Special education's challenges: isolation and lack of administrative support can challenge special ed teachers.

Special education's challenges: isolation and lack of administrative support can challenge special ed teachers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FEELINGS OF ISOLATION, TOO LITTLE TIME WITH students, lack ofadministrative support, and increasing demands are challenges facingspecial education teachers and contributing to teacher shortages. If weare to provide the high quality programs necessary for our children andyouth with disabilities, while ensuring that they make good progresstoward attaining their goals and meeting increasingly rigorous academicstandards, the recruitment and retention of qualified, committed andtalented teachers is essential. As leaders in our educational system,all too often we make well-intentioned decisions that have unintendedconsequences For the "Law of unintended consequences", see Unintended consequenceUnintended Consequences is a novel by author John Ross, first published in 1996 by Accurate Press. . We ask ourselves what we can do to address the teachershortage crisis, and yet we increase the requirements for earningspecial education teacher credentials CREDENTIALS, international law. The instruments which authorize and establish a public minister in his character with the state or prince to whom they are addressed. If the state or prince receive the minister, he can be received only in the quality attributed to him in his credentials. while at the same time offeringenhanced incentives to experienced teachers to elect early retirement.We are directly contributing to the severe teacher shortage we arefacing in special education. As school districts compete for the samespecial education teachers, administrators must use strategies that givetheir district an advantage by learning what compels a teacher to workand remain in a district. Increased Isolation The design of special education delivery systems in many schoolsleads to increased isolation when special education teachers enter theirclassrooms and close the door. These educators become isolated from theteams and collaborative instructional models of education in the 21stcentury and in a digital age when we are all so personally and profes- sionally connected through technology. As leaders in specialeducation we must find new and creative ways to connect our teachers totheir resources and supports. The National Commission on Teaching andAmerica's Future (NCTAF NCTAF National Commission on Teaching and America's Future ) is convinced that the isolation of theclassroom is more than a relic of an industrial-age model: "It is afactor driving many of our best teachers out of the classroom anddriving new teachers from schools that need them the most." As welook at today's digital-age generation of teachers, one that ismastering the use of multiple technologies--the Internet InternetPublicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the , cell phones,PDAs and more--we find that these educators are often working alone. Teachers in Need I became a special education teacher to work with children withdisabilities and make a difference in their lives. I chose specialeducation because I wanted to work with the children with the greatestchallenges and who needed me the most. I believe that we fail ourteachers and subsequently fail to retain them when we repeatedly removethem from instruction and assign them to conduct assessments, attendmeetings, complete paperwork, and work with other educators and thecommunity. Although these assignments are important and necessary, theyshould not consume the significant portion of a special educationteacher's time that they do today. Where's the Support? Genuine administrative support is also seen as a key need by LuannPurcell, former assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. of the Houston County Houston County is the name of five counties in the United States: Houston County, Alabama Houston County, Georgia Houston County, Minnesota Houston County, Tennessee Houston County, Texas (Ga.)School District and now executive director of the Council ofAdministrators of Special Education. Calling upon her 18 years ofexperience as assistant superintendent, Purcell notes that "nomatter what teachers or speech pathologists Max Bielschowsky Paul Ehrlich - (1854 - 1915) Gustav Giemsa - (1867 - 1948) (see Giemsa stain) Ludwig Gr��nwald William Boog Leishman - (1865 - 1926) (see leishmaniasis) Richard May Frank Burr Mallory (1862 - 1941) (see Mallory bodies) have to do, if they perceivethat they are supported, genuinely supported, they stay!" In herexperience, the number one reason that special educators were notretained was not money, but rather the level of support they received. "Many teachers are overwhelmed o��ver��whelm?tr.v. o��ver��whelmed, o��ver��whelm��ing, o��ver��whelms1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline.2. a. by the intense demands,especially in their first few years," says Mary Kealy, assistantsuperintendent for pupil services in the Loudoun County (Va.) PublicSchools, a growing district serving about 58,000 students and increasingby 3,000 students annually. Despite participating in coursework courseworkNounwork done by a student and assessed as part of an educational courseNoun 1. coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's andprofessional development to give them the knowledge and skills needed tobe effective in their new roles, new teachers experience high levels ofstress. Kealy adds that she sees "high turnover due to increasingdemands, impact of school budgets on salaries, challenging students withlittle training on how to meet their needs, time commitments formeetings and paperwork and professional development." What Districts Can Do Given that teachers need administrator support, professionaldevelopment, time with their students, and connections to resources andmaterials, what can districts do to successfully recruit and ultimatelyretain special education