Special Education Teacher Supply and Teacher Quality: The Problems, The Solutions.

Abstract

Special education is facing the daunting challenge of increasing the supply of teachers while simultaneously upgrading its quality. Shortages of fully qualified teachers have plagued special education for two decades, and schools also have struggled to find qualified math, science, and ESL teachers. Shortages in all of these fields are likely to worsen as the teaching workforce ages and as statewide initiatives (such as reductions in class size) fuel increased demand. The quality of the teaching workforce also has come under scrutiny, as schools across the country are initiating standards-based reforms in which teacher competence is linked to student performance on high-stakes assessments. In this article, we first consider two policy initiatives that address the dilemma of increasing numbers and improving quality simultaneously. We then consider the problem of attrition, which contributes in significant ways to both the quantity and quality issues. We explain why attrition is a particular problem for beginning teachers and describe programs that have proven effective in combating it. In response to burgeoning demand and dissatisfaction with the quality of the existing workforce, the Bush Administration has promulgated policies to increase supply, notably through the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the most recent authorization of what had been known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These initiatives are designed to promote easy entry to the profession via alternative training routes for specific populations of teacher candidates. Previously, the National Commission for Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) had issued a policy blueprint in 1996 that addressed shortages and quality in a different manner, emphasizing the professionalization of teaching and the enhancement of schools as workplaces. It was argued that fewer teachers would leave the field-and more candidates would be attracted to it-if they ~ere to teach at schools that would support their work and foster their professional growth, and if they were to earn a professional wage.