Greg Prater

College Teachers' Expectations of LD Students

University teachers hold negative academic expectations for LD students and are pessimistic about their ability to teach them.

Challenges Facing Teacher Educators in Rural, Remote, and Isolated Areas: Using What We Know and What We Have Learned.

A we enter the new millennium, dramatic changes are taking place in America’s public schools and today’s educators must be prepared to meet the challenges these changes bring (Voltz, Dooley & Jefferies, 1999). Among the changes are increased numbers of students with disabilities and students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). Added to these changes are the national shortages of teachers qualified to teach students who have special needs or who are CLD. The shortage of qualified teachers becomes even more critical when rural and remote areas of our nation are factored into our considerations (Massey & Crosby, 1983; Marrs, 1984; Hofmeister, 1984; Towson & Bening, 1987; Martin, 1990; Cook & Boe, 1995). Compounding the problems is the lack of qualified teachers from underrepresented groups such as Native Americans and Mexican Americans (Cook & Boe, 1995). In fact, in “The Sixteenth Annual Report of the Congress on the Implementation of the IDEA” (1994) it was estimated that fewer than 10% of all public school teachers were members of minority groups.

Reaching American Indian Special/Elementary Educators through a Partnership with a Navajo Nation School District.

This article describes the Reaching American Indian Special/Elementary Educators (RAISE) program, a community-based native teacher education program located on the Navajo reservation in Kayenta, Arizona. The RAISE program is a preservice teacher preparation partnership program between Northern Arizona University (NAU) and the Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD). RAISE is designed for two groups of students: uncertified Navajo special and elementary education preservice students who work with the local school district, and traditional teacher education students recruited from the main campus of NAU. The RAISE program prepares students to teach in impoverished rural and remote areas and to work in inclusive schools with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. On completion of the program, the students earn a dual teacher certification in special and elementary education.

Lessons Learned from School-Based Teacher Preparation Programs.

Abstract There are many advantages and challenges associated with school‐based teacher preparation programs. Five such programs are briefly described in this paper. The Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University operates the Flagstaff Partnership Program, the Sedona Partnership Program, the Rural Special Education Program, the Rural Multicultural Training Collaborative, and the Praxis Program. Based upon our experiences with these programs, four important variables have been identified that need to be considered to maximize the likelihood that a school‐based teacher preparation program will succeed. These variables are (a) the importance of the personnel in the program, (b) the importance of administrative support for the program, (c) the importance of flexibility and risk‐taking, and (d) a focus on new conceptions of quality. Each of these variables is briefly described in this paper.

Preparing Native American Special Education Teachers: Lessons Learned from the Rural Special Education Project

Twelve Navajo preservice teachers in the Rural Special Education Project on the Navajo Nation in Kayenta, Arizona, shared their perceptions regarding the factors which enabled them and constrained them as they completed a special education teacher preparation program. Several themes emerged during the process of interviewing the students including the importance of cultural teachings and family support; the influence of language factors, financial constraints, and cultural responsibilities; and the lack of availability of educational opportunities on the Navajo Nation. Each of these factors is discussed in this article and recommendations are made for others interested in establishing successful teacher preparation programs for Native American students.

Alternative Methods of Communicating with Parents.

Nontraditional forms of parent-teacher interaction can maximize school success.

Try Telephone Answering Machines

Parents are one of the most valuable resources teachers have in helping students develop the skills and abilities necessary to function in todays world. Parents can have a tremendous impact on a students self-esteem, socialization, and academic performance. For these reasons, special educators are constantly searching for practical and cost-effective approaches to communication that will foster viable parentteacher partnership strategies to facilitate instruction.

The Rural Special Education Project: A School-Based Program That Prepares Special Educators to Teach Native American Students.

The preparation, recruitment, and retention of teachers for rural areas and Native American reservations has long been a serious problem. This article describes a teacher preparation program that prepares preservice special education teachers to effectively work with Native American children and their families in a remote reservation area. University students receive practical classroom experience. The instruction is managed by an on-site instructor. The university students also experience almost total immersion in the Navajo culture. Recommendations are made for establishing similar programs in other locations.

Experiences of Applicants for College and University Positions in Special Education

The experiences of 62 individuals seeking their first higher education position in special education were assessed. Participants were asked to note how many positions they applied for, how those positions came to their attention, what application materials were submitted, and the length of time it took institutions to respond to their applications. Twelve persons were also asked to assess the interviews they had on campuses. Results revealed that each subject applied for about 6 positions, most of which were advertised in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The application materials submitted by respondents were quite similar. The majority of respondents expressed several dissatisfactions with the search process. Applicants invited to campuses for interviews also expressed many dissatisfactions with the interview process. Difficulties communicating with committee members and concerns related to financial arrangements were mentioned.

Arranging the Physical Environment of Special Education Classrooms.

A review of factors of classroom arrangement that may increase instructional control.