Information from 121 chairs of 1997-98 special educational search committees was collected. The majority of positions were at the rank of Assistant Professor and were left vacant due to faculty mobility. Seventy-three percent of searches ended successfully; 76% of those hired were women; and 20% were culturally or linguistically diverse. (Contains…

After a systematic national search, 86 special education doctoral programs were found to be active in 1999. Program administrators were surveyed and results indicate most special education doctoral programs are under enrolled, doctoral students' enrollment has declined 30% over the last 20 years, and programs are not highly selective. (Contains…

A survey of individuals who earned their doctorates between 1994-1998 (n=872) found only 36% of recipients were employed full-time in tenure-line positions. Factors influencing career choices included age at beginning doctoral study; career aspirations of beginning doctoral students; institutional financial support; and the ability to relocate…

A survey of 1,267 doctoral students found their primary consideration in selecting a doctoral program was not having to relocate. Students were fairly satisfied with the training they received in research skills, less so in areas of college teaching, administration/supervision, and diversity. Less than half were interested in faculty positions.…

This article reviews the history of national policy for personnel preparation under Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and offers some recommendations for federal policy that may increase special education faculty. It concludes that higher education must develop new ways of communicating its importance to policy makers.…

This article introduces two articles that address the history and funding of personnel preparation for special education in general and the specific history of federal funding for general education teachers to work well with students with disabilities. It urges the incorporation of accountability in teacher education programs to justify funding.…

This article provides an historical analysis of federal support for personnel preparation in special education. The evolution of the program is traced in terms of its continued emphasis on increasing and improving the quality of special education personnel as well as building capacity for preparation of future personnel. (Contains references.)…

This article describes federal initiatives to support preparation of regular educators to serve students with disabilities through the eras of mainstreaming, the Regular Education Initiative, inclusion, and promoting access to the general education curriculum. Trends in the number of personnel preparation projects that support preparation of…

A model is presented for preservice teacher preparation of general and special educators. The model was successfully implemented with 47 secondary and 30 special educator candidates who were enrolled in a collaboratively taught block of courses. Candidates collaboratively identified and assessed learning challenges in students, intervened, and…

Three Web-mediated experiential case strategies were employed with 79 preservice teachers to facilitate practice of functional behavioral assessment skills. Results from the information group, chat group, and student interactions group suggest the three teaching tactics were equally effective in facilitating the application of functional…

This article describes the implementation and outcomes of a teacher-directed professional development program for 33 general and special education teachers that was designed to increase the awareness of culturally influenced learning and behavioral differences in the classroom. Results indicate an increase in teachers' depth of knowledge regarding…

This article calls for a rethinking of inservice education for teachers of children with disabilities as well as an investment in experimental modes of teacher renewal. Examples are presented of short-term internships where teachers are immersed in exemplary practices by host teachers in early education and school-to-adult life transition…

Three Head Start teachers who served students with special needs in their inclusive classrooms participated with an early childhood special education teacher conducting peer coaching sessions. Results indicated that all Head Start teachers increased their rate of responsive statements. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a technology-enhanced staff development program. The program utilized video tele-conferences and training videos to train five elementary schools in the creation of collaborative partnerships (i.e., team teaching and family centers). A discussion of procedures, outcomes, and…

Preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in an inclusion course interviewed 28 teachers teaching in inclusive classrooms. Over half of the interviewed teachers failed to mention the importance of support services in their definitions of inclusion and the majority indicated teaching in inclusive settings is to some degree problematic. (Contains…