…

Most approaches aiming to reduce behavior problems among youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) focus on individual students; however, school personnel also need professional development to better support students. This study targeted teachers' skill development to promote positive outcomes for students with ASD. The sample included 19 teachers…

Improving the quality of the teacher workforce is high on the nation's education policy agenda, but school systems continue to face difficulties in staffing STEM and special education classrooms with qualified teachers. This article documents the mismatch between the supply and demand of STEM and special education teachers in Washington State,…

Discrete-trial instruction (DTI) is a behavioral method of teaching young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that has received a significant amount of research support. Because of a lack of qualified trainers in many areas of the world, researchers have recently begun to investigate alternative methods of training professionals to…

Collaboration between special educators and transition coordinators is important to lower recidivism rates among juvenile offenders with disabilities. This column provides best practice transition guidelines and urges special education teachers, special education coordinators, and transition coordinators in juvenile correctional facilities to…

Recent research has explored the efficacy of the CRA-I (concrete-representational-abstract) strategy with students with disabilities (Strickland & Maccini, 2012, 2013). The CRA-I strategy is a promising practice that special educators have used to teach algebra to students with high-incidence disabilities. The CRA-I strategy is a modification…

Body image disturbance continues to be recognized in increasingly younger populations. Eating issues among elementary school children have become more overt and statistically prevalent in recent years. Elementary school counselors are in important positions to provide their communities with early detection information and prevention strategies.…

Young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique social skills challenges as they transition into independent living environments and seek fulfilling relationships within their communities. Research has focused on social education and interventions for children with autism, while transitioning young adults with ASD have received…

A single-subject multiple baseline design across four teacher-student dyads was used to investigate possible functional relationships between the independent variable of coaching and electronic performance feedback and dependent variables of teacher behaviors (BSP, general praise, OTR, reprimand) and student disruptive behavior. Subjects were four…

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) supports research that contributes to the identification of effective strategies for improving the performance of current teachers and other instructional personnel, and related services providers in ways that increase student learning and achievement, social and behavioral skills, and…

Teacher education programs are typically seen as innovative models of teaching, but how do teacher educators stay current in methodologies that reach diverse and underserved students? This study documents the initial teaching concerns of seasoned teacher educators (PK-8th grade), across areas of study, and followed them across two years as they…

Given the nature of their responsibilities in field-based settings, university supervisors play an important role in preparing pre-service teachers to become culturally responsive and critically reflective special educators. However, supervisors themselves may not have the experience and training necessary to do so, and limited guidance is…

A preliminary study was conducted to find out the readiness of general elementary schools (GES) to become inclusive elementary schools (IES) based on the criteria for the implementation of the government-specified inclusive schools. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews in 50 general elementary schools involving principals, teachers,…