Student teachers' perceptions of possible best practices in the education of students with high support needs and their reports of level of implementation during field experience were investigated in this research. In addition, the student teachers' suggestions for other indicators of best practice and their perceptions of barriers to best…

The use and integration of the new technologies, such as the Internet, World Wide Web, new computer software, etc., in educational milieus have been enormously growing for nearly two decades. Not only do these new technologies make an impact in general education, but also within preservice special education teachers who work with one of the…

In an effort to better serve the school districts within its service area and the unique credential candidate population, California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) implemented an accelerated alternative certification program based upon the Professional Development School (PDS) model hereinafter referred to as SPED PDS. During the…

This qualitative study investigated the use of family-centered practices by graduates of two early childhood special education personnel preparation programs that embedded family-centered pedagogy and involvement in all coursework. Three cohorts, involving 19 graduates employed in 19 different programs located in six states, participated in…

This study serves as a pilot study for a longitudinal study that will be conducted a year later. The purpose of this research is to determine how a course in special education has impacted secondary general education pre-service teachers' attitudes towards individuals with disabilities, teaching students with mild disabilities and the degree of…

This paper describes early efforts underway at City College, New York, to introduce a disability studies content into an otherwise traditional special education programme. The paper draws on previously funded research projects that merged humanities-based disability studies in education, prior teaching experiences and excerpts from the writing of…

The technology to produce high quality, digital videos is widely available, yet its use in teacher preparation remains largely overlooked. A digital video library was created to augment instruction in a special education methods course for preservice elementary education teachers. The videos illustrated effective strategies for working with…

Project ACCEPT (Achieving Creative & Collaborative Educational Preservice Teams)represents an initiative at Northern Illinois University, where special and general education preservice teachers are joined in a voluntary project featuring an enhanced curriculum and field experiences in inclusive classrooms. Participants receive intensive…

In this article, we summarize the findings from eight separate focus group studies, conducted with various stakeholders--special education teachers, general education teachers, administrators, school psychologists, students with learning disabilities, parents of students with learning disabilities, teacher educators, and higher education faculty…

All universities are required by the Board of Regents (BoR) and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to redesign their Special Education Programs to address new state certification requirements, state/national content standards, state/national teacher standards, PRAXIS expectations, and NCATE requirements. Once programs have been…

This action research presents data about an online Master of Arts in Education (MAE) in Learning and Behavior Disorders (LBD), P-12 at Western Kentucky University. During extensive program revisions, the program developed a collaborative assessment model while preparing more than 300 special education personnel for work in rural schools.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) "Special Education at a Glance," which includes a copy of the "Guide to Planning and Assessing School-Based Special Education Programs," provides in a single document, information about the special education population at each Montgomery County (Maryland) public school, including…

Teachers play a key role in alleviating or exacerbating educational inequality across the nation. Oftentimes this educational inequality is based on ethnicity, class, and gender as well as additional cultural factors. It is essential that teacher education programs include courses that address multicultural issues with the goal of developing true…

As more children with disabilities are served in early childhood settings, preservice training programs have a responsibility to provide future early childhood educators with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to actively participate as a team member in meeting the needs of young children with disabilities. This article provides a description…

As we move through the 21st century, the need to prepare professionals to work effectively with students from diverse backgrounds is of utmost importance. This paper discusses the use of service-learning in a pre-service preparation program at a metropolitan university. Service-learning was infused into a course examining issues and trends in…