If saddling very skillful teachers with the duties of paraprofessionals—as was done under the guise of inclusion—wasn’t enough to throttle special education, the requirements that they be highly qualified for teaching any core subject just might be. There will just be too few special education teachers, so we won’t be able to have special education. A couple of school administrators have spotted this consequence of rules requiring that teachers demonstrate that they have high qualifications, as reported by Elizabeth Hume of the Sacremento (CA, US) Bee.
“It’s a standard we have been unable to hold throughout the whole hiring process,” said Don Genasci, assistant superintendent for the growing Roseville Joint Union High School District. “We finally just arrived at a situation where the only choice is someone not highly qualified or no teacher at all.”
For smaller districts, the burden is greater.
“The challenge will be for the smaller districts. How can we compete?” said David Publicover, director of educational services at the 2,000-student Black Oak Mine Unified School District in El Dorado County.
Publicover’s tenured staff has obtained highly qualified status. But many of his special ed teachers are close to retirement. Replacing them won’t be easy.
“It is basically a demand issue,” he said. “There’s a shortage of teachers. You can take that shortage and multiply it by five for special education teachers.”
Link to Ms. Hume’s story (free registration required).
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