Increasing the Number of Special Education Faculty: Policy Implications and Future Directions

Abstract

The provision of a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities is dependent upon quality personnel, and the availability of such personnel is dependent upon quality teacher education and related services programs taught by university and college faculty. As suggested by Smith et al., “. . . as the number of [higher education] faculty decreases, fewer children with disabilities can be adequately served.” This article briefly reviews the history of national policy for personnel preparation under Part D of IDEA; offers some recommendations for future directions in federal policy that may enable our nation to live up to the promise of a free and appropriate public education for every student with a disability; and presents a perspective on the need for higher education to rethink current recruitment and retention approaches that influence such policy. The authors conclude that as the repository of knowledge and expertise in the field, higher education must develop new ways of communicating its important role to policy makers and other stakeholders. In doing so, alliances must be formed with families and advocates to work in partnership with the federal government, as well as state and local education agencies to meet the needs of students with disabilities.