This section includes papers and statements written about the policies, procedures, goals, and concerns of both governmental and nongovernmental agencies (e.g., CEC, NCATE) with respect to personnel preparation for individuals who aim to work with students with disabilities

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Accountability for All: Results from a Study on Accountability Policies Affecting Students with Disabilities Educated in Special Schools and Settings (2004)
Major findings indicate that not all states have formal policies on accountability for this population of students; not all students in this group are participating in required assessments; and much ambiguity exists over who is responsible for ensuring that accountability measures are being fully implemented.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/accountability_policies_2004.pdf

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Education Policy Clearinghouse.
University of Colorado at Boulder.
AACTE's EdData feature provides news, research, and information on legislation, with an emphasis on teacher quality, No Child Left Behind, educational testing, and other topics. Users may search the database for information on a variety of topics, such as vouchers, charter schools, special education, and others.
http://www.edpolicy.org/research/teacherq/index.php (Research, news, and links on teacher quality)
http://www.edpolicy.org/research/nclb/index.php (Research, news, and links on No Child Left Behind)

American Occupational Therapy Association. Professional Standards
AOTA's Standards of Practice for Occupational Therapy are requirements for the occupational therapy practitioner (registered occupational therapist and certified occupational therapy assistant). This document identifies minimum standards for occupational therapy practice. Essentials and Guidelines of an Accredited Program for the Occupational Therapist and Essentials and Guidelines of an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapy Assistant describe the minimum educational requirements at both levels.
http://www.aota.org/

American Physical Therapy Association. Professional Standards
APTA's Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy and the Criteria provide guidance on the practice of physical therapy, point to various core documents that assist in addressing the challenges of daily practice, and organize these documents as tools for the development and assessment of physical therapy practice. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) grants specialized accreditation status to qualified entry-level education programs for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants, and is recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education and Council of Higher Education Accreditation.
http://www.apta.org

American School Counselor Association. Professional Standards
ASCA's National Standards for School Counseling Programs help school systems identify what students will know and be able to do as a result of participating in a school counseling program; establish similar goals, expectations, support systems, and experiences for all students; serve as a national tool to identify and prioritize the elements of an effective school counseling program; and provide for discussion of the role of counseling programs in schools. National Standards Trainers are available across the country to assist in developing standards-based programs. In spring 2003, ASCA announced that the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the National Board for Certified Counselors were no longer collaborating on a unified certification for school counselors, and so the prospect is that there will be two national certification sources.
http://www.schoolcounselor.org

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Professional Standards
The Membership and Certification Handbooks contain ASHA's Certification Standards in Audiology and Standards in Speech-Language Pathology. Additional information on expectations for certification applicants and graduate programs related to implementation of these standards is contained in a joint statement from the Council on Academic Accreditation and Council for Clinical Certification. In 2002, ASHA approved minimum criteria for the approval of individuals to become registered speech-language pathology assistants.
http://www.asha.org

Association of Teacher Educators. Professional Standards
ATE has developed Standards of Practice for Teacher Educators; indicators for each standard; evidence supporting proficiency; and assessment modes. A list of Standards, indicators for each Standard, evidence supporting proficiency, and assessment modes are shown at the web site. The final evidence for each Standard provides flexibility so that candidates may adequately portray their expertise as a Master Teacher Educator.
http://www.ate1.org

Bringing Evidence-Driven Progress to Education: A Recommended Strategy for the U.S. Department of Education
Notes the lack of progress in K-12 achievement, proposes randomized controlled trials as a key to improvement, and recommends that the U.S. Department of Education provide strong incentives for the widespread use of educational practices proven effective in such randomized controlled trials. The report states that randomized trials are uncommon in educational research, and discusses evidence the designs commonly used produce erroneous results in many cases. Executive summary and full text.
http://www.excelgov.org/displayContent.asp?NewsItemID=4541&Keyword=prppcEvidence

Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence. Professional Standards. (2003)
CREDE has developed Five Standards that articulate guidelines for effective education for students at risk of educational failure due to cultural, language, racial, geographic, or economic factors: (a) teachers and students producing together; (b) developing language and literacy across the curriculum; (c) making meaning; (d) teaching complex thinking; (e) teaching through conversation. Research is available on the Standards' effectiveness with majority and minority K-16 students across subject matters, curricula, cultures, and language groups. The web site displays indicators of classroom practices that employ the Standards; a rubric to measure the effectiveness of the Standards in classroom practice; and multimedia tools for professional development of K-12 bilingual/ESL teachers.
http://www.crede.ucsc.edu

Knowledge and Skills Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists to Provide Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services. (2003)
American Speech-Hearing-Language Association.
An official ASHA statement of competencies necessary to provide appropriate services to individuals who are culturally/linguistically diverse.
http://www.asha.org/NR/rdonlyres/E0E6F1A6-6B44-4148-B579-EE9EFE58190F/0/LC102003supportdoc.pdf

Linguistic Minority Research Institute Website.
University of California
A multi-campus research unit on development of educational practice and policy for academic achievement of language minority students. Provides information to researchers, students, practitioners, and policymakers in California, which generalize to other areas of the country. Policy reports, technical reports, and working papers may be downloaded.
http://lmri.ucsb.edu/

Meeting the Demand for Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers During Severe Shortages: What Should Policymakers Consider?
In the authors’ response to the other articles in this special series, they acknowledge the dilemma that chronic teacher shortages and recent demands for a quality teacher for every child pose for securing sufficient numbers of special educators. We provide information about current policies and programs that states and districts are implementing that hold promise for improving the supply of qualified special educators. Although we recognize the potential effectiveness of individual strategies, such as induction programs, we emphasize the importance of a comprehensive, statewide reform effort as the most viable mechanism for resolving teacher shortages.
Brownell, M.T., Hirsch, E., & Seo, S. (2004). Meeting the demand for highly qualified special education teachers during severe shortages: What should policymakers consider? The Journal of Special Education, 38(1), 56-61.

No Child Left Behind: Now What Do We Need to Do to Be Culturally Responsive. (2003)
Training and Technical Assistance Center, College of William and Mary. Day-Vines, Norma, & Patton, James. Describes 12 evidence-based strategies for making the No Child Left Behind Act culturally responsive in a manner that helps to truly close the achievement gap.
http://www.wm.edu/TTAC/articles/legal/nowwhat.htm

Policy Makers and the Demand for Special Education Teachers (2004).
Brownell, M.T., Hirsch, E., & Seo, S. (2004). Meeting the demand for highly qualified
special education teachers during severe shortages: What should policymakers consider?
Journal of Special Education, 38, 56-61.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Brownell_2004.pdf

The Politics of Knowledge (2008).
Educational research is growing increasingly important in policy debates. However, the author points out, we know very little about how policy makers use that research.
Hess, F. M. (2008). The politics of knowledge. Phi Delta Kappan. 89(5), 354-356.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Hess_2008.pdf

The Politics of Teacher Education in the New Millenium (2004).
Abstract: With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates a ‘highly qualified’ teacher for every child in a Title I school by 2005-2006, teacher education has become a ‘front burner’ political issue in Washington and statehouses across the U.S. Debates have arisen regarding how ‘highly qualified’ should be defined, and what type of teacher education is needed, or if any is needed, to ensure a highly qualified workforce. This article describes the positions of those who propose that teacher education be deregulated, and those who support the professionlaization of teaching and teacher education. What we know from available evidence about the characteristics of high quality teacher education programs is then addressed. The paper concludes with a review of the implications of the current political climate for teacher education and special education and possible directions for future research that is needed to influence policy decisions.
McLeskey, J. & Ross, D.D. (2004). The politics of teacher education in the new millennium: Implications for special education teacher educators. Teacher Education and Special Education. 27(4), 342-349.