Search for Personnel Preparation ProgramsResources for Best Practice in Recruiting, Preparing and Retaining Personnel
The following initiatives targeted at personnel recruitment and retention and include examples of successful efforts to recruit and retain high quality special educators and related service providers.Questions and Answers On Highly Qualified Teachers Serving Children with Disabilities
The US Department of Education (DOE)’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has prepared a “question and answer” document on highly qualified teachers serving children with disabilities. This is a great quick reference for clarification of the regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) concerning the requirements for highly qualified special education teachers, that will be helpful as some state education agencies (SEAs) are refining their certification requirements for special education teachers.
National Initiatives:
National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center)The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) is a national resource to which the regional comprehensive centers, states, and other education stakeholders turn for strengthening the quality of teaching—especially in high-poverty, low-performing, and hard-to-staff schools—and for finding guidance in addressing specific needs, thereby ensuring highly qualified teachers are serving students with special needs.
The New Teacher Center (NTC) at University of California Santa Cruz
The New Teacher Center is a national resource dedicated to teacher development and new teacher training and the support of programs and practices that promote excellence and diversity in America's teaching force. Its work with new teachers results in strong retention trends.
National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development (NCIPP)
NCIPP is an OSEP-funded Center which aims to inform special education policy and practice by examining and recommending those policies and practices that improve the retention and quality of beginning special education teachers.
National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services (NCPSSERS) Phoebe Gillespie is the co-chair and co-founder of the National Coalition on Personnel Shortages. NCPSSERS is comprised of more than 25 national professional organizations, institutions of higher education and local education agencies that meet bi-monthly to address the national agenda on personnel shortages for all special education-related personnel, including related service providers. To learn more about NCPSSERS and to access the wealth of information available on the website, go to: http://www.specialedshortages.org.
Featured State Work:
Arizona
Check out how Arizona is attempting to improve teacher quality! A $6.7 million grant has been awarded to Arizona State University to enable more students in the Arizona Native American communities to earn teacher certification. Read More
California
California Department of Education Special Education Division (FAQ’s on highly qualified special education teachers)
This webpage answers all your questions about federal regulations for highly qualified and the need for fully certified special education teachers, as addressed in NCLB and IDEA, 2004.
TEACH California
This site provides you with the information you need in order to become a credentialed teacher in California. It is an excellent example of a state website that features a lot of information about how to become a special education teacher.
Maryland
Staff from the Maryland DOE presented a review of the Department’s best practices in recruiting, preparing and retaining special educators and related service providers at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Program’s (OSEP’s) Mega Leadership Conference in August. Click here to view the power point presentation from that session.
What’s Going on in Colorado?
The Colorado legislature recently passed legislation that lays the foundation for the creation of its teacher ‘unique identifier’ system. Read the report outlining recommendations for the development of such a system, and how they are being used in Colorado to support improved instruction and staffing. Click here to see the full report.
South Carolina
South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement (CERRA)
The purpose of the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement (CERRA) is to provide leadership in identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified individuals for the teaching profession in our state. In doing so, CERRA will respond to changing needs for teachers from underrepresented populations, in critical subject fields and in under-served geographical areas in South Carolina. The Center will work cooperatively with other organizations to promote the teaching profession.
Preparation Programs:
IRIS Center for Faculty EnhancementOnline Learning Modules and Related Materials, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee The IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement has been designed in response to a request from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs for a national effort to ensure that general education teachers, school administrators, school nurses, and school counselors are well prepared to work with students who have disabilities and with their families.
