By the year 2008, 2.2 million teachers will be needed to fill open teaching positions created by increasing student populations and the rapid rise of retiring teachers. The urgent need for qualified teachers looks to be overtaking the number of available qualified teachers. Despite the efforts of teacher training programs in nationally accredited…

The paper, originally given at a 1986 Ethnic and Multicultural Symposium, describes the findings of a study of Black special education teachers and the factors influential in their selection and continued participation in the profession. The study surveyed 101 Black special education teachers in 64 Mississippi school districts. Subjects were among…