Special education law has mandated that students with disabilities be served in the "least restrictive environment" possible. This often takes the form of an inclusive classroom, or a general education classroom where students with disabilities learn alongside their non-disabled peers. In some cases, inclusive classrooms are co-taught by…

Rural schools experience difficulty in filling teaching positions at higher rates than non-rural schools. Recruiting and retaining teachers are critical in these districts; however, because the term "rural" is variable, a one-size-fits-all response is not possible. Rural communities tend to be geographically remote, have a low critical…

Special education technology and its use has largely focused on student concerns with accessing instruction. Where teachers have received attention, it has focused on classroom practices and their understanding of how to use technologies to support students. While some conversations have recently turned to the importance of "student"…

Strong classroom management skills are the foundation of effective teaching and learning. However, most teachers enter the field unprepared to manage classroom behavior. Many teacher preparation programs offer preservice teachers limited coursework and fieldwork experiences focused on developing classroom management practices. The lack of training…

Teacher education programs strive to promote social justice and critical thinking among candidates. However, limited attention is given to ableism and disability rights. This study investigates how special education teacher candidates discuss disabilities and the future of students with developmental disabilities, as well as their motivation to…

Students with autism display challenges in social communication and often require specialized instruction to learn social skills. Since social norms are an element of culture, educators must assess and select skills to teach through a cultural lens; therefore, Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is an appropriate instructional strategy. There is…

The problem addressed in this generic qualitative study is that special educators in a school district in the northeastern United States lack individual autonomy and support from their teaching partner and administration within the co-teaching environment, resulting in an inconsistent implementation of the co-teaching model (Chitiyo, 2017;…

The COVID-19 Pandemic that hit the world in the 2019-2020 school year impacted school systems just as it did everything else. School districts had to shift the way instruction was delivered as most districts closed their doors due to the orders of the governor in the spring of 2020. Fear of the Coronavirus and the unknown of its potential to…

The shortage of special education teachers in the United States is a major concern. Special educators indicate a decreased level of job satisfaction and high levels of stress as major contributing factors. Existing interventions to lower the rate of attrition of special educators focus on mentoring and coping strategies to manage stress and reduce…

Nationally, special education teacher turnover is a significant issue for school districts. The problem addressed in this study was the high special education teacher turnover rate in one local school district in North Carolina. Guided by Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this basic qualitative study explored previous special education teachers'…

The students with learning disabilities at a school in the Southeastern United States were not meeting the academic targets on the reading assessment set by the state Department of Education. Moreover, most new standards-based reform initiatives require that students with learning disabilities meet local and state competency requirements.…

After more than 20 years of a critical shortage in special education teachers, this mid-Atlantic state expedited program development for undergraduate-level teacher preparation programs. To meet the accelerated timeline, one program at a large public university used its graduate-level coursework as a model for the undergraduate level program.…

Co-teaching is the instructional practice in which general education teachers and special education teachers work together to provide instruction to students with and without disabilities in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers that co-teachers in Grades K-12 face in implementing effective…

Co-teaching is a social justice pedagogy that can increase educational access to groups of students who have historically been underserved and segregated in their schools. However, a school leader's failure to ensure inclusive cultures and critical support is its greatest obstacle. This retrospective, written by a former administrator and a…

Paraprofessionals serve a critically significant role on educational teams, yet often receive the least amount of training among educational professionals. This article details an online paraprofessional learning series created by a team of special education faculty. The professional development series draws on a disability studies in education…