The Summer Achievement Center is a collaborative partnership between a large urban school district in Fresno County and California State University, Fresno designed to prepare teachers to teach students with autism and emotional disturbance. The purpose of this study was to examine characteristics of individuals teaching students with autism or emotional disturbance within a large urban school district and examine differences related to teacher preparation or professional development. Two research questions were developed. Question 1 examined the perceived benefits and outcomes of Summer Achievement Center participation and Question 2 measured differences in self-efficacy between participants of the Summer Achievement Center and nonparticipants. Participants reported that the program, or the skills taught during the program, contributed to their ability to be prepared for their current teaching position. Participants also had higher mean scores on a self-efficacy scale and had an expectation to remain in the field longer than nonparticipants. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]