Teacher Training and Experience for Students With Learning Disabilities

Abstract

This chapter explored the urgent need to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills in special education. The substantial increase in students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom is contributing to an educational achievement gap between students with learning disabilities and those without. Data collected for this study using an online survey completed by 75 teachers across the United States indicated that, despite having a large population of students with various learning disabilities in their classrooms, their experiences in teaching them ranged from none to intermediate. Some of the teachers indicated that they have never received IEPs to help them understand the students' learning disabilities, whereas others have no knowledge of the different instructional strategies they can use to effectively accommodate students' learning needs. This chapter indicates that if teachers were better prepared by receiving more training focused on inclusion and special education, all students could benefit.