• IRIS Center
Careers at IRIS
Donate to IRIS
  • Resources
    • IRIS Resource Locator
      Modules, case studies, activities, & more
    • Evidence-Based Practice Summaries
      Research annotations
    • High-Leverage Practices
      IRIS resources on HLPs
    • IRIS Alignment Tools
      HLPs, SiMRs, & CEEDAR ICs
    • Films
      Portrayals of people with disabilities
    • Children's Books
      Portrayals of people with disabilities
    • For Faculty
      Sample syllabi, curriculum matrices, & more
    • For PD Providers
      Sample PD activities, planning forms, & more
    • For Independent Learners
      Resources & tools for independent learners
    • Website Navigation Videos
      Getting around our Website & modules
    • New & Coming Soon
      Latest modules & resources
    • Glossary
      Disability related terms
  • PD Options
    • PD Certificates for Educators
      Our certificate, your PD hours
    • For PD Providers
      Sample PD activities, planning forms, & more
    • School & District Platform
      A powerful tool for school leaders
    • Log in to Your IRIS PD
  • Articles & Reports
    • Articles
      Articles about IRIS use & efficacy
    • Internal IRIS Reports
      Reports on IRIS use & accomplishments
    • External Evaluation Reports
      Evaluations of the IRIS Center
    • Learner Outcomes
      Summaries of module effectiveness
    • Consumer Satisfaction
      Feedback and testimonials from IRIS users
    • IRIS Stories
      Our resources, your stories
    • News & Events
      What, when, & where it's happening
  • About
    • Who We Are
      Our team, experts, & advisors
    • What We Do
      Our resources & process
    • Contact Us
      Get in touch with IRIS
  • Help
    • Help & Support
      Get the full benefit from our resources
    • Website Navigation Videos
      Getting around our Website & modules
  • Module
  • Challenge
  • Initial Thoughts
  • Perspectives & Resources
  • Wrap Up
  • Assessment
Challenge
Initial Thoughts
Perspectives & Resources

What are some typical challenges faced by new special education teachers?

  • Page 1: Experiences of New Special Education Teachers

What supports can school leaders provide to develop effective and committed special education teachers?

  • Page 2: What Is Induction?
  • Page 3: Goals of a Comprehensive Induction Program
  • Page 4: Components of a Comprehensive Induction Program
  • Page 5: Good Job Match
  • Page 6: Relevant Work Orientation
  • Page 7: Supportive School Communities
  • Page 8: Deliberate Role Design
  • Page 9: Ongoing Professional Development
  • Page 10: Responsive Mentoring

Resources

  • Page 11: References & Additional Resources
  • Page 12: Credits
Wrap Up
Assessment
We want to hear from you. Please complete our brief Module Feedback Form.

Teacher Induction: Providing Comprehensive Training for New Special Educators

Challenge

View the movie below and then proceed to the Initial Thoughts section (time: 3:10).

/wp-content/uploads/module_media/ind_media/movies/ind_chall.mp4

View Transcript | View Transcript with Images (PDF)

Transcript: Challenge

Dr. Monroe: I’m Jeff Monroe, Director of Special Education in the Montgomery School District. I’m proud of the work I’ve done during that time to recruit effective teachers, but right now I’ve got a bit of a problem. Developing strong programs for our students with disabilities is my highest priority, and to do that we’ve got to find a way not only to recruit highly effective teachers but also to keep them. Unfortunately, looking over my records recently, I realized that only twenty-eight of the fifty-one teachers I’ve recruited over the past five years are still teaching in our special education classrooms.

Teachers leave the profession for all kinds of reasons, but too many of my special educators are like Anna, who started fresh from college three years ago at Heights Middle School. Our exit interview played out in an all-too-familiar way…

Anna: I spent so much time just figuring out what I was supposed to be doing. Many of my students were in general ed classes. I thought I was going to collaborate with the general education teachers, but most didn’t seem to want to work with me. One even said she didn’t understand why my students were in her class. Another suggested I come to class and just follow along with what was happening. I thought I was supposed to co-teach, not walk around the room checking to see how everyone was doing. Some students even thought I was a teacher’s aide! Meanwhile, my caseload kept increasing.

Dr. Monroe: And then there was Michael, who taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Michael: I really struggled with behavior management. Last year, my class went through three different teachers. The kids had made up a kind of teacher turnover game, you know, “How long will this one last?” I also had difficulty helping my students learn the curriculum. There wasn’t anybody to turn to for help. I just felt so isolated.

Dr. Monroe: Too many of my teachers have similar stories. And as I begin to prepare this year’s orientation, I’m thinking about our newest teaching recruits. There’s Christine, a first-time teacher who will work with students with autism spectrum disorders. And then there’s Jamal. We hired him because there weren’t any applicants qualified to work with students with emotional disorders. Jamal is a PE teacher who’s completed the state’s special education certification test, which makes him eligible to teach while he takes additional courses.

I want to do all I can to make certain that they can be effective teachers who remain in their positions for a long time to come. However, I’m not sure how to support them through their first few years of teaching.

Here is your Challenge:

What are some typical challenges faced by new special education teachers?

What can school leaders do to support special education teachers?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Back Next
Join Our E-Newsletter Sign Up
  • Home
  • About IRIS
  • Our Values
  • Sitemap
  • Web Accessibility
  • Glossary
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
Join Our E-Newsletter Sign Up

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected] The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

Copyright 2023 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

  • Vanderbilt Peabody College