Policy and program decisions involve choices among different ways of preparing teachers. These choices are shrouded in increasingly contentious debates as teacher shortages reach crisis proportions. Yet, research on special education teacher education is almost nonexistent. Findings from comparative research documenting the characteristics of effective teacher education programs can inform these choices, but these findings should be grounded in what we know from previous research in general teacher education. To assist educators, we have analyzed literature in general and special teacher education toward two ends. First, we present a framework, derived from work in general education, for analyzing teacher education programs. Second, we use this framework to analyze practice in teacher education in special education. Specifically, we conducted an exhaustive review of special education program descriptions and evaluations. We conclude by describing steps necessary to improve the special education teacher ed...

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Critical Features of Special Education Teacher Preparation: A Comparison With General Teacher Education

Office discipline referrals (ODRs) are widely used by school personnel to evaluate student behavior and the behavioral climate of schools. In this article, the authors report the results of a review of the relevant literature to evaluate the validity of ODR data as indices of school-wide behavioral climate, the effects of school-wide behavioral interventions, and differ- ing behavior support needs across schools. They used Messick's unified approach to validity by focusing on examples of evidence for empirical and ethical foundations of interpretations, uses, and social consequences of ODR measures at the school-wide level. The authors also discuss ongoing issues, study limitations, and related recommendations for interpretations and uses of ODR measures as school-wide indices, based on the existing literature.

Validity of Office Discipline Referral Measures as Indices of School-Wide Behavioral Status and Effects of School-Wide Behavioral Interventions

This study investigated the effects of a strategic self-monitoring intervention (i.e., The University of Alabama ACT-REACT) on the academic engagement, nontargeted problem behavior, productivity, and accuracy of students with and without disabilities. Seven boys and two girls of elementary age who received their educational services in two different inclusive classrooms participated in this investigation. The students were taught to use the ACT-REACT strategy during independent math/reading seatwork. ACT-REACT is a combined self-monitoring of attention and self-monitoring of performance intervention designed to help chronically disengaged students take control of their learning. A multiple-baseline-across-subjects design with an embedded reversal indicates that ACT-REACT was an effective strategy for fostering self-management and enhancing the academic performance of students with differing needs in inclusive classrooms.

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Use of Strategic Self-Monitoring to Enhance Academic Engagement, Productivity, and Accuracy of Students With and Without Exceptionalities

In this article we review research on alternative routes to certification (ARC) in special education. First, ARC is defined, and the confluence of factors that has hastened its growth and popularity, particularly in specialized, high-need areas such as special education, is discussed. Second, available research in the area of ARC in special education is summarized, with particular attention to the efficacy of the various approaches and programs and to the process and outcome variables used to assess program impact. Third, programmatic features associated with successful ARC programs are described, and what remains unknown about ARC programs is discussed. We conclude with a series of recommendations for policymakers and teacher educators.

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The Proliferation of Alternative Routes to Certification in Special Education: A Critical Review of the Literature

Although research has documented overlapping and coexisting characteristics of learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders, little attention has been paid to the subset of students who manifest symptoms of both disorders (LD/EBD). This gap in our professional knowledge/research base may be due to (a) exclusive language in federal definitions that promotes differentiation of disabilities rather than recognition of symptom overlap; (b) the lack of a conceptual model of concomitant learning and emotional/behavioral disorders; and (c) the absence of a research focus on this population. In this article, we construct a conceptual model involving six critical domains of relevance to students with LD/EBD. After describing the utility of this interactive and functional model, we highlight critical issues in screening, assessment, and programming for children with concomitant LD/EBD.

The Concomitance of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Conceptual Model

The severe and increasing shortage of personnel, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups, to teach students with mild and moderate disabilities has prompted teacher educators to explore alternative means of preparing certified and qualified special education teachers. Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with two urban local education agencies and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), developed a field-based, 2-year experimental program leading to certification and a Master's degree in special education. This program possessed several unique features: special recruitment procedures, intensive on-the-job university-based supervision, and local school mentoring. Efficacy data were collected from university supervisors, mentors, and building principals to assess the impact of the program. Direct observation instruments, interviews, and self-report questionnaires were used to collect dependent data. Comparisons were made with beginning special educators who had complet...

Alternative Certification in Special Education: Efficacy of a Collaborative, Field-Based Teacher Preparation Program.

This study examined educational program and teacher variables to identify factors that predict the reintegration of students with serious emotional disturbance (SED) into less restrictive placements. Data on program demographics, reintegration orientation, teacher reintegration training, and teacher attitudes toward reintegration were collected from 162 special education teachers and 31 administrators in restrictive placements for K-12 students with SED. This information was compared to the reintegration rates of students in those schools through the use of a hierarchical set regression analysis. Results indicated that reintegration orientation, demographic characteristics of restrictive SED programs, and particular experiences/training of special educators predict the reintegration of students with SED into less restrictive programs.

Variables Affecting the Reintegration Rate of Students with Serious Emotional Disturbance

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with unsuccessful discharge status of students with serious emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) from a secondary-level, therapeut...

Elana E. Rock

Papers

Alternative Certification in Special Education: Efficacy of a Collaborative, Field-Based Teacher Preparation Program.

Variables Affecting the Reintegration Rate of Students with Serious Emotional Disturbance

Risk of Unsuccessful Program Completion for Students with Serious Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: An Epidemiologic Risk Analysis.