Strengthening Partnerships between Special Education Teacher Educators and Schools. Induction Insights. Supporting Special Education Teachers-Policymakers [PII-3]

Overview & Synopsis

Partnerships among institutions of higher education and school districts are desirable. Partnerships enable organizations to leverage their resources as well as expand and enhance their capabilities. They also provide opportunities for personnel with specialized areas of expertise to address shared challenges. Partnerships take considerable time, effort, flexibility, consensus building, and political acumen if they are to succeed. For many districts, the strongest motivation to become involved in a partnership with special education teacher educators comes from a critical shortage in the number and quality of special education teachers. Institutions of higher education may form partnerships to increase the number of students in their teacher preparation programs as well as to enhance their programs. This Brief looks at two areas of partnering in special education teacher preparation for institutions of higher education and school districts--Alternative Route Certification (ARC) programs and Professional Development School (PDS) programs. These programs are among the most widely employed teacher preparation partnerships. They exemplify the range of partnerships, from the idealized, multifaceted, and high-maintenance PDS to the goal-focused and pragmatic ARC. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with these partnerships.