Preparing Teachers in Severe Disabilities across Wide Geographical Areas Using Videoconferencing Technology

Abstract Support for this research was provided in part by Grant No. H32K060213 of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, awarded to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Education, and no official endorsement should be inferred. The personnel preparation program in severe disabilities (now called adapted curriculum) at UNC Charlotte has been offering a licensure sequence of courses via various distance delivery technologies (e.g., two-way interactive Television and videoconferencing) since 1994. These personnel training efforts have been supported, in a large part, by funding from the Office of Special Education Program, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education (Rose & Spooner, 1994; Spooner & Browder, 2001; Spooner & Wood, 2006). As the Members of Congress, the Office of Special Education Programs, and the field are keenly aware, shortages of teachers in special education, specifically, severe disabilities still exist. Teacher shortages in the area of severe disabilities have been a topic of discussion since 1989 (American Association on Mental Retardation, 1989). Based on information provided to support the need statement in our most recent personnel preparation grant proposal, the necessity for teachers in 2007 is still a great as it was in 1989. Persistent shortages in special education teacher preparation programs are echoed across all geographic regions in our nation (McLeskey, Tyler, & Flippin, 2003). A "national emergency" has been declared as a response to these chronic and continuing shortages by six major organizations in the field of special education, including the Council for Exceptional Children, TASH, and the American Association for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly AAMR). Responding to this sense of urgency, 98% of school districts in the United States have documented shortages in special education teacher personnel (ERIC, 2001). According to a report by McLeskey et al. (2003), 11.4% of special educators lacked proper certification in 2001, and the circumstances do not appear to be improving. There are several reasons for the dearth of trained educators in the field of special education. First, rapidly expanding growth in special education causes shortages in teacher positions (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). As students are placed in special education programs, teachers are needed to provide services to those students. second, according to McLeskey et al. (2003), students identified as having a disability are increasing in number at a rate almost 3 times that of their typical peers. Third, teacher attrition is having a negative impact on the supply of special educators. Teachers are leaving the field due to a number of issues related to the "teaching environment" (e.g., testing, resources, and working conditions) as well as transferring to general education (American Association for Employment in Education, AAEE, 2004; McLeskey et al.). Finally, the recent issue of "highly qualified" teachers as a result of the NCLB 2001 has caused an even greater need for skilled special education personnel (AAEE, 2004). The need for licensed teachers in the area of severe and profound disabilities has been a point of discussion for the past two decades, and has been well-established by researchers and experts in the field (Lang & Fox, 2004; Ryndak & Kennedy, 2000; Spooner, Agran, Spooner, & Kiefer-O'Donnell, 2000; Spooner & Wood, 2006). According to the AAEE, (2004) educators in special education from all fields are needed; however, teachers from the field of severe profound disabilities are reported to have the greatest shortages across the country (a 0.22 increase from 2003). In fact, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 representing a considerable shortage of teachers, the lack of teachers available in the area of severe/profound disabilities (mean = 4. …