We used 14 years of state licensure and classroom data from Virginia to follow 19,878 special educaiton teachers (SETs) who completed either the alternative route (AR) internship or traditional programs. Findings reveal that a greater percentage of SETs of color participated in AR programs compared to traditional licensure programs, while a greater percentage of White SETs completed traditional programs. SETs of color attained approximately three fewer years of service time if they completed the AR program compared to traditional programs. For White SETs, a difference of less than 1 year was found. For SETs from AR programs who did not complete 27 credit hours of university coursework, attrition occurred at higher rates within the first 3 years of service. Implications for future research on AR internship programs and teachers of color are provided, informing both policy and practice.
Introduction: In the early spring of 2020, governments were beginning to react to the news of a global pandemic being caused by COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of COVID-19 on early intervention services for young children with visual impairments and their families. Methods: Parents of children with visual impairments aged birth to 3 years were asked a series of questions contained in a larger Access and Engagement survey that investigated the experiences of families of children and young adults with visual impairments aged birth to 21 years and professionals that provided educational services. Results: Three overall themes emerged from the data: (1) many changes occurred in the home, (2) early intervention services changed, and (3) planning for the transition to preschool was affected. Discussion: Overall, the changes in education due to the pandemic and initial shutdown resulted in much parental stress. Parents reported that they were stressed and sometimes overwhelmed by the sudden and dramatic changes in their daily lives and how best to help their children in continuing to learn and develop their skills while simultaneously working from home, being caregivers to the other children in the family, and serving as educators and sometimes informal therapists to their children. Many services moved to an online format and were provided remotely. Implications for Practitioners: Service providers should continue to provide services to families and children who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown while continuing to provide ways to support the social and emotional well-being of their families. Service providers and families should monitor their children's development and learning both now and in the future.
Schools abruptly closed throughout in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although legal requirements remained unchanged, service delivery models and how teachers of students with visual impairments supported their students changed. Teachers of students with visual impairments answered a series of questions about how district policies impacted their work, what materials they could not access and the subsequent impact on their students, and changes in their caseloads during the initial shutdown of schools. Four overall themes emerged from the data: (1) district policies often impeded the work of teachers of students with visual impairments; (2) teachers did not have the materials needed to ensure that their students could access instruction; (3) teachers were concerned that they could not locate some of their students; and (4) teachers experienced changes in their direct and consultative caseloads due to a variety of factors. The work of teachers of students with visual impairments was dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the shutdown continued, district policies changed and often impeded their efforts to support students on their caseload. In addition, many teachers struggled to locate all of their students and lacked the basic supplies to ensure instruction was accessible. However, teachers of students with visual impairments were creative and provided instruction that incorporated online resources and readily available home materials, collaborated with colleagues, and engaged the community in order to support their students. The experiences of teachers and lessons learned during the pandemic can be used to advocate for policy that protects the rights of students with visual impairments to an education during future unanticipated events such as a pandemic or inclement weather.
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