Bright Futures for Exceptional Learners

The Action Agenda 2000

We have come far with so many successes…...Now we must make certain that each and every exceptional learner has a Bright Future

Bright Futures 2

Presidential CommissionPresidential Commission

Identify barriers that obstruct high-quality special education

Develop action agenda for change

Bright Futures 3

Data CollectionData Collection Web Survey Focus Groups Literature Reviews Survey of SPED, GE, SPED

Admin., GE Admin., Parents

Bright Futures 4

Areas of StudyAreas of Study(Surveys)(Surveys)

Materials availability Physical facilities Case loads and class size Non-teaching activities Collegiality Job satisfaction Administrative, parental support Professional development

Bright Futures 5

Top ConcernsTop Concerns

Caseloads

Ambiguous/competing roles Planning time (individual and with others)

Paperwork Instructional time and materials Administrative support Teacher isolation

Bright Futures 6

Actual Caseloads

9

17

38

18

Resource/ConsultingTeachers

Self-ContainedTeachers

Colleagues Students

Bright Futures 7

Class Size

15

13

Resource/ConsultingTeachers

Self-ContainedTeachers

Students

Bright Futures 8

While intensive individualized instruction has been the hallmark of special education, a majority of special education teachers now spend less than three hours per week in individual instruction with their students.

Almost one-third of all special educators report spending less than one hour per week on individual instruction.

Bright Futures 9

Special educators face ambiguous, conflicting, and fragmented expectations fromother educators, families, administrators, and the public

Ambiguous and Conflicting RolesAmbiguous and Conflicting Roles

Bright Futures 10

Students with the most intense needs can be successfully educated when teams of highly skilled educators plan, communicate, and collaborate to meet these needs. Yet, the majority of special educators report that they spend less than one hour per week actually collaborating with colleagues.

Bright Futures 11

Hours Per WeekHours Per WeekCollaborating with ColleaguesCollaborating with Colleagues

23%

39%

11%9%

4%6%

9%

None < 1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 >5

Bright Futures 12

PaperworkPaperwork

The average length of the typical IEP is between 8 and 16 pages, with an estimated 4 hours of planning time before the meeting going into each IEP

Bright Futures 13

Almost two-thirds of special educators estimate they spend up to a day or more a week on paperwork and one-third report spending 1 or 2 days per week in IEP-related meetings.

Bright Futures 14

Special education teachers often do not have the instructional time to teach or materials they need.

Too often, the special education is still the last on the list for books, instructional materials, classroom space, and equipment.

Instructional Time & MaterialsInstructional Time & Materials

Bright Futures 15

Administrative SupportAdministrative Support

Data collected by the Commission is corroborated by other studies that have reported that administrators lack the knowledge, skills, and time to support special education services for students with exceptionalities.

Bright Futures 16

Teacher IsolationTeacher Isolation

Special educators need to be a part of at least two learning communities: one with their school-based general education colleagues and the other with their special education colleagues.

Instead, too often they feel isolated from both general teachers and from each other.

Bright Futures 17

Increasing DemandIncreasing Demand

The number of unqualified individuals teaching in special education continues to rise in the United States. In some urban and rural schools close to half of the teachers in special education are unqualified. Thousands of special education positions remain vacant while tens of thousands of children with exceptionalities receive services from teachers with too many students in their caseloads.

Bright Futures 18

Special Education Teachers NeededSpecial Education Teachers Needed

18,792

22,852

27,47426,798

29,77430,181

29,12129,511 29,570

28,038

27,124

33,894

32,933

34,807

83-84 84-85 85-86 86-87 87-88 88-89 89-90 90-91 91-92 92-93 93-94 94-95 95-96 96-97

35,000

DOE, Reports to Congress

Bright Futures 19

Special educators leave the profession at almost twice the rate of their general education colleagues.

In fact, 4 out of every 10 entering special educators leave before their fifth year.

The data also tell us that inexperienced and unqualified special educators with lower levels of commitment to the field are the most likely to leave.

Bright Futures 20

Incompletely PreparedIncompletely Prepared

Many new general and special education teachers are finding that they have been “prepared” for jobs that no longer exist and that they are not equipped for the jobs they face.

Not infrequently, special education teacher preparation programs operate outside of national accreditation standards, and these programs face little in the way of consequences.

Bright Futures 21

DiversityDiversity

Our communities continue to grow in diversity

Special educators remain over 80% white & female

Bright Futures 22

Fragmented Licensing SystemsFragmented Licensing Systems

The requirements for licensure as a professional special educator vary from state to state and province to province.

Further complicating this are the disparate approaches to licensing.

As a result, a special education teacher may have a master's degree in special education and have multiple years of successful experience but be unable to teach in another locality.

Bright Futures 23

Action AgendaAction Agenda

Ultimately, the Action Agenda must achieve three outcomes.

Bright Futures 24

Bright FuturesBright Futures for Exceptional Learnersfor Exceptional Learners

High Quality

Teachers

Conditions

Interventions

Bright Futures 25

High Quality High Quality TeachersTeachers

Every student with exceptionalities receives individualized services and supports from caring and competent professional educators reflecting the diversity of our communities.

Bright Futures 26

High Quality High Quality ConditionsConditions

Every special and general educator has the teaching and learning conditions to practice effectively.

Bright Futures 27

High Quality High Quality InterventionsInterventions

Every educator establishes expectations for the use of effective and validated instructional practices.

Don DeshlerUniversity of Kansas

Center for Research on Learning

1122 West Campus Road #518

ddeshler@ku.edu785-864-4780

www.ku-crl.org

Bright Futures 28