Special ed option for laid-off teachers
A one-year-old nonprofit is serving as a matchmaker between an abundant supply of soon to be laid-off teachers and a critical shortage of special education instructors. As a result, at least several thousand vacant special ed positions likely will be filled this fall by teachers who would otherwise be looking at unemployment or substitute teaching.
The California Teacher Corps announced this week that it is expediting efforts at retraining teachers who are interested in becoming certified to teach special education. The Corps represents alternative certification programs, which are particularly suited for individuals seeking second careers as teachers and, in this case, for teachers interested in working with handicapped children.
Unlike traditional certification programs, which require student teaching before getting a credential, alternative programs can place candidates immediately in a classroom, as interns, as long as they are intensively coached by veteran teachers throughout the year. There are 70 alternative certification programs in California. Some are run by county offices of education; some California State University campuses operate others.
The Corps is working as an intermediary between districts and the programs. Rather than lose some of their best and brightest young teachers because of seniority rules, some districts may encourage teachers to consider a special education credential. Last year, 3,500 special ed teachers received their credential via an alternative certification route; an additional 4,500 got other credentials through alternative programs. In most districts, subjects facing critical shortage, including math, science and special ed, are exempt from seniority rules.
California Teacher Corps President Catherine Kearney said that the Corps has agreements with most of the state’s districts for alternative certification placements.
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SVEF is the education foundation advocating for the needs of school districts across Silicon Valley. SVEF seeks to improve public education through establishing partnerships with the private sector and the education community ..
I am a special education teacher and there really aren’t an abundance of special ed jobs. What is happening with SDUSD is that they are hiring interns rather than certified teachers–probably to save money–and those poor interns are sent to tough schools. I know because I was one; I made it through but some of those students, kids that really needed a good teacher, only had interns for pretty much their entire academic lives.
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Laid off teachers should not be retrained to work in special education until it has been proven that sp-ed teachers from the current alternative and university programs are being hired and retained. My Education Specialist credential (Level II, Clear, 2006) has been disrespected by faculty and administrators at every turn in my career. The role of special education is still to contain and neglect the students, and an appropriate credential is antagonistic to that purpose. My last district, where non-credentialed teachers in special education were given seniority and permanent contracts (under the nose of the state superintendent’s consultants and probably with their tacit knowledge) a credentialed sp-ed teacher will be laid off in favor of a non-credentialed senior sp-ed teacher, even when that senior teacher has less than five years. When the mission is low expectations, why bother with a proper credential? The less qualified, the better…say the superintendents and school boards of those districts. Investigation and reform should be the first steps to addressing these apparent vacancies (estimated by what method??). The first step to reform should be a physical credential check for all special-ed teachers in underperforming schools, and probably in all schools. Based on what I have seen, I believe that special education is one of the ugliest abuses of public resources in our country’s history. The resources are being used to harm the students rather than benefit them (to the great profit of many neglectful…i.e. lazy and complacent…teachers and administrators). Beware new teachers!!!
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There is absolutely not an abundance of SPED jobs. Districts are basically hiring new SPED teachers and releasing them before they hit tenure in order to bring in someone else for less money. This article is a joke. Obviously written by someone who has no idea what is really going on in school districts.
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I recently got my special education credential after getting laid off due to California budget cuts. I heard there was a shortage of Special Educ. Teachers too only to find out that this is no longer the case. I was told around 200 qualified people were applying for one special educ. job by human resources. I have only gotten one interview and no job yet.
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