Lyman, J.

Morgan, Robert L.

Rees, M.

English

DigitalCommons@USU

4 4   D e c e m b e r  2 0 0 9  •  A c a d e m i c sBob Morgan, Melanie Rees, and Julia Lyman, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Utah State University“I would go back and get my teaching degree but I’m concernedabout the math requirements and the general academic environ-ment. I’ve been away from that kind of routine for 15 years!”“I would love to be a teacher but I’ve got family responsibilities. My kids would disown me!”“I think I could be a good teacher but there are so many hoops you have to jump through. It’s not worth the trouble.”These are statements we hear frequently as we recruit paraeduca-tors and others to become special education teachers. Interestingly,all of these individuals became successful special education teachers.While the statements are true and each potential teacher brings a different mix of concerns, many interested individuals can becomesuccessful teachers given a few essential ingredients: advisement,support, and a positive, goal-directed program of study.A previous article in The Utah Special Educator described therationale for teacher recruitment (Morgan, Peterson, & Horrocks,2007). In this article we describe the recruitment activities that areapplied in different ways to the Utah State University (USU) teacherpreparation programs. These programs include on-campus(Mild/Moderate, Severe, Early Childhood, and combined special and general education), and Mild/Moderate Distance (broadcast tomultiple sites throughout Utah). General recruitment activities canbe divided into three types: (a) paraeducator recognition events, (b) recruitment by teacher graduates who encourage their paraeduca-tors towards teacher education, and (c) concurrent enrollment ofhigh school students through Special Education 1000, a coursedesigned to present teaching careers and teach basic instructionalskills. The thread that ties these recruitment activities together isrelationship building, i.e., sustained interactions between the recruitand a friend or USU advisor who remains available for support.Recruitment activities are described below.Paraeducator RecognitionIn Fall 2008, USU recruitment staff contacted local district repre-sentatives to request co-hosting of a “paraeducator recognitionevent” inviting paraeducators to receive a much deserved “thanks”and information on teaching careers. The results were impressive. At the combined Logan/Cache Districts event, 21 paraeducatorsattended. At the Box Elder District event, 27 attended. At the combined Weber/Ogden Districts event, 29 attended. At the DavisDistrict event, 150 attended. The Davis event was developed differ-ently; it offered a series of individual awards to paraeducators fortheir hard work and invited paraeducators along with their teachers(about 50 teachers attended). About 12 of the Davis paraeducatorsFigure 1. Data on peer tutor recruitment.A c a d e m i c s  •  D e c e m b e r  2 0 0 9 4 5stayed afterwards for advisement on entry into teacher education.The events were structured uniquely in each district: some empha-sized teacher education, some emphasized paraeducators’ dedicationand hard work, some offered awards, all were informal and fun!After each event, paraeducators felt deservedly commended for a jobwell done. The USU Department Advisor, who attended each event,later commented that about half of paraeducators who expressedinterest in teacher education had already followed up by contactingher office. Efforts will be made by USU to establish and maintain a relationship with each interested recruit. Districts interested in collaborating to develop a paraeducator recognition event shouldcontact Bob Morgan at bob.morgan@usu.eduRecruitment by Teacher GraduatesUSU recruitment staff initiated a pilot project in Spring 2006. Inthree years, project staff contacted 26 recent graduates of the USUspecial education programs for assistance with recruitment. Of the26 contacted graduates, 21 (81%) indicated they worked in schoolsettings with paraeducators who were interested in teaching careers.Those paraeducators interested in attending other universities inUtah were provided names and contact information of advisors.Based on contacts generated by 21 teachers, 60 potential recruitswere contacted. The effort is paying dividends: today, two specialeducation teachers have graduated from USU and are working inUtah school districts. An additional 12 recruits are working towardsspecial education teaching degrees at USU. Teachers interested inparticipating in this recruitment effort by encouraging their paraedu-cators should contact Bob Morgan at bob.morgan@usu.eduConcurrent Enrollment CourseSpecial Education 1000 is a two-credit USU course offered tostudents in selected high schools providing exposure to teachingcareers and information on effective instructional procedures. Thecourse allows students to practice instructional procedures in thecontext of peer tutoring. The course was first implemented in CacheValley high schools in 2002. After six years of pilot testing, therefined course was offered to select Wasatch Front schools in fall2008. We currently have 11 sections of the course in seven districts.In the 2008-09 academic year, 131 high school students participatedas peer tutors. Thirty-five of those students travelled to USU to tourfacilities related to special education and to meet faculty. Finally,105 tutors participated in presentations in their high school class-rooms delivered by a USU special education recruitment specialist.Special Education 1000 offers high school special educationteachers the opportunity to initiate or strengthen a peer-tutoring component. The course can be tailored to the scope and format ofthe classroom; resource, inclusive, and self-contained classroomteachers participate. Offering college credit helps teachers attractserious and responsible students who may not have signed up for thecourse otherwise. Amy Young, a concurrent enrollment teacher atSyracuse High School, is impressed with the heightened academiclevel her SPED 1000 students attain. She states, “The students learnmany of the same skills I learned when I went through my teachereducation courses.”   