More than half of school districts and 80% of states report a shortage of special education teachers, while the number of students who need special education services is increasing, says researchers. (iStock/Gingagi)There are 1.1 million more students who need special education services than 10 years ago according to the
National Center for Education Statistics. In all, 7.5 million or 15% of all students face this need. At the same time, more than half of school districts and 80% of states report a shortage of special education teachers, according to data from
Education Next.
DePaul’s College of Education is preparing teachers to meet these needs in Chicago Public Schools thanks to a nearly $500,000 Job Training and Economic Development Teacher Apprenticeship Program grant that’s
championed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the Illinois State Board of Education.
As part of a two-year pilot program, the College of Education will provide a pathway for special education teaching assistants to earn licensure and ultimately lead a classroom of their own. The college, which is partnering with CPS to develop the program, hopes to admit 15 CPS special education teaching assistants beginning this summer or fall. The full cost of program attendance is covered by the grant.
What’s unique about the new program is that it will target folks already working in the special education field, says Amy Feiker Hollenbeck, chair of DePaul’s Department of Counseling and Special Education in the College of Education. Participants in the program will be able to continue their work in the classroom while meeting the program requirements and earning licensure as special education teachers.
Amy Feiker Hollenbeck is chair of DePaul’s Department of Counseling and Special Education in the College of Education. (Courtesy of Amy Feiker Hollenbeck)“It’s really exciting to me that we will be educating individuals who are already working in CPS schools with special education students,” Feiker Hollenbeck says. “They like the work, they enjoy the students, and they want to serve their communities but haven’t been able to take the next step of leading their own classroom for various reasons. This new program is a great way to get diverse voices into a position of leadership in special education classrooms.”
In November, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
held a briefing to discuss how national teacher shortages affect students with disabilities.
“All areas of K-12 education are experiencing staffing shortages, but special education has been hit particularly hard, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Feiker Hollenbeck says.
“Special education professionals navigate a lot of unique challenges, even different from their other K-12 colleagues. The number of students they are responsible for is only increasing, and each student requires an individualized education plan. So special education teachers balance daily the task of creating a learning environment that supports the very different needs of each of their students. These teachers love the work they do, but it’s a big commitment emotionally and mentally,” Feiker Hollenbeck adds.
DePaul, along with UIC and McKendree University, are creating the blueprint for Illinois for this type of special education teacher training. This work includes connecting with other states who have put in place similar apprenticeship programs and learning what has and hasn’t worked for them, Feiker Hollenbeck says.
“Our goal is to become a registered apprenticeship program through the U.S. Department of Labor, which then unlocks other types of funding. We are trying to think outside the box because we need to be creative in finding additional ways to get more teachers into the classroom,” Feiker Hollenbeck says.
For Jennifer Mueller, dean of the College of Education, this grant speaks to the mission of the college.
“St. Vincent de Paul calls us to ask, ‘what must be done.’ For the College of Education that means striving to prepare educators who are committed to creating equitable, compassionate, intellectually rich and socially just environments. This charge is especially important amid a nationwide educator shortage, and this grant will lay the groundwork for highly qualified special education assistants to take the next step in their careers educating and supporting our students with disabilities,” Mueller says.
In the future, Feiker Hollenbeck hopes that the program can evolve into two robust tracks: One for special education teaching assistants with a bachelor’s degree who need state licensure to work as special educators, and one for teaching assistants with associate’s degree who need to complete their bachelor's degree with licensure.
Future program goals also include creating an accessible partnership pipeline in which students can begin taking education courses while enrolled in high school, then complete an associate’s degree, leading to a bachelor’s degree with licensure as a special educator from DePaul.
“It’s important to create pathways to teaching that are more financially viable for students, so students can begin their teaching careers without significant debt. With data showing an increase in the number of students who require special education services, we must continue to look for additional ways to bring qualified teachers into the field. Our children deserve nothing less,” Feiker Hollenbeck says.
Russell Dorn is a senior manager of media relations in University Communications.