The diversity of teacher roles has been a long-standing concern in the field of special education. Role complexity has been implicated in teacher burnout and attrition and in the inefficiency of service delivery models. Recent evidence suggests that new policy may be further complicating teacher roles and that teachers may not be prepared for such change. This study is a comparison of 184 preservice special education teachers' expectations for their future roles with the current roles of 133 practicing teachers. In general, pre-service teachers' expectations appeared to be quite accurate. Significant mismatches are revealed in several areas, particularly with respect to collaboration and the settings in which teachers work. Implications are presented for policy makers, administrators, and teacher educators.
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