Special Education: Every Teacher's Responsibility: All California Teachers Need Professional Development and On-the-Job Support to Teach Special Education Students. CenterView

Abstract

This policy brief examines the professional development and support that teachers receive to help them work with students with special needs. In a survey commissioned by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, 88% of all California teachers reported having special education students in their classes, yet only 30% reported having adequate training to effectively teach those students. By failing to support and sustain a cohesive teacher development system that targets the needs of all teachers, including those serving special education students, California is falling short of ensuring that these students have adequate and equitable opportunities for educational success. Although California has begun to move in the right direction by including special education teachers in a few major reform efforts, much more needs to be done, including: (1) Revise the "Standards for the Teaching Profession" to better align with what teachers should know and be able to do to work successfully with special education students; (2) Establish mentor teacher resource lists at each Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) in order to match underprepared teachers with support providers experienced in the field of special education; and (3) Include the percentage of underprepared, intern, and novice special education teachers in reports on the make-up of the teacher workforce. (Contains 2 endnotes.)