High-Leverage Practices and Implications for Special Education Teacher Preparation: Voices From First-Year Teachers

• In Event: Rethinking Teacher Education Pedagogy: Multifaceted Approaches for Implementing Equity Pedagogy

Abstract

Teacher education programs have been called to align their curriculum with the practice-based teacher education (PBT) model by focusing on high-leverage practices (HLPs) essential for learning to teach. In this study, the researchers surveyed and interviewed first-year teachers who received PBT-aligned teaching and engaged in practices on the HLP of providing effective feedback while in the program. The study examined how they prioritize the 22 High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) developed by the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) as beginning teachers and apply feedback to students in their classrooms during their first year of teaching and the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings supported the need for systematic training on highly-regarded HLPs guided by the PBT model to prepare successful beginning special educators.

Authors

• Xiuwen Wu, National Louis University

• Kate Zilla, National-Louis University

• Kathleen Kotel, National Louis University

• Diane E. Salmon, National-Louis University