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Special Education Gets Special Attention at Mary Baldwin College

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2009-07-08

Originally published in The Continuum, a special section in The Roanoke Times on July 4, 2009.

Virginia’s public and private schools are waiting for special education teachers. Special education has been for several years identified as one of the state’s critical shortage areas — meaning that the demand for teachers outpaces the supply. The problem is chronic. Though the traditional program at Mary Baldwin College (MBC) — and many other colleges and universities in the state — the process for a new teacher to earn licensure and special education endorsement could take six years or more. For many, that process is too long.

A new special education minor at Mary Baldwin will place qualified teachers in the classroom more quickly. Specifically designed for adult undergraduates and career-switchers, the 23-credit hour minor now available allows students to major in a subject area (a requirement for all education minors), minor in special education, work in a student-teaching placement, and be eligible for a Virginia teaching license with endorsement in special education. Special education endorsement was previously only available at MBC after a student had earned a bachelor’s degree and enrolled in the college’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program. With the approval of the new minor, undergraduates and students in the college’s post-baccalaureate teacher licensure program will be eligible for endorsement.

“We see many students who are interested in special education who, for any number of reasons, would like to move more quickly into the classroom. We would like to get them there,” said Pamela Murray, professor of education at MBC’s Roanoke regional center for adult and graduate studies.

A few additional courses beyond the special education minor are needed to complete Virginia teacher licensure. Several new courses that prepare teachers for the unique challenges of special education were added to Mary Baldwin’s curriculum when the minor was approved in fall 2008. Two are offered online this summer: Characteristics of Exceptionality familiarizes students with the definitions, characteristics, and behavior support needs of children with varying levels of disability; and Foundations and Legal Issues provides them with the ability to analyze ethical and privacy issues in the classroom.

John Shaw retired six years ago and is now enrolled in the two online summer courses that qualify for a special education minor. His search for a “new mission” in his life led him to special education — where he knows there is high demand — and Mary Baldwin College.

“Teaching special education will allow me to use my life experiences to provide examples of how to deal with the life’s challenges,” Shaw said. “I can relate to those challenges and know how some people overcome them. My son was born with muscular dystrophy and he went on to teach for 14 years after graduating from MBC.”

Classroom management and collaboration with traditional classroom teachers is an increasingly important aspect of special education instruction as teachers are called on to do more team-teaching, Murray said. A new course required for special education minors addresses those areas, and practicum and student teaching requirements emphasize the practical application of skills.

The minor is also available to students in MBC’s Residential College for Women who are interested in teaching special education, but they will likely opt to follow the five-year BA/MAT program, said Karen Dorgan, professor of education in the college’s Richmond center. The BA/MAT is a relatively new sequence where students can earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees and teacher licensure in five years.

The lull in the national economy is also a factor in people’s decisions to obtain special education endorsement, Murray said. “It is increasingly common for students to go for endorsement in more than one area, so they are prepared to make changes,” she said.