teachers? The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC (Central Electronic Complex) The set of hardware that defines a mainframe, which includes the CPU(s), memory, channels, controllers and power supplies included in the box. Some CECs, such as IBM's Multiprise 2000 and 3000, include data storage devices as well. ), headquartered inArlington, Va., is the largest international professional organizationdedicated to improving the educational success of individuals withdisabilities and gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriategovernmental policies, sets professional standards, providesprofessional development, advocates for individuals withexceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions andresources necessary for effective professional practice. CEC surveyedover 400 veteran special education teachers in Kentucky Kentucky, state, United StatesKentucky(kəntŭk`ē, kĭn–), one of the so-called border states of the S central United States. It is bordered by West Virginia and Virginia (E); Tennessee (S); the Mississippi R. to determinewhat keeps them in special education. Knowing that factors inherent inschool and in the professional climate (lack of administrative support,role conflict, difficulty working with colleagues) are often associatedwith attrition AttritionThe reduction in staff and employees in a company through normal means, such as retirement and resignation. This is natural in any business and industry.Notes: , veterans ranked the influence of several items on theirdecision to stay in a particular school and in special education.Working with students, seeing students progress, and feeling a sense ofpersonal accomplishment were the three most influential reasons. Thesewere followed by positive school climate, administrative support,collegial col��le��gi��al?adj.1. a. Characterized by or having power and authority vested equally among colleagues: "He . . . support and collegial friendships. At the bottom of the listwere salary and benefits. Kealy administers a successful "grow your own specialeducation teachers and administrators program" in Loudoun CountyPublic Schools Loudoun County Public Schools (abbreviated LCPS) is a branch of the Loudoun County, Virginia government, and administers public schools in the county. LCPS's headquarters is located in Ashburn, an unincorporated section of the county. . This cohort cohort/co��hort/ (ko��hort)1. in epidemiology, a group of individuals sharing a common characteristic and observed over time in the group.2. approach, in collaboration with localuniversities, targets teacher assistants with bachelor's degrees,professionals interested in making a career change, other teachersseeking licensure licensure(lī´snsh in special education, speech and language assistants,and substitute teachers. These cohorts are specialized spe��cial��ize?v. spe��cial��ized, spe��cial��iz��ing, spe��cial��iz��esv.intr.1. To pursue a special activity, occupation, or field of study.2. and includespecial certificate programs in fields such as autism autism(ô`tĭzəm), developmental disability resulting from a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain. It is characterized by the abnormal development of communication skills, social skills, and reasoning. and specialeducation leadership, as well as special education master's degree master's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree.Noun 1. programs. Master's degree programs offer advanced degrees withsalary incentives to bachelor's level teachers who are interestedin becoming special education teachers but are not interested in earninga second bachelor's degree. Beginning at initial steps of recruitment, administrators mustdemonstrate that they provide technical supports and ongoingprofessional development with financial support. In addition toassignment and salary information, the savvy recruiter will advertiseand explain the technical assistance and ongoing professionaldevelopment and organizational support provided to special educationteacher applicants. Special education teachers need supervision fromadministrators with knowledge and experience in their specialty areas. End the Isolation We must end the isolation to end the exodus. In this digital age,administrators should promote and provide technology supports and accessto learning communities and to communities of practice such as thoseoffered by the IDEA Partnership, a collaborative community of 55national organizations with cross-stakeholder work supportingprofessionals, parents and communities. Online supports such as"How I Survived the Paper Snowstorm of Special Education" and"How to Get Help to You and Your Students" are also accessiblethrough the CEC Web site. In addition to online activities, offering abalance of face-to-face mentoring and networking through professionalorganizations and ongoing professional development can provide the webof support and the opportunity to reach beyond the isolation of theclassroom. Above all, administrators must ensure that teachers haveaccess to software applications to support instruction and monitorprogress, interventions matched to their students' needs, andadequate instruction time. High quality programs not only promote student learning but alsosupport teacher retention. When their students achieve, specialeducation teachers feel they are making a difference in the lives oftheir students and their families, and in their schools and communities,which was their motivation to become special education teachers in thefirst place. Resources Council for Exceptional Children www.cec.sped.org IDEA Partnership/National Association of State Directors of SpecialEducation www.ideapartnership.org National Commission on Teaching and America's Future www.nctaf.org Christy chris��ty?n.Variant of christie. Chambers is past president of the Council of Administratorsof Special Education and a consultant for Beyond the Box LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , aneducation consulting group providing technical assistance and training.