|
Meeting Current Needs and Moving to the Future:
Preparing All Teachers To Work with All Students
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s (AACTE)
major focus in the area of special education is to create understanding,
support, and resources for the reality of today’s classrooms –
the fact that all teachers need strong content and pedagogical preparation
to meet the needs of all students, including children with disabilities.
For the past several years, AACTE has been active as one of the lead
partner organizations in the Center for Improving Teacher Quality (CTQ). As
part of a grant to the Council of Chief State School Officers from the Department
of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, CTQ developed a
national center to work with states on strengthening standards and support
for preparation, licensing, and professional development of both general
and special education teachers.
CTQ has built its work
within the framework provided by
Model Standards for Licensing General and Special Education Teachers of
Students with Disabilities: A Resource for State Dialogue, developed by
the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) [click here to view].
One example of work
undertaken by AACTE project leaders in CTQ is the support of Louisiana
institutions and state representatives working toward a July 2009 mandate
for “blended” programs. Seeking answers to questions about
these programs, a team comprised of university faculty and staff from the
Louisiana Department of Education participated in CTQ’s
national invitational forum and then utilized project resources to work
with consultants on the state’s plan forward.
A resource developed
through the CTQ project is a technical assistance document by Linda Blanton
(Florida International University)
and Marleen Pugach
(University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee). Collaborative
Programs in General and Special Teacher Education: An Action Guide for
Higher Education and Policy Makers provides a description of various
program models, a framework for understanding them, and a self-assessment
guide to help both institutions and state leaders.
In October 2008 AACTE
will present a web conference, What
Every Teacher Educator Needs to Know: Addressing the Achievement Gap for
Students with Special Needs, and the 2009 AACTE Annual Meeting will
include a major forum on general / special education issues, as well as a preconference workshop Multiple Models for Jointly Preparing General and Special Education
Teachers: Addressing National Professional Standards in the Redesign of
Programs. For more information, visit the AACTE website
|
