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##  Conditions of Teaching Children with Exceptional Learning Needs: The            Bright Futures Report. ERIC Digest E613.                                     

In the school year 1996-97, approximately 4,000 special education               teaching positions remained unfilled in the United States, and                  nearly 33,000 positions were staffed by teachers not fully qualified            in special education (US Department of Education, 1999). Special                education teachers leave the field at about twice the rate of their             general education counterparts (Cook & Boe, 1998). Because this                 situation has a direct impact on the quality of services delivered              to students with special needs, attracting and keeping qualified                special education teachers has become a major concern to the                    education community. This digest summarizes the findings of a study             commissioned by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) to                   identify the variables that affect a special education teacher's                ability to succeed and desire to continue in the field. THE BRIGHT            FUTURES REPORTIn 1998, CEC appointed a Presidential Commission              on the Conditions of Special Education Teaching and Learning. Its               charge was twofold: 
* Identify the obstacles and barriers that                obstruct high quality teaching, and 
* Develop an action agenda to             ensure that every student with exceptional learning needs is taught             under optimal conditions for learning. 
Because children with                  exceptionalities are taught in a variety of settings by a variety of            educational personnel, stakeholders for this study included both                general and special educators. A pilot web survey was posted, focus             groups were held across the country, a major literature review was              completed, and a national survey was conducted to identify current              conditions. VARIABLES THAT AFFECT A TEACHER'S ABILITY TO                      SUCCEEDSeveral themes that influence the conditions of teaching             were identified. A sense of collegiality and professionalism, an                environment of open and frequent communication, a climate of                    support, the availability of resources, and a clarity of roles and              responsibilities all contribute to a sense of satisfaction for a job            well done. SPECIFIC BARRIERS THAT OBSTRUCT QUALITY                            PERFORMANCEIn addition to these themes, specific aspects of                 teaching students with exceptionalities include caseloads (class                size and composition), paperwork, and time for planning or                      collaboration. 
Caseload (class size and composition) was the                  primary concern of special education teachers. Teachers reported                that being assigned a large number of students, combined with an                extended caseload for consultation with students whose primary                  placement is in general education, has made their job overwhelming.             General education class sizes are in some cases smaller than those              in special education. Often, one teacher is expected to teach                   multiple subjects, on multiple grade levels, to students with                   multiple exceptionalities. It is not unusual for a special education            teacher to prepare more than 50 lessons per day to address her                  students' direct instructional needs (Coleman, 2000). 
It is not               surprising that paperwork was the second major concern for special              education teachers, for it follows directly from the issue of                   caseload and class size. The typical length of an Individualized                Education Plan (IEP) for students with exceptional learning needs is            between eight and sixteen pages, and IEPs are just the tip of the               iceberg. Extended paperwork involves much more, including forms for             the system or state, minutes from all meetings, reports for students            who are evaluated but not placed, medical assistance applications,              telephone logs, progress reports, notes to parents, curriculum                  reports, discipline records, child abuse reports, applications for              vocational services, and transition plans. It takes special                     education teachers between one and two days per week just to manage             the paper trail. With all this paperwork, the need for technology               and clerical support is acute, yet special education teachers report            that they are often the last to receive computers and rarely have               the appropriate software. 
Time for consultation and planning was              also ranked as one of the top three concerns for special education              teachers. Special educators report feeling isolated--there are few              opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and time for                       consultation and planning is non-existent. The growing number of                students with exceptionalities being served in general education                classrooms has magnified this frustration. Logic would have it that             the students with the most intense needs would receive the most                 concentrated forms of "team" planning, communication, and                       collaboration to meet those needs. For students with                            exceptionalities, however, this is not the case. 
An extension of              this issue is the importance of administrative support. When                    administrators are knowledgeable and supportive, teachers feel that             their load has been lightened, but when this is not the case,                   problems emerge. The findings from the survey showed that the                   teachers' perspectives differed significantly from that of                      administrators on all of the dimensions assessed. Teachers reported             greater concerns, more frustration, and a growing sense that their              plight is not understood. Administrators were much more positive                regarding the conditions of teaching, essentially indicating that               things are not that bad. This finding was troublesome in part                   because teachers who leave the field cite a lack of administrative              understanding of and support for their work as a key factor in their            decision to leave. THE GROWING GAP BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS AND                   RESOURCESOne of the major difficulties teachers face today is               that their roles are changing in response to the demands of a                   rapidly changing society and profession. Teachers are facing                    expectations of greater collaboration, parent and student                       counseling, and demands for content knowledge and accountability for            students' learning. As these changes unfold, there is a growing                 sense of urgency focused on the need to prepare teachers for the new            expectations. A reasonable response to this would be to provide                 intense, ongoing personnel preparation, both pre- and in-service,               and for both general and special educators. Teachers report,                    however, that little is being done. "Being unprepared" to meet the              needs of students continues to be a frequently cited reason for                 teacher attrition. 
