📅 March 20 | 8:15–9:45 am
📍 Montreux 3
💡 Understanding Special Education Identification and Services with @afgilmour.bsky.social 💥

Very cool opportunity for early career researchers interested in special education research:

Apply for access to at least one statewide longitudinal dataset with support from SPARC researchers to conduct a co-developed study on the special education workforce. sparccenter.org/sparc-center...

Promotional graphic that announces the launch of the SPARC Center Scholars Program. It includes that applications are due by May 1, 2026. The SPARC Center logo is featured in the graphic’s bottom left corner and it includes the website sparccenter.org

📢Just launched: the SPARC Center Scholars Program! This program aims to support early career scholars in conducting rigorous research on the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce. Learn more and apply by May 1:

sparccenter.org/sparc-center...

So happy to see this paper out!

This is an excellent paper and a must read for those concerned about turnover in schools!

I'm excited to be presenting work funded by @sparccenter.bsky.social and co-authored with @lizbettini.bsky.social and @afgilmour.bsky.social at the CALDER Conference in early March! Registration details below!

Inside One State's Bold Plan to Keep Special Education Teachers Pennsylvania's training and mentoring program works to retain teachers serving students with disabilities.

💡“The unique thing about Pennsylvania is they decided to do as many things as they can at once, addressing each part of the [special education teacher] pipeline.” - @afgilmour.bsky.social

Read how Pennsylvania supports its #SpecialEducation workforce: www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

IDEA at 50 The landmark federal law ensured access for students with disabilities. Now it’s time to focus on outcomes.

“Delivering effective #SpecialEducation involves collecting data, monitoring progress, and making instructional changes when progress stalls or falters.” - @afgilmour.bsky.social

Alli’s recent article in Education Next reflects on 50 years of #IDEA: www.educationnext.org/idea-at-50-l...

IDEA at 50 The landmark federal law ensured access for students with disabilities. Now it’s time to focus on outcomes.

IDEA at 50: The landmark federal law ensured access for students with disabilities. Now it’s time to focus on outcomes. bit.ly/44DcDrU

Can we please stop having conferences on Saturday?

I love this paper. If you study special education teachers, or support special education teachers, you need to read it!

IDEA at 50 The landmark federal law ensured access for students with disabilities. Now it’s time to focus on outcomes.

Fantastic, thorough, and nuanced analysis of IDEA at 50, by @afgilmour.bsky.social

www.educationnext.org/idea-at-50-l...

Thanks, Liz!

🔍Our new Working Paper uses consistent variables across states. Leveraging Common Education Data Standards and Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems enables meaningful cross-state comparisons of the #SpecialEducation Teacher workforce.

Read more: sparccenter.org/research-fin...

This is such a fun resource! You can play with the data and examine trends within and across states

💡“Our shortages aren’t really from not having enough people; it’s having people teaching the wrong thing.” - @afgilmour.bsky.social

Check out this article from Education Week which features research from our recent working paper on the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce.

States face different special education staffing challenges that require targeted responses | Brookings Special education teacher turnover varies by state, calling for targeted, locally informed policy solutions.

"As we have demonstrated, different states face different #SpecialEducation teacher turnover problems. This suggests that the most promising solutions might vary across states."

Read more about our recent findings in our article with @brookings.edu: www.brookings.edu/articles/sta...

So much important information in this graph!!

Really excited to have this piece out on the Brown Center Chalkboard blog with @lmasonwms.bsky.social, @afgilmour.bsky.social, & @lizbettini.bsky.social on the importance of targeted solutions to special education teacher staffing challenges. See below!

"Varying patterns across states...suggest the need for policy responses targeted to state & local needs."

Check out recent @sparccenter.bsky.social findings, @lmasonwms.bsky.social, @afgilmour.bsky.social, @roddy-theobald.bsky.social

www.brookings.edu/articles/sta...

⭐Resource #3: An interactive dashboard exploring the key dimensions of the special education teacher workforce across all our partner states: sparccenter.org/data-explore...

⭐Resource #2: Eight SPARC Fact Sheets with state-specific summaries: sparccenter.org/resources/sp...

Abstract of SPARC Working Paper No. 01-1025, titled "The Composition, Distribution, and Stability of the Special Education Teacher Workforce in Seven States." The abstract reads: Special education staffing challenges threaten the delivery of effective special education services to students with disabilities. We investigated the composition, distribution, and stability of the special education teacher (SET) workforce over time and across seven states. Some challenges were similar across states, such as trends in SET workforce stability over time, while other challenges (e.g., SET certification rates) varied considerably by state. Staffing challenges also varied within some states, contributing to considerable inequity in SET stability and in the distribution of novice SETs,SETs without full certification, and SETs of color. These findings suggest a need for policies and practices that vary by state context and target the districts and schools most affected by SET staffing challenges.

⭐Resource #1: A Working Paper with details of our cross-state analysis of the special education teacher workforce: sparccenter.org/research-fin...

It has been such a privilege to conduct this research with such a great team. Check out our first year’s work!

ICYMI!

@afgilmour.bsky.social addresses a major barrier in this line of research: figuring out who special education teachers are from the data.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

🎓 Is having a dual-certification in #SpecialEducation and general education better than having one certification? SPARC Center co-director @afgilmour.bsky.social and Tiffany Lam reviewed the research to learn more on this topic: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Looking forward to hearing more from my @SPARC_Center collaborators- we’ve learned a lot in a year that can help inform policymakers & practitioners!

The paper outlines more areas for future research and guidance for policymakers and practitioners. We are very grateful for the support from Spencer Foundation for this work!

TPPs also need to be clear about the goals of their programs. In some studies, there was a conflict between the goals of programs and the positions graduates took. Are they to prepare special educators with GE content knowledge? Are they to prepare SPED or GE teachers for inclusive settings?