Sixteen papers, developed as part of a 10-year study of substantive and methodological aspects of teacher education in special education at the University of South Florida, address professional issues in special education. The papers are: (1) "To Improve or Reconstruct Special Education: Issues Facing the Field" (James L. Paul and Ann Cranston-Gingras); (2) "The Demographics of Special Education" (Harold Hodgkinson); (3) "Interventions and Children with Special Needs" (James J. Gallagher); (4) "High-Stakes Testing and the Distortion of Care" (Nel Noddings); (5) "From the Old to the New Paradigm of Disability and Families: Research To Enhance Family Quality of Life Outcomes" (Ann P. Turnbull and H. R. Turnbull); (6) "Addressing Home, School, and Community Violence for Children with Disabilities" (Zena H. Rudo); (7) "Informing Professional Issues in Special Education through Disability Studies" (Ann Cranston-Gingras and Crystal Roberts Ladwig); (8) "The Teacher Variable: Who Makes Special Education Special?" (James L. Paul and Patricia A. Parrish); (9) "The Reflective Self: Becoming a Special Educator" (Patricia Fagan and Ella L. Taylor); (10) "Preparing African American Male Teachers for Urban Special Education Environments" (Brenda L. Townsend and Karen M. Harris); (11) "Collaborative Professional Development Partnerships" (Karen L. Colucci and others); (12) "The Use of Educational Technology and Assistive Devices in Special Education" (Barbara L. Loeding); (13) "The Utilization of Distance Learning and Technology for Teaching Children with Disabilities" (Michael W. Churton); (14) "Charter Schools and Their Impact on Special Education" (Myrrha Pammer and others); (15) "Reading the History of Special Education" (Sherman Dorn); and (16) "Ethics and Special Education" (James L. Paul and others). Individual papers contain references. (DB)