Teachers cannot do their best work without the             appropriate tools. Both special and general education teachers                  report that they often lack specialized resources and materials for             students with exceptional learning needs. To make up for this                   deficit, teachers spend an average of $500 of their own money per               year on classroom supplies and materials. The need for high-quality,            content-focused, research-supported materials for teaching students             with exceptional learning needs is critical if students are to                  successfully master important curriculum. 
While expectations of               teachers have changed radically, little is being done to prepare or             support teachers to meet these demands. These issues are not simple             and there is no simple solution: 
* General education teachers                 report growing numbers of students with exceptionalities in their               classes with little to no time for collaborative planning with                  special education teachers; 
* Teachers report feeling inadequately            prepared to meet the needs of students with exceptionalities, yet               personnel preparation opportunities are limited; 
* Paperwork is               overwhelming special educators, yet they are the last to receive the            technology and clerical support needed; 
* The role of special                 education teachers has changed and pre-service programs have not                kept pace; 
* Students with exceptionalities are expected to master            more of the general curriculum-at higher levels-yet most special                educators report little content area preparation; 
* The range and             intensity of students' needs has increased, yet little has been done            to systematically support teachers in meeting these needs. 
* The              shortage of qualified special education teachers is critical, yet               state licensing processes are riddled with problems, creating major             obstacles with recruitment efforts. CREATING CONDITIONS THAT                  PROMOTE SUCCESSFUL SPECIAL EDUCATION

TEACHINGCreating                    conditions that allow students with exceptionalities to be most                 successful will take a concerted and coordinated effort. The                    Commission called upon the educational community to become partners             in assuring three outcomes: First, that every student with                      exceptionalities will receive individualized services and support               from a caring and competent professional. Second, that every special            and general educator has the teaching and learning conditions to                practice effectively. And third, that every instructional leader                establishes clear expectations for the use of effective and                     validated instructional practices. To achieve this vision, the                  following recommendations were suggested: 
* Define the roles of               special and general educators relative to students with                         exceptionalities 
* Create the context for high-quality                        practice 
* Leverage time with technology tools and clerical                   support to reduce the paperwork burden 
* Standardize                          decision-making processes 
* Create a career continuum in special              education 
* Develop cohesive professional licensure systems 
*               Provide systems supports. 
The United States is facing a crisis in             attracting and retaining qualified special education teachers. This             situation has a direct impact on the quality of services delivered              to students with special needs. By identifying the conditions that              obstruct quality performance and drive teachers from the field, the             Bright Futures Report has laid the groundwork for addressing this               crisis. REFERENCESInternet resources cited in this document               were current at the time of publication. Please note that Web                   addresses are subject to change. 
Coleman, M. R. (2000, October).              Conditions for special education teaching: CEC Commission technical             report. Available online at http://www.cec.sped.org. 
Cook, L. H. &            Boe, E. E. (1998). How many qualified teachers are needed for                   students with disabilities? Reston, VA: Available from the National             Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education (NCPSE), 1110                North Glebe Road, Suite 300, Arlington, VA                                      22201-5704 (800-641-7824). 
Council for Exceptional                            Children. (1999). Bright futures for exceptional learners: An agenda            to achieve quality conditions for teaching and learning. Reston, VA:            Available from the Council for Exceptional Children, 1110 North                 Glebe Road, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201-5704 (800-CEC-SPED).                 http://www.cec.sped.org. 
US Department of Education. (1999).                  Twenty-first annual report to Congress on the implementation of the             Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Washington, DC:             Author. ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS) Number ED 436 071.            Available for a fee at http://edrs.com/ or call 800-443-3742. Also              available online at:                                                            http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/OSEP2000AnlRpt/ 
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ERIC             Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and               disseminated, but please acknowledge your source. This digest was               prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and               Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education (ED) under Contract            No. ED-99-CO-0026. The opinions expressed in this publication do not            necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or ED.                 **Title:** Conditions of Teaching Children with Exceptional Learning Needs: The            Bright Futures Report. ERIC Digest E613.                                     **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, Council for            Exceptional Children, 1110 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA                       22201-5709. Tel: 800-328-0272 (Toll Free); Fax: 703-620-2521;                   e-mail: [email protected]. For full text: http://www.ericec.org.           **Descriptors:**  Disabilities, Elementary Secondary Education, Quality of Working               Life, Special Education,  Special Education Teachers,  Teacher                  Attitudes,  Teacher Persistence,  Teacher Shortage,                              Teaching (Occupation)                                                       **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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