This report evaluates a project for secondary school education teachers in northeastern Texas. The objectives of the project were to: (1) train the secondary and middle school teachers of special education to use the Science Activities for the Visually Impaired/Science Enrichment for Learners with Physical Handicaps (SAVI/SELPH) curriculum; (2)…

Historically many students with disabilities did not participate in accountability systems. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires that students in all targeted subgroups, including students with disabilities, have the opportunity to learn challenging material that is linked to content standards and to participate in statewide…

One hundred teachers of the visually handicapped in Texas's public day schools were surveyed to help schools improve recruitment. Data are presented on (1) the teachers' professional training and certification, (2) job characteristics, (3) teachers' reasons for choosing their profession, and (4) their attitudes toward their positions. (MCG)

The use of mobile telephones by 25 itinerant teachers in Texas was evaluated. Factors considered included time management, costs, changes in use of various types of telephones, and feelings of security. With one outgoing call per day, teachers saved enough time to accumulate the equivalent of one week's service each year to their students.…

Examines alienation as a factor in special-education teachers' relatively high attrition rate. Comparisons of alienation levels among 180 special-education teachers and 395 general-education teachers suggest that special-education teachers experience significantly more alienation (isolation, normlessness, and powerlessness) than…

Presented is the report on a practicum to implement a series of activities to assist Directors of Special Education in the task of personnel identification and selection. Specific issues considered are skills or competencies in special education staff roles, guidelines for special education certification in Texas, and practices and techniques in…

Intended for Special Education Directors, the source book is designed to provide assistance in the areas of personnel identification and selection. In part I, recommended competencies are listed for the following special education staff: resource classroom teacher, self-contained teacher, vocational adjustment teacher, generic classroom teacher,…

This Texas edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on teacher…

This report presents the results of three studies on beginning teacher needs and support. The first study investigated what one beginning teacher and her mentor talked about in scheduled talk sessions. Audiotapes of the talk sessions and interviews with the teacher and her mentor uncovered how the beginning teacher perceived teaching and herself…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded project designed to enable teachers of young children (ages 5-8) with mental retardation, cognitive disabilities and other developmental disabilities to teach problem solving and self-determination related skills in multiple districts across Texas and Kansas. The project…

Explains how librarians can develop a plan to anticipate the needs of teachers in the area of curriculum development, based on a study at a private special education K-12 school in Texas. Highlights include data gathering, including focus groups and questionnaires; and planning recommendations. (LRW)

The purpose of this study is to describe the level of administrator support perceived by special education teachers in South Texas. The literature on teacher retention indicates that "lack of administrative support" as an important reason for leaving the profession. This study examined the factors related to administrator support…

This study compares present practices of industrial arts teachers programs for educable mentally retarded (EMR) youth with those of special education teachers who teach some phase of industrial arts. Other purposes were to (1) compare the experiences and training backgrounds of the teachers, (2) determine tools and equipment currently being used…

Quality education is dependent in large measure on the supply of qualified teachers. Each year, the number of students enrolled in the nation's schools increases, and the shortage of teachers grows. Traditional teacher preparation programs currently do not produce enough educators to meet the needs of school districts. The shortage is particularly…

A successful outreach model for training rural teachers of the visually impaired includes an on-site, two-year course sequence leading to certification which results in: increased teacher knowledge about community resources; a supportive networking system among participating teachers; and the capability for meeting the needs of rural area,…