Partnerships among institutions of higher education and school districts are desirable. Partnerships enable organizations to leverage their resources as well as expand and enhance their capabilities. They also provide opportunities for personnel with specialized areas of expertise to address shared challenges. Partnerships take considerable time,…

Collaboration among novice special education teachers and their general education colleagues can bolster the impact of induction programs for all novice teachers, including special education teachers. Strong, supportive collaborative structures also can influence novice special education teacher retention. A Professional Learning Community--the…

The majority of Alternative Route Certification (ARC) programs are designed to fill personnel needs in either a certain discipline (e.g., special education teachers) or in specific geographic areas (e.g., rural, urban). ARC programs provide access to a teaching credential by circumventing traditional preservice preparation. In general, ARC…

General education induction has received substantial attention from policymakers, researchers, and school district practitioners. Yet, the literature base has been described as fragmented, with methodological problems that often make it difficult to draw clear implications. The special education induction literature base is even less developed.…

Co-teaching and team teaching represent collaborative opportunities that can counteract the historic isolation of special education teachers. They also have the potential for supporting novice teacher socialization in the school setting. More knowledge is needed to realize the benefit of these approaches in the context of induction. This Brief…

Although novice special education teachers benefit from the same types of support and induction that their general education colleagues receive, certain aspects of their experience require attention. This Brief summarizes why a mentoring model is needed for novice special education teachers and what teacher educators can do to help establish a…