Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received $20,000 in funding from the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) for a new initiative to inspire the next generation of special education teachers.
IUP’s “Developing Future Special Educators” project was created by William Schleicher, assistant professor of special education in the Department of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology. Schleicher is the special education liaison for the Center for Career and Technical Personnel Preparation and is treasurer for the Arc of Indiana County board of directors.
This new program is designed to engage current high school students and IUP undergraduates who have not yet selected a major to learn about and work with students with disabilities as a means to inspire the next generation of special educators, Schleicher said.
“Ultimately, the goal is to recruit future special education professionals by engaging them in authentic, experiential learning opportunities to support the success of students with disabilities,” he said.
The program begins in fall 2024 with the first cohort of students; a second cohort of students will start the program in fall 2025. Each cohort will participate in two years of programming.
The program is designed for 25 students in each cohort. Districts identified for this project are Homer-Center, Indiana, River Valley, and West Mifflin. Teachers in the school districts and faculty and staff at IUP will be asked to identify and recommend promising and interested students for the program. Schleicher and his colleagues will also extend personal invitations to potential participants through established partnerships and through district superintendents and will engage directly with students by providing information and informal presentations to clubs and organizations at partner school districts.
“This personal approach will allow us to inspire and inform students about rewarding career opportunities in special education, ultimately fostering a new generation of dedicated professionals,” he said.
IUP faculty members Annah Hill from the Department of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology and Valerie Long and Holly Rougeaux from the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences are working closely with Schleicher on the project.
“A program like this, especially one that spans departments across divisions, could not be possible without a strong and knowledgeable team,” he said. “In addition to having extensive skills and experience in the field of special education, IUP is very fortunate to have faculty who are truly committed to preparing and to mentoring students to enter this field and to be successful in this important work,” he said. “I am very grateful to my colleagues for their willingness to take on this new initiative.”
The program begins with initial meetings at IUP, when the high school students and IUP students meet and learn about what is needed to become teacher candidates at IUP, including how to prepare for the teacher education program while still taking high school classes and the required IUP coursework. Participants will also learn about IUP’s 4+1 program, where students can begin taking graduate courses while still an undergraduate and graduate with a master’s degree one year after graduating with their undergraduate degree.
During the first year of the program, students will attend various education-specific courses from a variety of departments and programs to see how students prepare for a career in education. Students in the program also will visit classrooms and programs involving students with disabilities in the school districts. On these visits, students will job-shadow special education teachers and other teachers who have mastered teaching students with disabilities.
“Visits to districts and clubs and organizations will be very valuable to students, as it will allow them to see how the skills and knowledge they are learning can be used beyond academics to help support students with disabilities,” Schleicher said.
Visits outside the classroom planned for the participants include to the Commons Cafe in the Indiana Area Senior High School; the Titan Shoppe at West Mifflin; the River Valley and IUP Best Buddies programs; the Indiana County Special Olympics; and the Miracle League. The Best Buddies program pairs students with disabled individuals in the community for activities and mentoring.
“These first-hand experiences in diverse special education settings will allow students to explore real-world instances of individuals with special needs engaging in authentic learning and social opportunities,” Schleicher said. “Choosing differing circumstances allows future educators to see the vitality of giving individuals with disabilities chances to live independent and successful lives with the help of their special education teachers and supporting staff members.”
Prior to visits to classrooms and programs involving students with disabilities, participants will receive informational materials regarding the 13 special education categories of individuals under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), educator preparation programs, and available scholarships aligned to educator preparation programs.
“We will encourage our participants to become familiar with this information so that they can consider and prepare questions to ask current special education teachers about the field of special education,” he said. The high school students will be paired with a teacher mentor in the high schools, and the IUP students will participate in an internship program in their home districts under a teacher’s mentorship.
In the second year of the program, the cohorts will participate in a specially designed workshop in IUP’s STEAMSHOP (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) to create a tool to be used in a special education classroom in a lesson for the special education students designed by the program participants. Working closely with their high school teacher mentor, the program participants will present the lesson in the high schools during the fall semester.
The students will come to IUP in the spring semester for the annual Research Appreciation Week’s Scholars Forum to share their strategies and findings about the activity they designed through either poster sessions or oral presentations.
During the second year of the program in the spring semester, students will have final mentorship meetings and practice implementing (fake) assessments of students.
The students also will attend the Pre-Service Teacher Conference Network, a professional development event with pre-service teachers and in-service teachers from across western Pennsylvania, focusing on sessions about teaching students with special needs to learn how IUP’s pre-service teachers research and plan creative, innovative, and effective learning experiences.
“Participating in the conference will allow these future special educators to see how conferences are used for professional development, and they will have an opportunity to network with other future educators and current teachers. Building these relationships early will allow the future educators to have support systems in place while they finish their high school career, as they matriculate to college, and most importantly as they start teaching,” Schleicher said.
“We also look forward to the Transition and Self-Determination Day, organized in partnership with ARIN Intermediate Unit 28, as a highlight of our program’s events,” he said. “This IUP-hosted event offers students of all ages and abilities the chance to engage in activities that enhance their transition and self-determination skills, providing invaluable hands-on experience for future special education professionals,” he said.
The program also includes participation in the WINGS (Workforce Institute for Navigating Growth and Success) initiative, which provides secondary and post-secondary students a chance to observe and engage with special education learners in a real-world context, an authentic community-based experience.
“These comprehensive efforts ensure that our program not only equips future special education teachers with practical experience but strengthens community bonds and support systems,” he said.
“As an institution of higher education, IUP is known in the region for having strong teacher preparation programs, graduating teacher candidates who are well-prepared to enter a career in education,” he said. “School administrators are supporting this initiative by their willingness to host faculty and other post-secondary representatives at their districts to discuss ways in which to increase the educator pathway, by allowing students from neighboring districts into their schools to observe master teachers at work and expand their knowledge of teaching as a career,” Schleicher said.
Grant funds will be used to support the high school teacher mentors, stage a mathematics conference for pre- and in-service teachers, purchase technology supplies, and for transportation costs.
According to a 2023 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 86 percent of schools nationwide report difficulty hiring teachers, and vacancies for special education teachers were most prevalent with 77 percent of schools reporting these vacancies as “difficult to fill.”
PaTTAN, working with the Bureau of Special Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, provides a full array of professional development and technical assistance targeted to improving student results.