For decades, school districts have relied on unlicensed teachers to fill vacancies in special education, leaving students with disabilities to receive educational services from individuals without the necessary preparation, resulting in inequitable educational opportunities. An emergency certification, granted in numerous states, allows unlicensed…

We examine whether one of the most popular observation systems in teacher evaluation--the Framework for Teaching (FFT)--captures the range of instructional skills teachers need to be effective. We focus on the case of special educators, who are likely to use instructional approaches that, although supported by research, are de-emphasized in common…

Shared storybook reading offers a potentially rich context for supporting language and communication development in students with severe intellectual disabilities and complex communication needs. Following the framework of community-engaged scholarship, the research team responded to a request for assistance from a special education teacher who…

This study investigated special educators' perspectives about an online toolkit that offers teachers example goals and objectives statements to use in service plans for students with special educational needs as well as teaching strategies and assessments. Special education teachers in a large school district in a Pacific Northwestern state…

Co-teaching has been proposed as a meaningful method in addressing the challenges that can accompany classroom diversity. In the present study teachers' attitudes were investigated regarding co-teaching and the inclusion of students with disabilities in general classes. A total of 104 early childhood educators responded to a questionnaire (51.9%…

Special educators are often placed in a collaborative leadership role, supporting others in implementing appropriate educational supports for students with disabilities across the educational environment. Furthermore, special educators are often seen as agents of change, often coaching peer-teachers to ensure best practices are being used to gain…

This study investigated the impact of structured, five-to-seven-minute, one-to-one conversations every other day between the special educator and each student. Retrospective cohort analysis of six years of student grade point average data was used to measure the effect of the one-to-one conversations. Statistical analysis revealed a significant…

Differentiated instruction (DI) is an inclusive teaching approach that recognises and values student differences. Teachers teaching in inclusive schools practise DI to accommodate students with special educational needs and disabilities. However, no research has yet been conducted to explore teachers' perceptions of DI in Bhutan. The purpose of…

Research on inclusive education (IE) documents benefits for both students with disabilities and students without disabilities. Internationally, IE is frequently aligned with the Salamanca Statement and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Salamanca Statement affirms 'the right to education of every…

Since the establishment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, implementing special education services has become more vast and complex for special education teachers. Their immense job responsibilities have them feeling varying levels of occupational burnout and stress. The purpose of this qualitative study, employing…

This project study focused on the writing and implementation of the transition plan that gives students with disabilities the proper guidelines and tools to help them in life after high school. Guided by the human capital theory in education, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how high school special education teachers…

The four-day school model is gaining popularity in rural districts across the United States. The four-day model has been touted as a model that produces benefits for rural communities. The four-day school week has been cited as creating benefits as well as consequences, however, there is limited research into the area of special education. The…

As the numbers of multilingual learners with disabilities increase in classrooms across the country and the achievement gap between multilingual learners with disabilities and their typical peers continues to widen, more research is needed to learn more about how teachers and administrators can support multilingual learners with disabilities. This…

This dissertation investigated the relationship between mindset and self-efficacy among special education teachers in Region 2 of Texas. While approximately 500,000 students are provided special education services in Texas public schools, special education students perform significantly lower on state assessments in reading and math than their…

Special education teachers have a multitude of responsibilities. The variety of tasks special educators have could impact the time spent implementing instruction. Hence, this qualitative descriptive research aimed to understand how ECSETs describe their interactions with a school-based coach and become reflective practitioners. The two components…