The Impact of Federal Personnel Preparation Grants on Special Education Teacher Candidate Recruitment for Rural and Remote Alternative Teaching Pathways

Jameson, J. Matt; Walker, Ryan; Farrell, Michael; Ryan, Joanna; Conradi, Lyndsey Aiono; McDonnell, John

doi:10.1177/8756870519860514

“…Another example of a successful ATP program that has been used to train rural and remote teachers is the University of Utah ATP program (Jameson et al, 2019). Coursework is delivered via distance technologies in both synchronous and asynchronous formats to provide high-quality instruction to students at a distance.…”

Section: Atp Programs To Address the Rural Teacher Shortagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the last decade, more than 14 school districts across the state have participated in the ATP programs, many of which serve diverse and high-poverty areas. Jameson et al (2019) highlighted this program's use of federal grant funding, consistent communication using web-based technology, on-site coaching, and postgraduation mentorship to support teacher candidates in rural areas. In response to national and regional teacher shortages and in compliance with state regulations, the University of Louisville offers an ATP program in the area of MSD for the Grades P to 12 setting.…”

Section: Atp Programs To Address the Rural Teacher Shortagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Funding Opportunities. Jameson et al (2019) noted that one of the key contributors to success in the University of Utah's ATP program is the financial support provided to candidates. Candidates always receive one of two forms of financial support through state and federal grants.…”

Section: What's Next?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the last decade, more than 14 school districts across the state have participated in the ATP programs, many of which serve diverse and high-poverty areas. Jameson et al (2019) highlighted this program’s use of federal grant funding, consistent communication using web-based technology, on-site coaching, and postgraduation mentorship to support teacher candidates in rural areas.…”

Section: Alternative Teacher Preparation Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Bridging the Rural Special Educator Gap: Mentoring to Support Alternative Teacher Preparation Candidates

Elliott,

Long,

Pollard

et al. 2024

Rural Special Education Quarterly

0

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A shortage of certified teacher candidates nationwide is especially challenging in the field of special education. U.S. rural school districts are even more impacted due to limited access to universities because of geographical distance. In this program description, we look at the University Louisville’s fully online special education alternative teacher preparation (ATP) program in moderate to severe disabilities, which was developed to lessen the teacher shortage and meet the needs of teacher candidates in school districts in Kentucky. Both the program mentoring structure and course information are provided. Feedback regarding ATP candidates’ perceptions of the mentoring support they received are shared based on school setting (rural or urban) as well as data highlighting the growing increase in enrollment since adapting to an online format. Limitations of the current program and future directions are described.

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“…In a comprehensive search within special education (Day, 2022), no studies were found that examined special education teacher preparation regarding: (a) national AR policy trends or (b) the comprehensive preparation characteristics of AR IHEs and AR non-IHEs within the United States. However, several studies examined special education teacher preparation within AR programs for smaller geographic regions (Jameson et al, 2019; Robertson & Singleton, 2010; Scott et al, 2019). Other research in this field examined the effectiveness of ARs contributing to the special education teacher pipeline in a specific locality (e.g., one city, state, region within a state), revealing that the effectiveness of specific AR programs depended on their program infrastructure and program requirements (Rosenberg et al, 2007; Sindelar et al, 2012).…”

Section: Accountability Reporting Mandatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Nationwide Trends and Preparation Requirements of Alternative Route Programs in Special Education

Day

¹

,

Nagro

²

,

Mason-Williams

³

2023

Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Tea

2

0

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In the United States, there exists a chronic shortage of qualified special education teachers to provide instructional services to students with disabilities. One policy solution developed to increase the number of qualified teachers is alternative routes (ARs), which are broadly defined as nontraditional and accelerated preparation paths to obtain a teaching license. In this longitudinal descriptive study, we investigate (a) the national trends of special education teacher enrollment and completion in AR programs from 2012 to 2020 and (b) the special education teacher preparation requirements in state alternative pathways that are disaggregated by their affiliation with institutions of higher education. Findings reveal that AR programs preparing special education teachers are on the rise within the United States, but they vary significantly on their preparation requirements. Implications for future research and policy recommendations needed within the recruitment and preparation of special education teachers will be discussed.

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Alternative Route Programs Within Special Education Teacher Preparation: A Systematic Literature Review

Day

¹

,

Nagro

²

2023

Journal of Education Human Resources

3

0

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In the United States, there exists a chronic shortage of qualified special education teachers to provide instructional services to students with disabilities. One policy solution developed to increase the number of qualified teachers is “alternative routes,” which are broadly defined as nontraditional and accelerated preparation paths to obtain a teaching license. In this systematic literature review, the authors synthesize empirical studies from 2005 to 2021, examining factors associated with alternative route programs specific to special education. First, an economic framework for the special education workforce is established. This is followed by a descriptive summary of alternative route research nested within the broader teacher labor markets. Then, a systematic literature search on alternative routes for special education teachers is analyzed. The authors found that most studies examined the role of teacher preparation cost (e.g., cost-effectiveness, federal spending), human capital (e.g., recruitment of culturally diverse teachers, location-specific capital), and program design (e.g., collaboration between stakeholders, technology). Furthermore, studies largely investigated alternative route program characteristics affiliated with institutions of higher education. The majority of researchers employed quantitative methods to analyze secondary state or survey data, while two studies used qualitative methods, and two utilized mixed methods. Implications for future research and policy recommendations needed within the recruitment and preparation of special education teachers are discussed.

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The Impact of Federal Personnel Preparation Grants on Special Education Teacher Candidate Recruitment for Rural and Remote Alternative Teaching Pathways

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Bridging the Rural Special Educator Gap: Mentoring to Support Alternative Teacher Preparation Candidates

Bridging the Rural Special Educator Gap: Mentoring to Support Alternative Teacher Preparation Candidates

The Nationwide Trends and Preparation Requirements of Alternative Route Programs in Special Education

Alternative Route Programs Within Special Education Teacher Preparation: A Systematic Literature Review

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