A Survey of Rural Special Education Teachers’ Professional Development Experiences

Abstract

Opportunities for professional development (PD) are the key for teachers to improve their skills in a variety of areas and situations, including, but not limited to, technology in the classroom, positive behavior management strategies, effective collaboration, and making instructional accommodations for students with disabilities. These areas of PD are especially important for special education teachers. However, opportunities to access PD may vary greatly, especially for special educators who work in rural locations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to survey special education teachers serving rural or non-rural (i.e., suburban or urban) communities in the U.S. state of Nebraska about their unique PD experiences. Results indicated that special educators in rural areas often use their regional service agency to access PD opportunities and perceive those experiences positively. Suggestions for improving PD include providing relevant content during training and allocating resources to increase PD attendance. Recommendations for improvements are provided.

Keywords

rural locations special education teachers professional development opportunities

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ball

D. L.

Cohen

D. K.

(1999). Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education. In Darling-Hammond

Sykes

(Eds.), Teaching as a learning profession: Handbook for policy and practice (pp. 3–31). Jossey-Bass.

Barrett

Cowen

Toma

Troske

(2015). Working with what they have: Professional development as a reform strategy in rural schools. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 30(10), 1–18. https://jrre.psu.edu/sites/default/files/2019-08/30-10.pdf

Berry

A. B.

(2012). The relationship of perceived support to satisfaction and commitment for special education teachers in rural areas. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/875687051203100102

Berry

A. B.

Petrin

R. A.

Gravelle

M. L.

Farmer

T. W.

(2011). Issues in special education teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development: Considerations in supporting rural teachers. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 30(4), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/875687051103000402

Bettini

Gilmour

A. F.

Williams

T. O.

Billingsley

(2020). Predicting special and general educators’ intent to continue teaching using conservation of resources theory. Exceptional Children, 86(3), 310–329. https://doi.org./10.1177/0014402919870464

Billingsley

Bettini

Mathews

H. M.

McLeskey

(2020). Improving working conditions to support special educators’ effectiveness: A call for leadership. Teacher Education and Special Education, 43(1), 7–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406419880353

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Darling-Hammond

Hyler

M. E.

Gardner

(2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/media/476/download?inline&file=Effective_Teacher_Professional_Development_REPORT.pdf

Desimone

L. M.

Garet

M. S.

(2015). Best practices in teachers’ professional development in the United States. Psychology, Society and Education, 7(3), 252–263. https://doi.org/10.25115/psye.v7i3.515

10.

DuFour

Eaker

Karhanek

(2004). Whatever it takes: How professional learning communities respond when kids don’t learn. Solution Tree.

11.

Durr

Kampmann

Hales

Browning

(2020). Lessons learned from online PLCs of rural STEM teachers. The Rural Educator, 41(1), 20–26. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v41i1.555

12.

Erickson

A. S. G.

Noonan

P. M.

McCall

(2012). Effectiveness of online professional development for rural special educators. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31, 122–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/875687051203100104

13.

Fowler

S. A.

Coleman

M. R. B.

Bogdan

W. K.

(2019). The state of the special education profession survey report. Teaching Exceptional Children, 52(1), 8–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059919875703

14.

Garet

M. S.

Porter

A. C.

Desimone

Birman

B. F.

Yoon

K. S.

(2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 915–945. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312038004915

15.

Gersten

Taylor

M. J.

Keys

T. D.

Rolfhus

Newman-Gonchar

(2014). Summary of research on the effectiveness of math professional development approaches (REL 2014–010). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/southeast/pdf/REL_2014010.pdf

16.

Gesel

S. A.

LeJeune

L. M.

Chow

J. C.

Sinclar

A. C.

Lemons

C. J.

(2021). A meta-analysis of the impact of professional development on teachers’ knowledge, skill, and self-efficacy in data-based decision-making. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 54(4), 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219420970196

17.

Guskey

T. R

. (1995). Professional development in education: In search of the optimal mix. In Guskey

T. R.

Huberman

(Eds.), Professional development in education: New paradigms and practices (pp. 114-131). Teachers College Press.

18.

Guskey

T. R.

(2000). Evaluating professional development. Corwin Press.

19.

Guskey

T. R.

(2002). Professional development and teaching change. Teachers and Teaching, 8(3), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/135406002100000512

20.

Guskey

T. R.

(2020). Flip the script on change: Experience shapes teachers’ attitudes and beliefs. The Learning Professional, 41(2), 18–22. https://tguskey.com/wp-content/uploads/Flip-the-Script-on-Change-2020.pdf

21.

Guskey

T. R.

Huberman

(1995). Professional development in education: New paradigms and practices. Teachers College Press.

22.

IDEA (2004). Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446, 118 Stat. 2647.

23.

Joyce

Showers

(1980). Improving inservice training: The messages of research. Educational Leadership, 37(5), 379–385.

24.

Kennedy

M. M.

(2016). How does professional development improve teaching? Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 945–980. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626800

25.

Klingner

J. K.

Boardman

A. G.

McMaster

K. L.

(2013). What does it take to scale up and sustain evidence-based practices? Exceptional Children, 79(3), 195–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440291307900205

26.

Lavian

R. H.

(2015). Masters of weaving: The complex role of special education teachers. Teachers and Teaching, 21(1), 103–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2014.928123

27.

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2022, March 3). U.S. schools report increased teacher vacancies due to COVID-19 pandemic, new NCES data show [Press release]. https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/3_3_2022.asp

28.

Panos

Seelig

(2019). Discourses of the rural rust belt: Schooling, poverty, and rurality. Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 9(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2019.v9n1p23-43

29.

Patfield

Gore

Harris

(2023). Shifting the focus of research on effective professional development: Insights from a case study of implementation. Journal of Educational Change, 24(2), 345–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-021-09446-y

30.

Rude

Miller

K. J.

(2018). Policy challenges and opportunities for rural special education. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 37(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756870517748662

31.

Seelig

J. L.

McCabe

K. M.

(2021). Why teachers stay: Shaping a new narrative on rural teacher retention. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 37(8). https://doi.org/10.26209/jrre3708

32.

Showalter

Hartman

S. L.

Johnsons

Klein

(2019). Why rural matters 2018-2019: The time is now. The Rural School and Community Trust. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED604580

33.

Stelitano

Perera

Johnston

W. R.

(2019). Supporting students with high-incidence disabilities in U.S. schools: National findings from the American educator panels. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2992.html

34.

Swain

K. D.

Hagaman

J. L.

Leader-Janssen

E. M.

(2021). Teacher-reported IEP goal data collection methods. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 66(2), 118–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2021.1980849

35.

Westling

D. L.

Whitten

T. M.

(1996). Rural special education teachers’ plans to continue or leave their teaching positions. Exceptional Children, 62(4), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440299606200403

36.

Yoon

K. S.

Duncan

Lee

S. W. Y.

Scarloss

Shapley

K. L.

(2007). Reviewing the evidence on how teacher professional development affects student achievement (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2007-No. 033). US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/southwest/pdf/rel_2007033.pdf