News: Interview
Meredith Brodsky
Special Ed Training Becomes Standard

A special ed instructor is on every teaching team at Western Oregon State University's College of Education. Here's why.

Today, more than 6 million students with disabilities are educated in the United States--11 percent of the total public school enrollment, according to the U.S. Commission on Special Education. Since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the mid-1970s, the categories of disabilities have increased, and the range of related issues that teachers have to deal with has grown as well.

The College of Education at Western Oregon State has developed an innovative program to prepare student teachers for classrooms in which inclusion and special education students are an integral part of the landscape. Dean Meredith Brodsky explains.

How does Western Oregon State prepare its students for inclusive classrooms?
We believe that every student, not just the special education student, benefits from understanding how to teach the special needs child. That's why we work in teams, and a special ed educator is always part of that team.

Skills on teaching the special needs child are taught in every class at the university because every school classroom nowadays has a special needs child. We're linking reality with training.

How are you actually able to accomplish this?
Teaching the special needs child is integrated throughout our curriculum. Because we have a special ed educator on every team, there's always the opportunity to step back to say here's how this instruction can be delivered to a child with a learning disability or a child with a behavioral disorder.

If students never see examples in practice, how can we expect them, as teachers, to teach in an inclusive setting?

Do you see this trend growing in teacher education?
I hope so. At Western Oregon State, we realized long ago that if we didn't restructure our program, our students would leave the university without the full complement of skills possible.

But that goes for understanding children of different cultures, learning styles, and ethnicities too, and that's why we've also worked hard to recruit minority teachers and strengthen our students' understanding of the diverse communities they may enter.

A comprehensive teacher training program should ensure that graduates leave here able to teach children of all abilities.

What are your biggest concerns about inclusion and teacher education?
As a former special education teacher and counselor, I know how significant the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is to education. It has opened the door to so many special needs children and given them access to education with their peers. It's nice to see more and more inclusive classrooms.

The problem is that many of the teachers in those classrooms need training, support, and resources, and that has to begin right at the beginning in teacher education. Too many schools of education offer an introductory course on special needs children and nothing more.

Your program is unique. What can student teachers who have access to only one class do to prepare themselves?
Unfortunately, their situation is all too common. It's almost a one-time-only opportunity to understand the multiple levels of special needs and the teaching challenges they create.

First, I would see if there were any way to advocate for more classes on special education for regular ed students. If that doesn't work, I would try to make sure that class is more comprehensive.

But I wouldn't want to stop there.

What more can you suggest to a student?
Try to supplement your education with additional training. There are lots of conferences and workshops run by organizations addressing special education. Make sure you link up with a mentor and try to make a connection with a nearby school so that you can observe how they deal with inclusion and talk to teachers about their experiences and your concerns.

Finally, there are plenty of Web sites, such as www.ideapractices.org, that are full of terrific materials.

What if I am a student teacher about to enter the classroom?
Find a mentor. Don't think that you have to handle any of this by yourself. There are plenty of teachers who have been in your shoes and have struggled with the same challenges and concerns. Talk to veteran teachers, contact your Association representative, or contact one of the many organizations that specialize in helping special ed children and their families.

Very often, these organizations have networks of educators trained to help colleagues understand inclusion and its implementation. NEA has a special cadre of teachers and support staff--contact them as well.

Remember that you're not alone.

Meredith Brodsky is featured in the 2001 issue of Tomorrow's Teachers, a publication for NEA Student members. The NEA Student Program, with more than 52,000 members on some 750 colleges and universities across the country, supports pre-professionals as they prepare to enter the classroom and gives them an opportunity to become active participants in NEA. For more information, visit the Web at www.nea.org/students.