This study addresses the chronic and increasing national shortage of fully certified special education teachers (SETs) in comparison with general education teachers (GETs). The data sources were the 1987–1988 through 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Surveys and the Data Analysis System for special education for school years 1987–1988 through 2001–2002. The study found that (a) the shortage of fully certified SETs increased from 7.4% in 1993–1994 to 12.2% in 2001–2002 (2%-4% greater than the shortage of fully certified GETs), (b) the number of additional fully certified SETs needed almost doubled from 25,000 in 1993–1994 to 49,000 in 2001–2002, (c) the shortage of fully certified teachers was exacerbated by entering teachers (only 44.4% of entering SETs were fully certified), and (d) only 53.1% of first-time entering SETs with extensive teacher preparation were fully certified.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Association for Employment in Education. (1999). Educator supply and demand in the United States: 1999 Research report: Columbus, OH: Author.
2.
BoeE. E.BarkanicG.LeowC. S. (1999). Retention and attrition of teachers at the school level: National trends and predictors (Data Analysis Rep. No. 1999-DAR1). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
3.
BoeE. E.BobbittS. A.CookL. H. (1997). Whither didst thou go? Retention, reassignment, migration, and attrition of special and general education teachers from a national perspective. The Journal of Special Education, 30, 371–389.
4.
BoeE. E.BobbittS. A.CookL. H.BarkanicG. (1998). National trends in teacher supply and turnover for special and general education (Data Analysis Rep. No. 1998-DAR1). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
5.
BoeE. E.BobbittS. A.CookL. H.BarkanicG.MaislinG. (1998a). Sources of supply of teachers for eight cognate areas: National trends and predictors (Data Analysis Rep. No. 1998-DAR2). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
6.
BoeE. E.BobbittS. A.CookL. H.BarkanicG.MaislinG. (1998b). Teacher turnover in eight cognate areas: National trends and predictors (Data Analysis Rep. No. 1998-DAR3). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
7.
BoeE. E.CookL. H.BobbittS. A.TerhanianG. (1998). The shortage of fully certified teachers in special and general education. Teacher Education and Special Education, 21(1), 1–21.
8.
BoeE. E.CookL. H.PaulsenC. A.BarkanicG.LeowC. S. (1999). Productivity of teacher preparation programs: Surplus or shortage in quantity and quality of degree graduates (Data Analysis Rep. No. 1999-DAR2). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
9.
BoeE. E.ShinS.CookL. H. (2005). Does teacher preparation matter for beginning teachers in either special or general education? (Research Rep. 2005-TSD3). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
10.
CarlsonE.LeeH.SchrollK.KleinS.WillingS. (2002). Final report of the study of personnel needs in special education. Washington, DC: Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.
11.
CookL. H.BoeE. E. (2004). From whence didst thou come: National trends in the sources of supply of teachers in special and general education (Research Rep. 2004-TSD1). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy.
12.
Darling-HammondL. (2001). The research and rhetoric on teacher certification: A response to “Teacher certification reconsidered.”Washington, DC: National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.
13.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education. (2001). Conditions of teaching children with exceptional learning needs: The Bright Futures report (ERIC EC Digest #E613). Arlington, VA: Author.
14.
HenkeR. R.ChoyS. P.ChenX.GeisS.AltM. N.BroughmanS. P. (1997). America's teachers: Profile of a profession, 1993–94. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education.
15.
IngersollR. M. (2002). Out-of-field teaching, educational inequality, and the organization of schools: An exploratory analysis (A Research Report). Seattle: University of Washington, Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy.
16.
LauritzenP. (1999). Supply and demand of educational personnel for Wisconsin Public Schools: An examination of data trends. Whitewater, WI: Wisconsin Educator Supply and Demand Project.
17.
McLeskeyJ.TylerN. C.FlippinS. S. (2004). The supply and demand for special education teachers: A review of research regarding the chronic shortage of special education teachers. Journal of Special Education, 38(1), 5–21.
18.
National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. (2003). The NASDTEC manual on the preparation and certification of educational personnel 2003 (8th ed.). Sacramento, CA: School Services of California.
19.
National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. (2003). No dream denied: A pledge to America's children. New York: The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.
20.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public L. No. 107–110, Title IX, Part A, §§ 9101(23) and 1119(a)(3) (2002).
21.
NougaretA. A.ScruggsT. E.MastropieriM. A. (2005). Does teacher education produce better special education teachers?Exceptional Children, 71, 217–229.
22.
Office of Special Education Programs. (1998). Twentieth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
23.
Office of Special Education Programs. (2004). Twenty-sixth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
24.
Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. (2000). The urban teacher challenge: Teacher supply and demand in the Great City Schools. Belmont, MA: Author.
25.
RosenbergM. S.SindelarP. T. (2005). The proliferation of alternative routes to certification in special education: A critical review of the literature. Journal of Special Education, 39(2), 117–127.
26.
Southern Regional Education Board. (2001). Teacher supply and demand in Tennessee. Atlanta, GA: Author.
27.
TourkinS. C.PughK. W.FondelierS. E.ParmerR. J.ColeC.JacksonB. (2004). 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data file user's manual (NCES 2004–303). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
28.
U.S. Department of Education. (2003). Meeting the highly qualified teachers challenge: The Secretary's second annual report on teacher quality. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
29.
WalshK. (2001). Teacher certification reconsidered: Stumbling for quality. Baltimore, MD: The Abell Foundation.
30.
WayneA. J.YoungsP. (2003). Teacher characteristics and student achievement gains: A Review. Review of Educational Research, 73(1), 89–122.
