The current shortage of teachers, owing primarily to retention and the shortfall in the field of special education, presents serious staffing concerns for serving children with special needs. Beyond supply considerations, teacher preparation programs are an integral part of the solution. Deci, Koestner, and Ryan (1999) described the role of autonomy in promoting job satisfaction, employee production, and retention. Teacher education programs must recognize the importance of this affective characteristic and take leadership in preparing preservice teachers to function autonomously in the culture of schools. The purpose of this study was to describe and measure the autonomy of undergraduate special education preservice teachers and the effects of the autonomy of the cooperating teacher on the preservice teacher. Findings indicate an overall increase in preservice teachers' autonomy; however, the autonomy of the cooperating teacher accounted for a 14% decline in preservice teachers' autonomy. Recommendations for future research are presented. (Contains 7 tables.)