Experience of Black Male Special Education Teachers: Are Alternative Licensure Programs the Desired Route for Recruitment and Preparation?

Abstract

Many Black men interested in special education careers enroll in alternate route special education programs over traditional preparation programs. However, there is little research that focuses on their reasons for choosing special education alternate route programs and what makes these programs an effective choice for Black men pursuing teaching careers in special education. This qualitative study interviewed Black men regarding (a) reasons they chose an alternate route special education program, (b) core components of the program they found effective, and (c) support needs once they exited programming. Several themes emerged from this study and indicated that funding, targeted recruitment, and mentoring from Black faculty were among important factors for recruitment and retention. Recommendations for the field, implications and recommendations for policy and practice, and future research are also discussed.

Unicorns Are Real: A Narrative Synthesis of Black Men’s Career Trajectories in Special Education in the United States

“…In another study, Scott (2019) interviewed 15 BMSETs who had all used alternative routes to licensure. Participants mentioned several reasons for choosing an alternative route to licensure, including cost savings and being able to work around personal responsibilities.…”

“…Limited studies have addressed the needs of BMSETs specifically, although some research has examined the experiences of male special education teachers (Purdy, 2009;Van Setten, 2016). Research on the specific recruitment of BMSETs and their experiences with recruitment has been limited (for exceptions see Scott, 2019;Scott & Alexander, 2019). This literature review suggests that BMSETs face distinct expectations and barriers to success, paving the way for research on the experiences of BMSETs and how they are likely to differ from teachers who are women, are White, and/or teach general education.…”

Three Buckets and Eight Strategies: Recruiting, Supporting, and Retaining a Racially Diverse Special Education Teacher Workforce

“…Instead, the call is for IHE leaders to ensure that racial diversity is a priority in hiring special education faculty members and in enrolling SETCOC into the program so that diverse representation is present and valued. Recent literature showed that faculty members and SETCOC can serve as effective recruitment sources (e.g., recruitment, hiring, and even mentoring) that affirm racially diverse candidates like Kevin that racial diversity matters and that a space exists for them in the program and in the profession (Scott, 2019;Scott & Alexander, 2019). Leaders of IHEs must be aware though that any additional responsibilities for faculty members and SETCOC in their programs to engage in recruitment can cause an overburden that can lead to burnout (Scott, 2016;Scott, 2018).…”

“…Developing creative and multiple pathways to obtain SET certification has garnered recent interest (Carver-Thomas, 2018;Scott, 2019). Examples of creative and nontraditional pathway programs include Grow Your Own programs, traditionally seen as community-driven programs designed to target community members (e.g., parents, paraprofessionals) who will be trained to become teach-ers (Gist, 2019).…”

“…Examples of creative and nontraditional pathway programs include Grow Your Own programs, traditionally seen as community-driven programs designed to target community members (e.g., parents, paraprofessionals) who will be trained to become teach-ers (Gist, 2019). Grow Your Own programs are considered effective routes to recruit teacher candidates into the teacher education profession (Gist, 2019;Gist et al, 2019), including special education (Scott, 2019;Scott & Alexander, 2019 2). Similarly, residency programs have been found to attract teacher candidates of color and provide them with spaces that affirm their identity and mission (Watson et al, 2015).…”