U.S. Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Programs: A Look at the Present and a Vision for the Future

Numerous reports identify critical learning needs of deaf and hard of hearing students, but there is a growing recognition that these students' ability to achieve academic success is tied to the instructional effectiveness of teachers. Developments in deaf and hard of hearing education include (a) a shift toward educating students in local public schools; (b) a conceptual reorientation toward establishing effective learning environments; and (c) a critical, nationwide shortage of qualified teachers. The result has been a growing acceptance of the need to examine and redesign the way teachers are prepared to educate deaf and hard of hearing students. The present article is an examination of key redesign issues. The field of deaf education is better known for its controversies than its successes (Easterbrooks, 2001). Historical disagreements about the most appropriate way to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing students have served to divert attention from one underlying reality: In spite of teachers' efforts, the majority of these students graduate from high school substantially undereducated (Bowe, 1988). While most deaf and hard of hearing students possess normal intelligence, their average reading grade level remains consistently and substantially below that of their hearing peers (Traxler, 2000). Given this level of performance, it is not surprising that 60% of deaf and hard of hearing high school graduates are considered inadequately prepared for college (Bowe, 1988). In 1998, the Northern California Center on Deafness (cited in Siegel, 2000) found that 90% of deaf and hard of hearing adults were underemployed. The sad reality is that this inadequate level of performance has persisted over such a long time that it has come to be accepted, and even expected, by a majority of educators. Although many reports have identified the critical learning needs of deaf and hard of hearing students (e.g., Bowe, 1988; Mackie, 1956), there is also a growing recognition that the ability of these students to achieve academic success is inexorably tied to the instructional effectiveness of their teachers (Easterbrooks & Baker-Hawkins, 1995). This recognition-combined with (a) a demographic shift in the education of deaf and hard of hearing students from residential schools to local public schools (Holden-Pitt & Diaz, 1998); (b) a conceptual reorientation from a search for the best communication system to the establishment of effective learning environments for deaf and hard of hearing students (Siegel, 2000); and (c) a critical, nationwide shortage of qualified teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students (Bradfield & Seagrest, 2001)-has resulted in a growing acceptance of the need to first examine, then redesign, both how teachers are prepared and how deaf and hard of hearing students are educated (Bugen, Innes, Randall, & Siegel, 2001). The present article examines four central questions concerning that redesign: * What are the key concepts that can be used to guide the redesign of deaf education? * How many teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students are needed and what are the instructional demands those teachers must be prepared to address? * To what extent can state and national certification/licensure standards be used to provide guidance and oversight for the preparation of effective teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students? * How are individuals now prepared to become teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students and how can that preparation be enhanced? Critical Concepts The redesign of deaf education is an incredibly complex task involving thousands of individuals throughout the nation who represent diverse, often conflicting, conceptual orientations. Although the details of the redesign will necessarily be complex, the essential concepts that drive the redesign must be straightforward and readily acceptable by most individuals , involved. …