Teacher Education and Special Education, Ahead of Print.
Professional identity is an area of significant research in engineering and health care but research in special education teacher identity is limited. Using the framework of Identity Theory, this study examined the evolving professional identity standard of seven preservice teacher candidates using concept maps across three points in time during their preparation program. An analysis of course syllabi provided context for the knowledge and skills learned during the program. A focus group interview with the candidates at the completion of their program targeted the factors they felt influenced their development. Findings indicate that participants’ identity standard evolved throughout the program, particularly related to special education teacher role, with significant consolidation and integration occurring during the internship experience. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Ahead of Print.
Teachers’ knowledge of foundational reading skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension) and the impact of this knowledge on the ability to provide effective reading instruction has been a topic of interest in teacher preparation for decades. Given the number of students with disabilities with significant instructional needs in reading, understanding the knowledge and skills of special educators and effective approaches for improving teachers’ knowledge is especially critical. Therefore, a systematic narrative review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that employed survey methods to examine special educators’ knowledge of foundational reading skills. The results of 18 studies published between 2001 and 2020 revealed that most investigations focused on assessing knowledge of the phonological aspects of reading. Furthermore, inconsistent performance and knowledge gaps were identified both within and across studies. Detailed summaries of studies are provided and recommendations for future research and practice explored.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Ahead of Print.
General and special educators often do not have the needed knowledge and skills or collaborative opportunities to implement coordinated, evidence-based instruction within a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. As such, the authors used a randomized control design to examine the impact of Project Coordinate (PC), a professional development approach incorporating online content modules and lesson study, on fourth-grade general and special education teachers’ knowledge, collaborative planning, and instructional practice in reading. The authors used multilevel modeling, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analyses to examine differences in teacher knowledge, changes in the frequency of tiered instruction, teachers’ perceptions of collaborative planning, changes in treatment teachers’ use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), and effective implementation of EBPs. Results showed that PC teachers did not make significant gains in knowledge; however, these teachers did make significant gains on collaborative and instructional practice though findings are complex. The authors discuss the implications of findings for future research and practice.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Ahead of Print.
Burnout is the leading cause of the special education teacher shortage. A burnout intervention adapted for teachers was tested in two studies. Study 1 used a randomized design; Study 2 was a pre-post design. In Study 1, 44 teachers were randomized into the intervention or an active control. To enhance impact, for Study 2, personal goal-setting was added, and the intervention was renamed BREATHE-EASE (Burnout Reduction: Enhanced Awareness, Tools, Handouts, and Education–Evidence-Based Activities for Educators) Goals and evaluated with a different cohort of 42 teachers. Teachers completed assessments of social support, coping, and mindfulness. For Study 1, a medium to large nonsignificant effect for reduced emotional exhaustion (η2 = .087) was found based on a per-protocol analysis of attending at least two sessions. For Study 2, emotional exhaustion was reduced (d = 0.45), and mindfulness (d = 0.39) and coping (d = 0.78) skills were improved. The findings offer a promising approach for special education teacher burnout and intrapersonal skills.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Volume 47, Issue 4, Page 261-282, November 2024.
People with disabilities consistently advocate for their right to be self-determined. Decades of research highlight the positive impacts of self-determination intervention on in-school and post-school outcomes of secondary students with disabilities. Increasingly, self-determination interventions are being implemented in inclusive contexts for all students, including students with and without disabilities. To enable implementation with high fidelity, further examination of the supports needed by teachers is required. In this study, the authors examine the impacts of differing intensities of teacher implementation supports (online modules only vs. online modules + coaching) on the initiation of the self-determined learning model of instruction (SDLMI) by schools and teachers and outcomes for students that arise from more intensive implementation when schools and teachers do initiate. Results suggest that intensifying teacher implementation supports has a positive impact on a cascading series of outcomes for schools, teachers, and students. In this study, the authors discuss the implications of the results for future research and practice.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Volume 47, Issue 4, Page 283-301, November 2024.
This critical qualitative inquiry employed a Disability Critical Race Studies Counter-Narrative framework (DCCN) to explore the contrast between educator and Black student understandings of the special education placement process and their implications. Interviews with 21 members of school personnel and 20 Black students between the ages of 14 and 18 were cross-referenced to narratively reconstruct the special education placement process in Quebec, Canada. Analysis of the results reveals a striking gap between educator and student understandings of the process, which can be linked to adverse student experiences. Subsequently, implications for enhancing educators’ knowledge of diverse learners and professional practices are discussed.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Volume 47, Issue 4, Page 302-318, November 2024.
To develop and support teachers’ skills in classroom management, resource-efficient teacher training approaches are needed. This study evaluated the effects of an online tiered training intervention on teachers’ use of class-wide positive behavior supports, either behavior-specific praise (BSP) or opportunities to respond (OTRs), using a randomized controlled trial conducted in an online graduate course in classroom management. Fifty-nine participants (52 teachers, 6 paraprofessionals, and 1 after-school instructor) completed the study. We randomly assigned 29 teachers to receive tiered training for BSP and 30 teachers to receive tiered training for OTRs. We found tiered training increased participants’ use of the target practice, BSP or OTR, with medium to large effect sizes, and most teachers required support beyond universal training. Teachers rated the training they received as highly acceptable, feasible, and useful.

Teacher Education and Special Education, Volume 47, Issue 4, Page 319-329, November 2024.