The Expanding Role of LEAs in Special Education Teacher Preparation: The View from a Local School District

Abstract

Increasingly local school districts are implementing alternative certification (AC) programs to alleviate the shortage of special education teachers. We situate special education AC programs in the context of an earlier AC movement in regular education, discuss important differences between the two, and attempt to clarify the terminology. Following a review of published reports of AC programs based in universities, state education agencies, and local school districts, we report the Volusia County Alternative Add-On Certification Program (VCAAP), emphasizing the importance of IHE collaboration in the development and progress of the program. We conclude with a discussion of necessity and collaboration, the paper's dominant themes, and suggest how the interplay of these themes can influence the future course of teacher education in special education.