Encouraging Careers in Special Education
Location
A129
Document Type
Presentation
Type
EnACT
UN Sustainable Development Goal
UNSDG #4: Quality Education
Start Date
24-4-2024 11:10 AM
End Date
24-4-2024 11:25 AM
Abstract
Every child is deserving of an education that meets their individual needs, no matter whether they qualify for special education services or not. Many districts lack sufficient special education teachers to serve the number of special ed students they have adequately, and those that they do have may not all be specifically trained in special education. John Yang from PBS says 15% of students in the U.S. have disabilities that qualify them for special education and the U.S. Department of Education states “45% of schools reported vacancies in special education roles, and 78% reported difficulty in hiring,”. Issues with finding special education teachers have been around for a while and it has only worsened since the pandemic began. Increasing the amount of special education teachers is crucial because there needs to be a small teacher-to-student ratio since one-on-one time helps foster social skills and increases student’s attention span. Thus, we propose creating a nonprofit dedicated to providing a series of educational lectures at high schools, colleges, and universities from special education teachers or those in related fields to combat the lack of special education teachers. The lectures will explain the need for more special ed teachers and why the job is fulfilling and benefits those students who need it most. The goal is to encourage people to switch to special ed-related majors to relieve this staffing shortage. The intended audience is those about to enter or have already enrolled in education majors. These lectures will also be advertised through posts on social media such as Instagram and Facebook. These posts can reach an incredibly wide audience at little cost to the organization. Additionally, they will be shown more often to people who already have their feeds tailored to an interest in education, disability issues, and special education. The lack of teachers in special education puts students with disabilities at a disadvantage in education, post school transitions, and closes off future opportunities overall decreasing equity and life outcomes. By creating this non-profit organization, we strive to encourage current or aspiring educators to consider a career in an underserved demographic, special education.
Encouraging Careers in Special Education
A129
Every child is deserving of an education that meets their individual needs, no matter whether they qualify for special education services or not. Many districts lack sufficient special education teachers to serve the number of special ed students they have adequately, and those that they do have may not all be specifically trained in special education. John Yang from PBS says 15% of students in the U.S. have disabilities that qualify them for special education and the U.S. Department of Education states “45% of schools reported vacancies in special education roles, and 78% reported difficulty in hiring,”. Issues with finding special education teachers have been around for a while and it has only worsened since the pandemic began. Increasing the amount of special education teachers is crucial because there needs to be a small teacher-to-student ratio since one-on-one time helps foster social skills and increases student’s attention span. Thus, we propose creating a nonprofit dedicated to providing a series of educational lectures at high schools, colleges, and universities from special education teachers or those in related fields to combat the lack of special education teachers. The lectures will explain the need for more special ed teachers and why the job is fulfilling and benefits those students who need it most. The goal is to encourage people to switch to special ed-related majors to relieve this staffing shortage. The intended audience is those about to enter or have already enrolled in education majors. These lectures will also be advertised through posts on social media such as Instagram and Facebook. These posts can reach an incredibly wide audience at little cost to the organization. Additionally, they will be shown more often to people who already have their feeds tailored to an interest in education, disability issues, and special education. The lack of teachers in special education puts students with disabilities at a disadvantage in education, post school transitions, and closes off future opportunities overall decreasing equity and life outcomes. By creating this non-profit organization, we strive to encourage current or aspiring educators to consider a career in an underserved demographic, special education.