Supply and Demand of Special Education Personnel
This section includes statistical information and commentary
about supply and demand issues in special education and related services.
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American Association for Employment in Education Website and Project Connect.
A professional association of district personnel administrators and higher education career service officers serving
the staffing needs of U.S. education. Project CONNECT is an online national database of vacancies for use by teachers,
school districts, and higher education.
http://www.aaee.org/
http://careers.education.wisc.edu/projectconnect/MainMenu.cfm (Project Connect)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Career Center Website.
Information and resources for individuals interested in careers in audiology, speech-language pathology, and hearing science.
Employers can post openings, search resumes, and accept applications online. Job seekers can add their resumes to the database.
http://www.asha.org/about/career
An Insufficient Supply and a Growing Demand for Qualified Related Service Personnel:
Are School Districts Prepared? (2004)
Nationwide, there are shortages of qualified school-based related service personnel—What districts
should know to be prepared.
http://monarchcenter.org/pdfs/relatedservices.pdf
Critical Issues in Supply and Demand. (2004)
Billingsley, B.S., & McLeskey, J. (2004).
Critical issues in special education teacher supply
and demand: An overview. Journal of Special Education, 38, 2-4.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Billingsley_2004.pdf
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Special Education Workforce (2004)
Tyler, N.C., Yzquierdo, Z., Lopez-Reyna, N., & Flippin, S.S. (2004).
Cultural and linguistic diversity and the special education workforce: A critical overview.
Journal of Special Education, 38, 22-38.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Tyler_2004.pdf
From the Headlines to the Frontlines: The Teacher Shortage and Its Implications for the Recruitment Policy. (2003)
Patrick Murphy & Michael DeArmond. Center on Reinventing Public Education.
Examines data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (National Center for Education
Statistics) and other sources to conclude that
(a) teacher recruitment practices, compensation, certification, and other systemic
failings prevent many children (particularly low-income and non-white children) from being taught by qualified teachers; and (b) teacher shortages are not universal but, rather
occur in particular subject/specialty areas and in challenging schools. Executive summary and full text.
http://www.crpe.org/pubs/pdf/TeacherShortage_reportweb.pdf
Issues Arising from Insufficient Diversity Among Education Personnel (2003)
Judy Smith Davis. Monarch Center, University of Illinois at Chicago.
A summary of strengths and values that diverse personnel bring to the education force and the losses to
children's education that result from insufficient numbers of teachers and related service providers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Full text.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/insufficient_diversity.pdf
Increasing the Supply of Highly Qualified Teachers from culturally
and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (2007)
(Nedra Atwell)
This document describes the work of Project TRREE, a three-year, federally
funded project conducted by the Kentucky Department of Education. The purpose of
the project is to develop a systemic approach to increase the number of highly
qualified special education teachers with a focus on recruitment of linguistically, culturally and ethnically
diverse educators.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/increaseatwell_07.pdf
Also see the group's "webliography:
http://edtech.tph.wku.edu/~trree/
Latino and Language Minority Teacher Projects Website.
Projects to increase the number of Latinos/Latinas and language minorities in the teaching profession by creating a career track
for practicing language minority paraeducators. Provides support and assistance - financially, socially, and economically - to
promising paraeducators to enable them to complete a teacher education program and become successful teachers in bilingual and
multicultural settings.
http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/LTP.html
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Career Center Website
Connects schools, clinics, hospitals, universities, agencies, and other employers with school psychologists
who are seeking full-time and part-time positions and consultancies. NASP also offers a packet of information
about the school psychology profession and a directory of approved preparation programs in school psychology.
http://www.nasponline.org/careers/index.aspx Career Center
http://www.nasponline.org/certification/NASPapproved.aspx Approved program
Personnel Issues in School-Based Occupational Therapy: Supply and Demand, Preparation,Certification
and Licensure (2003)
This paper explores the existing OT literature on supply and demand of school
practitioners, their professional preparation, and how they are certified and licensed. Findings
suggest that there may be a shortage of OTs within the next 5 years.
http://monarchcenter.org/pdfs/OT_Supply_Demand.pdf
Personnel Issues in School-Based Physical Therapy:Supply and Demand, Professional Preparation,
Certification and Licensure (2003)
http://monarchcenter.org/pdfs/PT_Supply_Demand.pdf
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
Reducing the Special Education Teacher Shortage (2007)
Bill Thornton, Gary Peltier, and Ricky Medina. The Clearing House,
Vol. 80, No. 5. (May/June 2007), pp. 233-238.
In response to new demands and high attrition levels of special education
teachers, the authors discuss factors that affect teacher attrition and
proactive recommendations to address the shortage. In addition, the authors
make suggestions for systemic reform and improvement of the level of job
satisfaction for special education teachers.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/thornton_07.pdf
Special Education Teacher Retention and Attrition.(2004)
Billingsley, B.S. (2004). Special education teacher retention and attrition:
A critical analysis of the research literature. Journal of Special Education, 38, 39-55.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Billingsley2_2004.pdf>
Status of the American Public School Teacher (2003)
National Education Association
Produced every five years since 1961, this is
NEA's latest report on the teaching profession. Among other things, the report shows that only about
20 percent of teachers are men, and approximately 10 percent are from diverse populations (as compared with
nearly 40 percent of public school students). In addition, this survey is NEA's first to identify reasons for attrition.
http://www.nea.org/edstats/images/status.pdf
Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education.
