A nationwide difficulty in finding special education teachers has Tennessee Tech’s School of Education working creatively to recruit.
Associate Dean Julie Baker said one path they’ve taken to achieve this is by targeting current teachers and helping them streamline the process to get add-on endorsements. Endorsements can be added if a teacher completes an exam or additional coursework.
“We’ve tried to streamline those courses so maybe it’s a little easier for teachers in the profession if they wanted to add a couple of courses,” Baker said. “It’s typically around five or six courses that a currently practicing teacher would add in order to add on that special education endorsement.”
Baker said she attributes the difficulty in finding special ed teachers to the fact that there is more pressure on those teachers. She said there is more paperwork, more expectations, and that sometimes society’s perspective of teachers hinders a teacher’s success.
Amy Callender is a Tennessee Tech Associate Professor who previously worked as a PreK through 12th-grade special education teacher and school psychologist. She said that the nature of classrooms are rapidly changing to see students with a diverse host of needs, and having special education knowledge can better accommodate more learners.
“Our special education teachers in particular need to be able to know the law about how individuals with a disability are served and be able to write those plans, those next individualized education plans to help students be successful and receive those services that are needed,” Callender said. “We also try to build their foundational knowledge. There are a lot of strategies that can be used for students that are struggling with a variety of diagnoses and characteristics that are impacting their learning.”
Baker said Tennessee Tech teaches future special education professionals both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
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