Repairing Pathways: Enhancing Diversity in Special Education Teacher Preparation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Critically Examining Racializing Myths Across Disciplines and Spaces (Table 11)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess retention rates for a new special education teacher preparation program at an HBCU designed to increase the number of diverse special educators by responding to cited recruitment and retention barriers for educators of color in traditional teacher preparation programs, including high costs, administrative hurdles, and few professional networks. The HBCU’s program, informed by Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), constructed its curriculum and supports to prepare diverse educators for the ways in which the intersections of race and ability may affect academic and behavioral outcomes for special education students of color and offers a replicable recruitment and retention model that can alleviate teacher shortages by increasing the number of diverse educators.

Authors

• Nicole Anthony, Coppin State University

• Anita Weisburger, Coppin State University

• K'yeona Winston, Coppin State University

• Karen Beale, Coppin State University

• Tameka Porter, Towson University