As part of the national assessment of IDEA mandated by Congress, SPeNSE examined (a) the extent to
which personnel are adequately prepared to serve students with disabilities, (b) variation in personnel preparation, and (c) factors that explain that variation.
Last report available is from 2002.
http://ferdig.coe.ufl.edu/spense/
Also see the DOE's outline of IDEA: Personnel Preparation Goals and Objectives for 2007:
http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2007plan/edlite-g2ideapersonnel.html
Teacher Education and Students with Significant Disabilities: Revisiting Essential Elements (2006)
The status of teacher education and students with significant disabilities is examined in the
context of five essential elements that characterized the development of the field in the mid-
1970s. The five elements are: (1) a clear teacher role with advocacy at the center, (2) a focus on
student learning and meaningful outcomes, (3) strong curriculum guidance, (4) partnerships with
parents and schools, and (5) the national capacity to develop a sufficient number of quality
teachers. On revisiting these elements and examining today’s teacher education practices, the
authors offer recommendations for research and practice in teacher education.
http://monarchcenter.org/pdfs/teacher_ed_disabilities.pdf
Teacher Supply and Quality: The Changing Role of Community Colleges (2003).
West Ed Policy Brief.
Examines the move to rethink teacher preparation and recruitment as a major basis for reconsidering the
role of community colleges in reducing teacher shortages. Also addresses the need for accountability at all levels of
teacher preparation and makes policy recommendations.
http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-03-02.pdf
Teacher Turnover in Special and General Education: Attrition, Teaching Area
Transfer, and School Migration (2007)
EE Boe, LH Cook, RJ Sunderland
The purposes of this research were to quantify trends in three components of
teacher turnover (attrition, teaching area transfer, and school migration) in
public schools nationally for special and general education, and to investigate
claims of excessive teacher turnover as the predominant source of teacher shortages.
Interestingly, this study found that teacher attrition, per se, has not been
excessively high nationally. Therefore, retention is unlikely to increase unless
dramatic improvements are made in the organization, management, and funding of
public schools. Until then, increased supply of qualified teachers is needed to
reduce teacher shortages.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/turnoverboe_07.pdf
Available also at:
www.gse.upenn.edu/cresp/pdfs/rr3-mss6.pdf
The Impact of Mentoring on Teacher Retention: What the Research Says (2004)
by Richard Ingersoll and Jeffrey M. Kralik
While the particulars of support, guidance and orientation programs – collectively known as
induction –programs vary widely, they are generally intended to increase the confidence and
effectiveness of new teachers, and thus to stem the high levels of attrition among beginning
teachers, which estimates place as high as 40-50% within the first five years.
This report’s primary objective is to provide policymakers, educators and researchers with a
reliable assessment of what is known, and not known, about the effectiveness – the value added – of
teacher induction programs. In particular, this review focuses on the impact of induction and
mentoring programs on teacher retention.
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/50/36/5036.htm
The Road to Tomorrow's Teachers: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a State-based Special Education Development Initiative (2003)
National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education: CEC
A report of the planning, implementation, findings, and outcomes of the Clearinghouse's work with six pilot states for
recruitment and retention of special education personnel. Includes action steps for future statewide collaborations. Full text.
http://www.special-ed-careers.org/pdf/roadtotomorrow.pdf
Wanted: A National Teacher Supply Policy for Education-The Right Way to Meet the "Highly Qualified Teacher" Challenge.(2003).
Linda Darling-Hammond & Gary Sykes. Education Policy Analysis Archives
The authors state that No Child Left Behind provides a standard for equitable access to teacher quality that is reasonable and feasible.
However, it requires a new view of the teacher labor market and development of a national teacher supply policy based on medical
manpower efforts which deploy physicians to high-need communities and reduce shortages in specific medical fields.
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n33/
What Are the Effects of Induction and Mentoring on Beginning Teacher Turnover? (2004)
In recent years there has been an increase in the number of programs offering support, guidance,
and orientation for beginning teachers during the transition into their first teaching job. This
study examines whether such programs- collectively known as induction-have a positive effect on
the retention of beginning teachers. The data used in the analysis are from the nationally
representative 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey. The results indicate that beginning
teachers who were provided with mentors from the same subject field and who participated in
collective induction activities, such as planning and collaboration with other teachers, were
less likely to move to other schools and less likely to leave the teaching occupation after their
first year of teaching.
Smith, T.M., & Ingersoll, R.M. (2004). What are the effects of induction and mentoring on beginning
teacher turnover? American Educational Research Journal, 41 (3), 681-714.
What Is the Problem? The Challenge of Providing Effective Teachers for All
Children (2007)
Richard J. Murnane, Jennifer L. Steele. The Future of Children,
Vol. 17, No. 1, Excellence in the Classroom. (Spring, 2007), pp. 15-43.
The authors of this article argue that if the United States is to equip its
young people with the skills essential in the new economy, high-quality teachers
are more important than ever. Policymakers have responded to this challenge with
a variety of proposed policy instruments to increase the supply of effective
teachers and distribute those teachers more equitably across schools. Several
of these proposals are already being implemented, but their effectiveness
remains largely unknown, signaling a need for rigorous evaluations.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/problemmurnane_07.pdf
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