The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Big Ideas for Educational Equity." Contents include: (1) Stand Up for Students…

Principals, with their unwavering dedication, manage a diverse array of responsibilities, including overseeing the instructional program, daily operations, school governance, budgets, human resources, and school maintenance. They also strive to foster an inclusive environment that ensures a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for students…

Research has shown that schools across the Nation are continuing to face the challenge of a special education teacher shortage. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how the systemic factors of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems Theory explain selected special educator's decisions to stay in the profession in a…

This dissertation combines three complementary studies that focused on the assessment and determined the quality of the written performance feedback practices and processes used by university supervisors with special education teacher candidates (SETCs) to improve their practice during field experiences. In the first study, a systematic review of…

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of special education teachers and administrators as to factors that influence retention and attrition while also describing current efforts and strategies being utilized by schools and districts to support special education teacher retention. Teacher shortages caused by attrition in…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how United States K-12 special education teachers as classroom leaders describe their readiness responses (technology acceptance, utilization, and perceived ability) to teach special education students via online learning during a crisis that limits face-to-face learning, such as the…

As schools become more inclusive, and with existing teacher shortages, teacher dispositions play a significant role in enhancing the education of students with disabilities (SWDs) in inclusive settings. University programs play an important role in preparing pre-service special education teachers not only with the knowledge and skills needed to…

Special education teachers are few in Georgia public schools, and the numbers are decreasing each year. Policy makers and administrators are busy making policies to assist special education teachers. Therefore, this research included the special education teachers' voice in advising policymakers and administrators about the challenges they…

To address chronically low rates of academic achievement among students with disabilities, as well as the high rates of burnout and attrition among special educators, new models for educator professional learning are critically needed. The EXPERT professional learning (EXPERT-PL) model aims to develop early career special educator expertise in DBI…

This study's purpose was to obtain a current picture of special education in rural districts to understand what can be done to attract special education teachers and what can be done to keep them in rural regions. A survey adapted from Berry (2012) was administered via Qualtrics to special education teachers in rural Midwest US. Sixty percent of…

Providing transition planning and services to students with emotional disturbance (ED) can enhance their success in postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. This qualitative study explores how special educators in Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), perceive the necessity of promoting transition…

Teacher educators can use rehearsal to enhance special education teacher candidates' mastery of foundational teaching practices. Rehearsals (i.e., brief practice teaching segments) are conducted within college and university courses and are intentionally different from field-based or clinical practice. The use of rehearsal reflects a…

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the effectiveness of professional educators in using the methodology of functional behavior assessment (FBA) and function assessment-based intervention (FABI) to reduce challenging behaviors exhibited by students with Down syndrome (DS), or a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism spectrum…

Rural school districts face a unique set of challenges. This dissertation focuses on two rural counties in three school districts in southeastern Ohio and examines the difficulties special education teachers and administrators in rural communities often face. Two special education teachers, a general education teacher, two principals, a special…

Writing is one of the most important forms of communication we have, yet many find it to also be one of the most challenging tasks to do, and in the case of educators, to teach. Becoming a proficient writer is one of the most important lifelong skills teachers can help students develop, but many educators do not have ample preparation to teach…