Improving Special Education Teacher Quality and Effectiveness

Billingsley, Bonnie S.; Bettini, Elizabeth

doi:10.4324/9781315517698-39

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 89 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…We then connected these teacher preparation measures to workforce outcomes identified by Billingsley and Bettini (2017) as key factors influencing special educator quality and effectiveness to address two research questions:…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Special Education Teacher Pipeline: Teacher Preparation, Workforce Entry, and Retention

Theobald

Goldhaber

Naito

et al. 2021

Exceptional Children

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We used data on the student teaching placements, degrees, teaching credentials, and workforce outcomes of more than 1,300 graduates of special education teacher education programs in Washington to provide a descriptive portrait of specific measures of special education teacher preparation and their relationships with workforce entry and early-career retention. Although rates of workforce entry and retention for these special education candidates were high, we documented considerably lower rates of entry into and retention in special education teaching positions for candidates who hold a dual endorsement in special education and another subject. These patterns have potential implications for the state’s new dual-endorsement requirement and for dual-licensure programs more broadly. Student teaching with a cooperating teacher who is endorsed in special education was also associated with a higher likelihood of becoming a special education teacher, even when controlling for whether the placement was in a special or general education setting.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Special Education Teacher Pipeline: Teacher Preparation, Workforce Entry, and Retention

Theobald

Goldhaber

Naito

et al. 2021

Exceptional Children

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Working conditions is a broad term, without a generally accepted definition or a shared conception of what comprises these conditions. To define working conditions for this article, we drew from literature in both general education (e.g., Boyd et al, 2011; Johnson et al, 2012) and special education (Billingsley & Bettini, 2017), focusing on working conditions related to teachers’ daily work in schools. We conceptualized working conditions as including (a) SETs’ roles and responsibilities which place particular demands on them and (b) supports, including school culture and leadership, interactions between colleagues, professional development (PD), and logistical supports that help SETs meet their demands for providing effective instruction (e.g., schedules, materials, technology).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Working conditions may support individual teachers’ effectiveness through several mechanisms. Specifically, they may (a) directly facilitate teachers’ efforts to enact their knowledge by creating conditions that support effective instruction (Billingsley & Bettini, 2017), (b) provide teachers with opportunities to learn more effective practices (e.g., Grossman & Thompson, 2008), and (c) support teachers’ mental health, which may be related to their instructional quality and effectiveness (McLean, Abry, Taylor, Jimenez, & Granger, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Working Conditions to Support Special Educators’ Effectiveness: A Call for Leadership

Billingsley

Bettini

Mathews

et al. 2020

Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Tea

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Special education teachers (SETs) are expected to use effective practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, yet even those who are well-prepared may not be effective in teaching these students, as problematic working conditions may limit their opportunities to teach effectively and their longevity in the profession. To complicate matters, the context of SETs’ work has changed, calling into question the nature of their roles in supporting student learning. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad overview of what is known about working conditions and to articulate how we might improve them. The authors identify key themes from the research literature about the relationship of SETs’ working conditions to their early experiences in schools and their burnout, attrition, and effectiveness. The authors then outline an action agenda focused on researching and leveraging the roles of varied stakeholders, teacher educators, educational leaders, and professional organizations to improve these conditions.

show abstract

“…High quality preservice preparation is essential to develop effective and committed special education teachers (SETs); however, initial preparation is insufficient to ensure that new teachers have the skills necessary to enact effective practices (Leko, Brownell, Sindelar, & Kiely, 2015). Once new SETs begin teaching, they need guidance to apply what they learned during preparation, expert assistance to address problems of practice, and feedback about their instruction to facilitate improvement over time (Billingsley & Bettini, 2017). Support is also necessary to reduce SET attrition (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017), particularly among new SETs who leave at higher rates (DeAngelis & Presley, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting Special Education Teacher Induction Through High-Leverage Practices

Billingsley

Bettini

Jones

2019

Remedial and Special Education

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Induction is designed to support teachers’ effectiveness, improve their students’ learning, and foster their retention. We consider how high-leverage practices (HLPs) might provide an instructional framework for special education teacher (SET) induction. With sensemaking theory as a conceptual foundation, we posit that, by structuring induction experiences and instructional conditions around HLPs, schools and districts can send more coherent messages about effective instruction, thereby easing new SETs’ efforts to make sense of their roles. We first provide a brief review of research on new SETs’ experiences. Next, we consider how specific induction components (i.e., professional development and mentoring, teacher evaluation, and collaboration) and instructional conditions (i.e., collaboration, instructional curricula and resources, and schedules) might be structured to support SETs’ learning of and use of these HLPs. We conclude with considerations for researchers and practitioners.

show abstract

Improving Special Education Teacher Quality and Effectiveness

Abstract: In addition, under OSEP's 325T grant competition, 72 institutions of higher education were supported in reforming their SET preparation programs to better pre pare educators to implement evidencebased practices for students with highincidence disabilities.

Cited by 22 publications

References 89 publications

The Special Education Teacher Pipeline: Teacher Preparation, Workforce Entry, and Retention

The Special Education Teacher Pipeline: Teacher Preparation, Workforce Entry, and Retention

Improving Working Conditions to Support Special Educators’ Effectiveness: A Call for Leadership

Supporting Special Education Teacher Induction Through High-Leverage Practices

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About