Over the last decade, there has been ample evidence reporting the lack of high-quality and compliant Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in the United States. This problem has many consequences, including poor student outcomes and failure to follow legal due process. Despite these consequences, research has not thoroughly examined the…

This article was developed from an earlier invitation to discuss what it was like to teach at a comprehensive arts and science college with a large teacher education program while also trying to conduct and publish applied research. Were there any particular tricks to getting things done that could be handed down to younger professionals working…

The provision of special education for students with disabilities depends upon the availability of well-qualified special educators, which, in turn, depends upon the availability and characteristics of preparation programs. In countries of the world where special education systems are still developing the capacity to provide the education that…

As one component of a program improvement grant provided by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEPs), the authors' teacher preparation program (TPP) underwent substantial program redesign. In this article, the authors provide a detailed overview of the process they undertook to revamp their program based on the fundamental question,…

The alignment of the teacher quality provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the transparency of low achievement of students who have disabilities under the testing mandates of NCLB have converged to create substantial renewed interest and activity in collaborative programs…

Understanding the context of the demand for special education (SE) teacher education (TE) faculty is important because it can provide faculty at doctoral-granting universities with useful information for program planning. Knowing more about SE teacher preparation programs currently in place and program revisions being planned allows doctoral…

With the proliferation of alternative route (AR) special education teacher preparation programs, many teacher educators are likely to be involved in AR program design and implementation. Unfortunately, few resources have focused on best practices for program developers to prepare the nontraditional participants who typically populate their…

The article offers guidelines for severely handicapped personnel preparation programs. Five areas which need to be addressed by such programs are addressed: need for the program, adequacy of resources to develop and maintain the program, staff needs and instructional integrity, program limitation, and a process for program evaluation. (SB)

This manuscript seeks to share the continuous improvement endeavors by the College of Education faculty and administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from initial preparation and planning through their successful national and state accreditation achieved in November 2005. Beginning with the unit's revision of their conceptual…

A "hands-on" behavioral model of consultation is examined through a systems approach to three phases: (1) developing consultation objectives, (2) designing and implementing intervention, and (3) implementing quality assurance. Tasks and subtasks within each phase are identified. Implications for teacher education are noted. (CL)

In designing consultation programs for special education teachers, three factors must be considered: (1) characteristics of consultation; (2) practitioner needs of consultation information; and (3) specific consultation skills to include in the training sequence. (Author/CL)

The need for special education faculty development is emphasized and factors contributing to faculty development failure (including arbitrary agendas and lack of incentives) and to success (such as systematic planning and programing and institutional support) are considered. A listing of administrative and individual/group options is presented.…

The authors define a needs assessment, consider issues involved in conducting a problem-focused needs assessment, and outline practical considerations in conducting needs assessment for inservice training in regular education. (CL)

A curriculum planning model is presented to develop a comprehensive special education teacher preparation program. (CL)

A model of interdisciplinary team education is described which is designed to prepare specialists to work with visually disabled/multiply disabled persons. Problems in implementing interdisciplinary courses in higher education are considered, including both institutional and student barriers. (CL)