Is the Teacher Up to the Task?

Overview & Synopsis

A brief overview is provided of the levels of training and areas of concentration that are available through the 29 institutions of higher education in the State of Pennsylvania offering preparation for the kindergarten through high school special education certification program. Consideration is then given to whether the teacher training is adequate. Concern is focused on: (1) the legislative policies regarding funding, state mandates, and certification guidelines; and (2) the content provided the preservice and inservice teachers during their educational training. A number of shortcomings in teacher education are identified, including reliance on noncategorical certification, insufficient training of mainstream teachers and school psychologists, lack of bilingual special education teachers, inadequate secondary education course content for dealing with the particular problems of adolescents, development of personal communication skills in teachers, and the need to identify competencies that promote student learning. Recommendations for changing existing teacher certification standards are given. Twenty references are listed. (VW)