The authors have witnessed major changes in the preparation of special education personnel. Recent legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004), has moved the concept of highly qualified teacher (HQT) to the national forefront. It seems reasonable that preservice preparation, teacher accountability, and administrative evaluation methods must all join to ensure that teachers are highly qualified to teach U.S. children. However, no cohesive body of information exists to guide teachers, classroom practitioners, or administrators seeking to meet the demands of theory-to-practice. The authors look at ways to promote more objective, uniform national standards of evaluation by determining key quality indicators in the field of emotional and behavioral disorders, which, in turn, should contribute to more closely approximating what constitutes an HQT.

Amidst diversity in today's schools, challenges for students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds are growing. These students must acquire necessary social and cultural skills in order to navigate contrasting value systems and educational expectations despite potential cognitive and learning deficits. The combination of teacher bias and educational deficits imposes psychological stressors that inhibit the learning process. Acquisition of social-emotional and cultural competence relies heavily on teacher expertise. This article examines three key barriers (social interaction, social competence, and cultural competence) and proposes a line of inquiry for teachers to plan strategies and interventions that target socially valid and culturally relevant competencies for CLD students with disabilities.