Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) "Special Education at a Glance," which includes a copy of the "Guide to Planning and Assessing School-Based Special Education Programs," provides in a single document, information about the special education population at each MCPS school, including enrollment, staffing, special education…

Project RAISE (Rural America Institute for Special Educators) was a preservice teacher training program specifically designed for preparing special educators for the demands of rural settings. The project was conducted by the Department of Special Education at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and concentrated on training special educators in…

To gain more information about the skills needed and used by teachers of students with serious emotional disturbances (SED), 19 teachers of students with SED were surveyed to determine the amount of time, level of importance, and perceived adequacy of training received on 20 teacher competencies in 6 major task areas. In addition, follow-up…

This project addressed the need for training materials for paraeducators in their roles as members of the instructional team, and for teachers as classroom executives who lead that team. Paraprofessional personnel in this project include paid aides, volunteers, cross-age tutors, and parents instructing children in the schools. The three objectives…

This study examined the relationship between years of teaching experience and teacher specialty area in terms of formulation of vocational objectives in transition planning. Descriptive and inferential data were gathered from 43 secondary special education teachers concerning 393 student transition plans. Results indicated that teaching experience…

This Digest explores facets of collaboration between general and special education teachers that are different from earlier models. Inclusion of students with disabilities into the same class has brought about teams of general education and special education teachers working collaboratively or cooperatively to combine their professional knowledge,…

This paper examines the ways in which individuals have been prepared for work in special education by focusing on the Boston, Massachusetts, public schools from 1870 through the 1920's. During this period, selected teachers and teacher candidates were recruited and prepared for specific assignments as instructors of children with disabilities.…

To understand the low employment outcomes for young people with mild disabilities, this study assessed the level of knowledge of Kansas teachers (N=92) of students with mild disabilities regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition models, and components of transition programs. Major findings included the following:…

This paper describes a process that empowered special education teachers in Greenville Independent School District (Texas) to begin moving toward an inclusive model of special education. Specifically, the paper examines special education teachers' levels of concern regarding inclusion during this process. During the summer, 26 special education…

This paper uses a qualitative case study approach to discuss the training of special education teachers in mathematics instruction. The case focuses on a remedial mathematics intervention based on social competence theory with an adolescent with cerebral palsy. Two student teachers attempted to encourage mathematics instruction which focused on…

Fourteen learning disabilities (LD) teachers and 17 counselors at 31 secondary schools completed a questionnaire concerning their roles in preparing students with learning disabilities for postsecondary education. The open-ended questionnaire covered the following topics: who has primary responsibility for providing transition services, what…

California State University (CSU) at Chico developed a teacher credentialing program to provide culturally diverse, certified special education teachers for 12 rural counties in northern California. These counties are sparsely populated; include remote areas with difficult access; and contain large Hmong, Meo, American Indian, and Hispanic…

An observational instrument was developed to facilitate the peer coaching process by special education consulting teachers with regular class teacher colleagues. Use of the instrument was piloted by a special education consulting teacher with three middle school teachers whose classes included special education and at-risk students. The instrument…

The impact of changes in the special education environment on the role of the resource teacher are discussed, such as trends toward placing students with special needs within regular classrooms, delivering programs to learners with a wider range of instructional needs, and collaborating in delivery of classroom instruction. Consequent shifts in…

Key facts are provided about the Northeast Regional Credential program which allows greater transportability of teacher certification across state lines. Tight and exclusionary teacher certification rules are seen as related to the high numbers of teachers leaving the profession. This regional credentialling program is an agreement among seven…