A Comparison of Service Time and Racial Categories within Traditional and Alternative Route Internship Programs for Special Education Licensure

Wojcik, Andrew; Hicks, Michelle; Scott, LaRon A.; Thoma, Colleen A.; Bowman, Rachel W.; Frazier, Regina

doi:10.1177/08884064221119166

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Student demographics were not reported. Wojcik et al (2023) reported that individuals from diverse backgrounds enter GYOs and alternative licensure programs at higher rates than traditional licensure programs, and alternative programs may successfully attract black men to the teaching profession (Scott, 2019). Although some alternative pathways are not associated with institutes of higher education, others, like LEAP, feature district and university partnerships (Brownell & Sindelar, 2016, no page;Podolsky et al, 2016;Zeichner, 2003).…”

Section: Preparing Diverse Sesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wojcik et al. (2023) reported that individuals from diverse backgrounds enter GYOs and alternative licensure programs at higher rates than traditional licensure programs, and alternative programs may successfully attract black men to the teaching profession (Scott, 2019).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternative programs often eliminate barriers to licensure through state or federal funding for participants (Muniz, 2020) and local or online delivery of courses. However, programs that are shorter and less rigorous than traditional programs may yield less than optimal results; that is, their graduates leave teaching at higher rates and sooner than traditional program completers (Fish, 2019; Wojcik et al. , 2023).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Districts serving diverse populations experience extreme difficulty in recruiting and retaining SEs that match their students’ demographic profiles (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Scott, 2019). “Grow-your-own” (GYO) licensure programs developed by district-university partnerships may be one way to address chronic SE shortages (Podolsky, Kini, Bishop, & Darling-Hammond, 2016) while attracting diverse individuals to teaching roles (Wojcik et al. , 2023).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our program design was grounded in SE preparation and retention research (Billingsley & Bettini, 2019; Brendli et al. , 2022; Rennells, Sindelar, & Austrich, 1997; Wojcik et al. , 2023).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taking the LEAP: a district-university partnership to address shortages in special education

Hedin,

Gerzel-Short,

Liberty

et al. 2024

PDSP

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PurposeDistrict-university partners increasingly rely on “grow-your-own” licensure programs to address teacher shortages. Because vacancies in special education represent a chronic issue, our district-university partnership developed LEAP – the Licensed Educators’ Accelerated Pathway, successfully preparing 26 paraprofessionals as special education teachers (SEs). We describe a model university-district partnership in which we collaborated to design and implement paraprofessionals’ SE licensure program.Design/methodology/approachIn this general review, we describe a district-university partnership collaboration that resolved barriers experienced by paraprofessionals working toward licensure in special education (Essential #4, Reflection and Innovation). The specialized design and partnership solutions were grounded in SE preparation research literature.Findings25 (28 entered the program and 25 completed) paraprofessionals from one large urban and several regional districts completed special education licensure through LEAP. Slightly more than half of LEAP participants were Black or Hispanic (see Table 1), contributing to the diversification of SE workforce. University-district partnership was successful in designing and delivering a program that allowed participants: a) to remain employed, b) attend evening classes in their geographic region or online, c) complete all field experiences in sponsoring districts (Essential #2) and d) receive concierge advising from a “completion coach.” We describe solutions to barriers experienced by paraprofessionals and advocate for district-university collaboration to address chronic teacher shortages.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include lack of data on success of program completers during their first year of teaching as they began this work in Fall 2023. Further, because the participating district was large and urban, generalization of program details for small and rural districts is difficult.Practical implicationsPractical tips for developing grow-your-own special education licensure programs are providing. Detailed descriptions of barriers candidates experienced and ways the district-university partners resolved these issues are included. Programs like the one described has the potential to positively impact teacher pipeline issues.Social implicationsThe program described provided highly-trained teachers to fill chronic vacancies in special education in three participating districts/agencies. Because students receiving special education services are at risk for school failure and are disproportionately impacted by teacher turnover, addressing this area through grow-your-own licensure programs represents a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. Further, upskilling diverse paraprofessionals to licensed teacher roles represent an economic boost, which they might not otherwise have achieved.Originality/valueAvailable research literature signals alarm over persistent teacher shortages in hard-to-staff districts and lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, but few published accounts describe successful programs. Partner collaboration fostered a re-imagining of course formatting and delivery to accommodate adult learners, avoiding problems often reported with alternative programs.

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Section: Preparing Diverse Sesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our program design was grounded in SE preparation and retention research (Billingsley & Bettini, 2019; Brendli et al. , 2022; Rennells, Sindelar, & Austrich, 1997; Wojcik et al. , 2023).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taking the LEAP: a district-university partnership to address shortages in special education

Hedin,

Gerzel-Short,

Liberty

et al. 2024

PDSP

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Special Education Teacher Attrition: Graduate Study, Public School, Private School

Gansle,

Layden,

Scott

et al. 2024

Exceptionality

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Ethnoracial Diversity of the Special Educator Workforce Over Time

Bettini,

Nguyen,

Ellis-Robinson

et al. 2024

Exceptional Children

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Teachers of color are critical for improving students’ educational experiences and outcomes, especially for students of color. Yet, more than 80% of special education teachers (SETs) in U.S. public schools are white. Thus, we examined how the ethnoracial diversity of the SET workforce changed over time, from 2012–2021, in relation to the increasingly ethnoracially diverse population of students with disabilities. Analyzing multiple waves of several nationally representative datasets, we found that any growth in the number of SETs of color nationally is wholly insufficient to keep pace with growth in the population of students of color with disabilities. With growing ethnoracial disparities between the SET workforce and the population of students with disabilities, race-evasive recruitment and retention initiatives are not justifiable. Instead, coordinated, race-conscious policies and practices are needed across policy, teacher education, and in-service school districts, to foster a SET workforce that is representative of the student population.

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A Comparison of Service Time and Racial Categories within Traditional and Alternative Route Internship Programs for Special Education Licensure

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Taking the LEAP: a district-university partnership to address shortages in special education

Taking the LEAP: a district-university partnership to address shortages in special education

Special Education Teacher Attrition: Graduate Study, Public School, Private School

Ethnoracial Diversity of the Special Educator Workforce Over Time

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