The purpose of this study was to complete an in-depth examination of the construct of teacher beliefs by investigating preservice teachers’ beliefs about reading instruction for students with disabilities. Interview and artifact data were collected for 11 preservice teachers during a 10-month period. Dimensions of beliefs investigated were expressed beliefs and beliefs-in-use, the stability of beliefs, and sources of beliefs. Results indicate that preservice teachers’ beliefs systems are complex, made up of enduring, deeply rooted expressed beliefs as well as beliefs-in-use that are highly dependent on discipline-specific working knowledge. These beliefs are not the same in how they are formed or sustained; thus, an implication of this study’s findings is that researchers and teacher educators be more specific and explicit when describing studies of preservice teacher beliefs. Additional implications for future research and practice regarding the relationship between teacher beliefs and teacher education are provided.

In addition to typical career development and vocational programs in general education, providing school-based programs that are directly linked to employment and career development for youth with learning and emotional and behavioral disabilities is a legally mandated service in special education. Several broad research-based strategies are common to successful career development, vocational, and transition education programs: implementing career assessments, providing extracurricular and early work experiences, developing social capital, and providing opportunities for students’ self-determination. Tips and resources for each of these strategies are provided.

This quasi-experimental, mixed model study explored the use of an instructional approach that provided direct instruction and experiences in multicultural education while empowering preservice teachers to examine their perspectives using a hybrid classroom format. The purpose of the study was to explore preservice teachers' attitudes and dispositions toward the integration of multicultural education and multiliteracies to promote literacy among struggling readers. For the purposes of this study, we defined multicultural education as a field of study and an emerging discipline whose major aim is to create educational opportunities for all students, including students who are traditionally disenfranchised, to meaningfully and successfully engage in the education process. The study used a convenience sample of preservice teachers enrolled in a graduate-level educational program at a small private university in the Northeast. Results indicate opportunities for the use of an instructional approach that provides direct instruction and experiences in multicultural education while empowering preservice teachers to examine their perspectives in a hybrid classroom environment.The nature of literacy, multicultural education, and the inclusion of the Internet and other communication technologies demands an expanded view of text to include visual, digital, and other multimodal formats (Alvermann,

Although summer represents an opportune time for adolescents to garner employment and community experiences that may further long-term transition goals, little is known about the expectations and needs of adolescents with disabilities during this break in the academic school year. In this article, the authors explore adolescents' perceptions about summer employment and community involvement, adult guidance, and factors that facilitate or hinder access to these experiences. They conducted focus group interviews of 16 adolescents with cognitive, emotional/behavioral, and learning disabilities from two distinct communities. Although participants held high expectations for maintaining summer jobs, they pursued work and community experiences independently and with varied success. Despite articulating low expectations for adult guidance, participants expressed a desire and/or need for mentorship or other more indirect support. By drawing on the perspectives of the adolescents themselves, the authors address (a) the value of summer as a vehicle for transition education and (b) the implications for helping teenagers secure fulfilling summer experiences. is an assistant professor of special education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her current research interests include postsecondary transition, self-determination and adolescents with high-incidence disabilities, cultural and linguistic diversity, and qualitative methodology.Erik W. Carter, PhD, is an associate professor of special education in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His research addresses secondary transition services, selfdetermination, peer relationships, and access to the general curriculum.