A shortage of certified teacher candidates nationwide is especially challenging in the field of special education. U.S. rural school districts are even more impacted due to limited access to universities because of geographical distance. In this program description, we look at the University Louisville's fully online special education alternative…

The term "Science of Reading" (SOR) has become a popular phrase in practitioner circles. To best serve students, it is important that teachers and interventionists are knowledgeable about the SOR. This article provides a special educator's guide to the SOR by reviewing critical elements that have emerged in public discourse about the…

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a large role in the delivery of special education services for students with disabilities in the United States (Brock & Carter, 2015; Stockall, 2014) and "there is undoubtedly a place for well-conceived paraprofessional supports in special education" (Suter & Giangreco, 2009). The sheer number of…

Families of children with disabilities have unique relational needs that may be addressed by practitioners in the field of family science. In this article, we discuss how relational feminism was used as an approach to working with families in a rural Special Education program to facilitate success for very young students with neurodevelopmental…

This report provides formative data about the implementation of projects associated with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education's Attract, Prepare, and Retain (APR) efforts during the 2023-24 school year. We surveyed or interviewed students and educators participating in six such projects: Developing Future Special Educators Grants, APR…

What Black learners hear from their general and special education professionals affect how they communicate and interact in classrooms and other learning situations and environments. Most students, no matter how young, are very perceptive--they can tell if the teacher or the learning environment is welcoming or unwelcoming. When the environment is…

Mixed-reality simulation (MRS) is an innovative and promising approach in teacher preparation programs. While the use of MRS as a practice-based learning opportunity (PLO) in special education teacher preparation and professional development continues to grow, integrating this novel technology can be daunting for faculty members and school…

Preservice teachers need many opportunities to practice teaching skills prior to using the skills in high-stakes settings like real, live classrooms. Role play is an accessible and flexible option for embedding skill practice into individual courses. They may focus on specific high-leverage practices (HLPs) and enable preservice teachers to engage…

Researchers in special education have been developing a knowledge base of evidence-based practices that improve the outcomes of students with disabilities. Unfortunately, filtering that knowledge into classrooms implemented by special education teachers has been a challenge. In "The Essentials of Special Education Research," Andrew M.…

This report provides data about the special education teacher pipeline in Pennsylvania and projects associated with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education's Attract, Prepare, and Retain (APR) efforts. We first used administrative data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to provide a historical portrait of the special education…

Given the abysmal underrepresentation of Black and other minoritized students in gifted and talented programs, there is a need to help them to be more effective with recruitment and retention. In this article, we maintain that the notion of someplace is important in order for educators to reverse underrepresentation. To support them, we share…

Teaching children with individualized education programs (IEPs) can pose challenges such as determining materials to use, managing the materials, and keeping data organized. This paper reviews those challenges that teachers (e.g., general and special education) encounter and describes the necessity for systematic data collection. Guidelines are…

This paper tells the story of how one school leveraged the expertise of a family to build an equitable collaboration that transformed the educational experiences of Jake, a fifth-grade student with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Personal accounts from 3 teachers, 2 administrators, and a parent illustrate the power of leaning into…

This article presents the findings from an interview study with 12 subject teachers and special educators in three Swedish lower secondary schools. The purpose of the study was to explore how school professionals perceive and respond to dilemmas related to inclusive education that require prioritizations between conflicting values, principles or…

The purpose of this article is to address the urgency of creating an innovative learning environment in marginalized K-12 special education classrooms in the United States. This article considers the following topics: (a) the definition of creativity and innovation; (b) the importance of innovative learning environments, (c) key conditions and…