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…

Policy is a powerful tool that guides many gifted education services and practices in states across the U.S. In addition to student services, policies can govern teacher preparation standards and qualifications for educators responsible for instructional delivery to academically talented learners. Essential to the process, institutions of higher…

In response to teacher shortages around the country, the number of virtual personnel preparation programs has grown dramatically over the past few years. Many of these programs have been created in order to assist in the preparation of special education professionals in a variety of specializations, including high incidence disabilities (e.g.,…

Project TRREE (Teacher Recruitment and Retention for Educational Excellence) is a federally funded project conducted by the Kentucky Department of Education. The purpose of the project is to develop a systemic approach to increase the number of highly qualified special education teachers with a focus on recruitment of linguistically, culturally…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

Project TRREE is a three-year, federally funded project conducted by the Kentucky Department of Education. The purpose of the project is to develop a systemic approach to increase the number of highly qualified special education teachers with a focus on recruitment of linguistically, culturally and ethnically diverse educators. Taskforce members…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

Describes a multi-university model for delivering a distance-learning special-education course by compressed video to eight undergraduate and graduate student sites in rural Kentucky. Evaluation indicated the model's effectiveness. Advantages and challenges of the approach are identified. (DB)

Presented is the final report of a project to develop a consortium of Kentucky training institutions prepared to teach educational personnel for handicapped populations. Brief sections cover the following topics: purposes of the project (such as the establishment of a comprehensive statewide data base for student populations); the procedures and…

The Kentucky 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…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Kentucky edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

A distance-learning personnel-preparation course on transdisciplinary services for students with low incidence disabilities was developed through collaboration among four Kentucky institutions of higher learning. The course, "Transdisciplinary Services to Students with Deafblindness and Other Multiple Disabilities," was delivered to…

A Kentucky project sought to identify teacher competencies and subsequent combinations of courses that could provide needed skills for special vocational teachers. Findings from the literature were combined with information from a national survey of state coordinators of special needs programs. Thirty-nine surveys were completed. Results showed…

The philosophical, legal, moral, economic, and empirical bases supporting educating teachers to teach both typically and atypically developing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and to work with their families are presented. Content for such integrated teacher education curricula and certification standards are recommended. Efforts by…