Teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities must possess the skills and knowledge to address a unique set of needs and challenges. These may include, but are not limited to, management of challenging behaviors, performance of health-related procedures, use of assistive technology, and instruction using evidence-based strategies.…

This study examined critical features of secondary special educator's experiences with transition professional development to predict variables most likely to influence performance of transition planning and services. Results included the extent to which secondary special educators are prepared to perform transition practices, the relationship…

Efficient lesson planning with universal design for learning (UDL) enables teachers to more effectively meet students' individual needs. In this study, a comparison of lesson plans by teacher candidates in a teacher preparation program before and after UDL training is presented. After training, teachers (n = 45) incorporated more differentiated…

The purpose of this article is to examine and analyze current instructional practices in relation to the phases of learning so that K-12 teachers can use those practices effectively to accommodate students' diverse needs in learning. In the analysis, the authors focus on the proper uses of instructional methods to maximize students' learning…

Seventy-six teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing within a western state of the United States were surveyed to explore their perceptions of the (a) importance of self-determination, (b) skills taught to students, (c) skills used by students, and (d) benefits associated with teaching self-determination. Results indicated that teachers believed…

Co-teaching is a widely implemented instructional strategy that poses unique challenges to teachers and may require targeted training. This study considers the role of pre-service and in-service professional development opportunities regarding co-teaching and teacher confidence, interests, and attitudes regarding co-teaching in a sample of general…

This study used a delayed multiple-baseline across-participants design to analyze the effects of coaching on special education teachers' implementation of function-based interventions with students with severe disabilities. This study also examined the extent to which teachers could generalize function-based interventions to different situations.…

Student performance in mathematics has been linked to the mathematical knowledge of the teacher. Based on this finding, a 5-day professional development module was created to improve teachers' mathematical knowledge and their understanding of number sense. We found no difference prior to the professional development in mathematical content…

The federal government plays an indispensable role in preparing special education personnel to become teacher educators in higher education. The 2011 Special Education Faculty Needs Assessment study documents a continued supply-demand imbalance of special education faculty. It also documents effectiveness and impact of the Office of Special…

Since 1988, researchers have monitored the extent and severity of the chronic special education (SE) faculty shortage. The present study sought to add to this knowledge base by (a) gathering data on the supply and demand of leadership personnel in SE since the "2001 Faculty Shortage Study"; (b) combining and comparing these data with other sources…

Understanding the context of the demand for special education (SE) teacher education (TE) faculty is important because it can provide faculty at doctoral-granting universities with useful information for program planning. Knowing more about SE teacher preparation programs currently in place and program revisions being planned allows doctoral…

The first article in this special issue is about the doctoral programs, the suppliers of new doctoral graduates in special education. It focuses on one component of a larger effort, the Special Education Faculty Needs Assessment (SEFNA) project, which investigated many aspects of the supply of new doctoral graduates as well as the demand for new…

As the field of special education (SE) examines issues related to supply and demand of SE teachers and faculty, an investigation of students currently enrolled in doctoral programs and doctoral graduates is an important perspective to consider. The results of two components of the "Special Education Faculty Needs Assessment" (SEFNA), focused on…

Family-centered care and responsiveness to diversity are issues of great import for early childhood special education teachers. Nevertheless, the research for these related areas is divided throughout the field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a master's-level course designed to integrate instruction in family-centered…

Teacher reflection has been promoted as a necessary tool for educators to sustain responsive instructional practices. A variety of approaches for integrating inquiry into teaching and reflection in practice emerged from extensive and intensive efforts to reform teacher preparation programs. Based on those conceptualizations, a three-level model of…