Doctor of Education Newsletter 2019

WSU Doctor of Education Inaugural Cohort 2019 Winona State University has an astounding reputation for educational practitioner preparation programs in the College of Education. As the summer of 2019 commences, a new journey begins for the inaugural cohort of doctoral students who embark on their quest to obtain Doctor of Education degrees.https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddnewsletters/1000/thumbnail.jp

Doctoral Student Perspectives on Motivation and Persistence: Eye-Opening Insights Into the Ideas and Thoughts That Today\u27s Doctoral Students Have About Finishing the Doctoral Degree

It all comes down to this: we have an amazing team of faculty working with us who are present, supportive, intelligent, and motivated to help us succeed. They designed this program with those objectives in mind. We are in good hands, and any questions we have will be answered, so long as we ask them. Having the support system of our faculty, along with the tools we need to be successful, are major parts of the battle, already won. The rest is up to us. - A. Brooke Boultonhttps://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddbooks/1000/thumbnail.jp

Pathways to Retention of Alternatively Licensed Special Education Teachers

Special Education teacher retention has been a chronic concern for administrators for the past 45 years. Since 1975 when the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was passed, providing Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to students with exceptionalities, school districts\u27 ability to hire appropriately licensed Special Education teachers has been a continual concern. Additionally, Special Education teachers’ turnover rate exceeds that of many other content areas in education. The Special Education teacher\u27s attrition rates who have completed an alternate route to licensure program have been even greater than traditionally trained Special Education teachers. The study’s quantitative research has focused on a group of 32 alternatively prepared Special Education teachers and the reasons for their retention in their current positions. The alternatively prepared group of educators has defied the reported statistics of attrition rates and stayed with their districts and in their teaching positions for over one year, which is the length of time most alternatively prepared teachers stay. Data for the study were gathered by distributing a Likert scale survey developed around Situational Leadership and Sense of Place theories. Three factors emerged from the survey results. The teacher\u27s relationship with the building administrator at the onset of the school year and throughout the school year arose as a high-rated element for retention. Furthermore, the relationship teachers have with their students and the teacher\u27s residential location in proximity to the school also emerged as influential retention factors. The study results will contribute to the body of literature regarding the retention of alternatively licensed Special Education teachers