Reflections on 20 Years of Preparing Special Education Teachers

The preparation of special educators has changed dramatically since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was implemented. Special education teachers must deal with changes in the political contexts in which they work as well as changes in the children, youth, and families with whom they work. As a consequence of those changes, how we prepare teachers has become much more complex. Teacher education programs are being asked to demonstrate how their candidates impact children's achievement in ways that we have never had to before. Although the need for research-based approaches is as critical as it was 20 years ago, the quality of research on teacher education has improved. The stakes are much higher: Unless we incorporate research-based practices into our programs and use that research to improve our preparation programs, alternative pathways to licensure and certification may become the norm.