Over one semester, students gain an in-depth understanding ofcertain disabilities as they work one-on-one with students in lifeskills or general education classes. They employ a variety of data-collection measures to assess their tutees’ progress towards targetskills. Juliana Woodbury, a concurrent enrollment teacher at WeberHigh School, explains that students “read excerpts of college-leveltexts on topics such as special education history, behavior analysis,instruction, and specific disabilities...[They] strengthen their tutoringand teaching skills through academic assignments followed by classroom implementation.” This training lays the foundation for further coursework and afuture career in special education, and initial data show positiveimpact on teacher recruitment. The concurrent enrollment course has produced nine special education majors and one graduate plus19 additional education majors at USU out of 135 course enrolleeswho later attended USU (i.e., 21.5%). (See Figure 1. left)  Special Education 1000 has offered us the opportunity to facilitate a network of relationships among concurrent enrollmentteachers across the state. When teachers raise questions, we referthem to other concurrent enrollment teachers who tackled similarissues in the classroom. We also have an active website(http://sped.usu.edu/peertutoring) that teachers use as a resourcefor course materials or as a way to contact one another. Throughthese efforts we are creating a network of relationships to improveteacher effectiveness and student learning. Special Education 1000 allows us to develop relationships with students as well as district leaders and classroom teachers. Webecome a resource to high-school students as they consider potentialcareer paths. We help them recognize their potential as a special educator, and present the career as a real option for their future.Karen Van Orden, a concurrent enrollment teacher at SpringvilleHigh School, sums it up by saying, “The best thing that has happened [as a result of Special Education 1000] is that students are now considering special education as a possible career when it was not on their radar before.”Continued on page 46Recruiting the Next Generationof Special Education Teachers4 6   D e c e m b e r  2 0 0 9  •  A c a d e m i c sBuilding and Sustaining RelationshipsLinda is a paraprofessional who has worked in a special educa-tion classroom for the last 10 years. She loves her duties and the students she works with and would like the challenge of being theclassroom teacher; not to mention the increase in pay and benefits.But she wonders if she is too old to go back to school. Is it too late for her?  Susan is a recent high school graduate who worked as a peertutor. She enjoyed working with the students and seeing their successand progress. She considered pursuing a special education degreebut heard it was hard work and is hesitant to move forward. Is it too much for her?These are typical questions we receive when talking to parapro-fessionals and peer tutors. Many are people whose educational pursuits are placed on hold to raise a family or to work in other occupations. They have now discovered their desire for special education and want to pursue a degree but are hesitant to start. Atthis stage, a relationship with an advisor is crucial. There are manyoptions available as one enters college. Building a relationship withthe department advisor, peer advisors who are in the process of getting the same degree, or a local recruitment specialist allows them to feel comfortable to ask their questions and to have someonesupport them along the way.  Earning a college degree is a dauntingtask to conceptualize as a whole but, with the help of an advisor, theprocess of getting started can be broken into smaller and more manageable steps. Figure 2 presents six steps to obtaining a degree inspecial education from USU. Earning a special education degree may seem a difficult task untilthe student realizes it is one class at a time, one semester at a time. Itbecomes achievable with support and guidance. It’s all about build-ing a relationship with someone who is going to be there for you. For information on special education teaching programs at USU,contact the USU Special Education Department Advisor, Ms. DarciePeterson, at darcie.peterson@usu.edu. Contact Information for Those Who Are Interested in Careers Related to Special Education• To receive a packet of information about special education teaching programs at USU, email recruit.sped@gmail.com• To assist in recruitment of individuals representing diversity into teacher education at USU, email Bob Morgan at bob.morgan@usu.edu• To find out about special education teacher education programs in    general, order the book entitled “Do You Want to Make a Difference in the Lives of Students with Special Needs? Careers in Special education and Related Services” from the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, www.cec.sped.org/ncpse.htm  1. Apply to Utah State Universitya. http://www.usu.edu/admissions/b. Apply as an undeclared major2. Meet with an Advisora. The Special Education Advisor is Darcie Peterson    (Darcie.peterson@usu.edu, Office Phone: 435 797-3252)3. Apply for Financial Aida. http://www.usu.edu/finaid/4. Attend Soar or Connections Orientationsa. Soar: http://www.usu.edu/soar/b. Required for incoming freshmen students.c. Connections: http://www.usu.edu/connections/d. (Connections is optional; not required. However, please speak  with Darcie Peterson to see if this course would be beneficial.)5. Complete the prerequisite requirements for your specific Special Education Program.a. http://sper.usu.edu/undergrad/admission_req.htmlb. For a checklist, see left hand side and click on, “Checklist of requirements”.6. Apply and complete the Special Education Program.a. http://sper.usu.edu/admission/login.phpb. Apply by October 1st for the following year. For the Distance Mild/Moderate Program, check with the advisor (becky.morgan@usu.edu) for start dates. Figure 2. Six steps towards a degree in special education at Utah State University.

Recruiting the Next Generation of Special Education Teachers

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Recruiting the Next Generation of Special Education Teachers

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