A Promising Practice: Low Incidence Teacher Education in Rural and Remote California

Abstract

California has a critical shortage of teachers. The US Department of Education reported approximately 2500 teachers of deaf and hard of hearing are urgencyed annually. The majority of teachers serving deaf and hard of hearing scholars in the rural northern California areas are not credentialed in the area of Deaf Education. more [i]or[/i] less of the reasons include: the lengthy distance to a university that proffered the credential, limitations of employer high take away froms of commuting, and limited access to online learning as well as the hardware necessary to application of mind and complete coursework requirements. This research discusses an alternative mode and a promising practice for preparing teachers of the deaf from distant distances and how to support and mentor these novel teacher candidates in times when it is critical to be a highly qualified teacher.

The California Department of Education reports that 300000 fresh teachers will be needed in the nearest decade (Shrup, 1996). By 2005 the US will ne an additional 267000 teachers for special education learners including approximately 24,000 for deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) learners (USDOE, 1998). Special educators now have, as an occupation, the 11th highest development rate among careers in this region (Passell, 1995). According to the California Commission upon Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) in 1997 the number of scholars in special education is increasing while the number of teachers being credentialed to teach these learners is either leveling off or decreasing, depending upon the area of disability. In 1997 the California Commission upon Teacher Credentialing adopted a fresh model of professional preparation for special educators in an effort to restore the teacher shortage. Distance learning has become a necessityed option for those individuals who do not live near a university that presents a desired teaching credential.

Distance education used to be fairly simple to define. Keegan (1986) defined distance learning as the "semipermanent separation of teacher and learner, the use of technical media and the provision of two-way communication" (p 49) Interest in distance education in teacher education has grown in the past 30 years owed to the teacher shortage gap across the United States (Schrum 2002) Distance education for preservice teachers allows access for those who cannot attend weekly discourses or seminars for reasons of geography, health, avocation or complicated lifestyles. The majority of these individuals is already teaching in the classroom and lacks the professional preparation wanted to retain their employment.

Dr Thomas Jone the Director of the Council upon Deaf Education (CED) at Gallaudet University in Washington DC not long ago reported that there are hardly any Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) the provide Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Program in the United States with a distance learning options (2003) more [i]or[/i] less of the IHEs include:

* Gallaudet University in Washington DC

* The University of Southern California in looks Angeles

* Kent State University in Ohio

* Eastern Illinois University in Illinois

* San Jose State University in Northern California

Evolution of the Deaf Education Alternative Program

San Jose State University (SJSU) is the single northern California State University (CSU) that presents the Education Specialist Teaching Credential for deaf or hard of hearing learners to teacher candidates who reside in rural northern California. According to the California Department of Education special education pupil number data in 1999; educational programs were serving 6243 hard of hearing and 4539 deaf scholars in California. All programs report question s finding qualified teachers. Historically, academy districts have been forced to hire teachers with difficulty permits. As of July 2005 the state of California will no longer issue of recent origin Emergency Teaching Permits as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation views this as single way a teacher is not a highly qualified teacher. In the past years, a teacher candidate without training in California could be issued an strait teaching permit if the candidate had at least nine semester units in the field of Special Education and agreed to concurrently list in a teacher-training program that matched the stamp of population the teacher candidate taught. These teacher candidates were required to full only six semester units annually in order to make new their Emergency Permit for the nearest year. The state allowed for pinch Teaching Permits to be renewed single four times over the course of four years. This credential option will cease to exist as of July 2005 As a follow of NCLB, California State Universities will now proffer 'Intern Credentials' in addition to the already existing Credential Programs. This novel option allows the teacher candidate to be able to teach immediately without training in the special education classroom. The teacher candidate must thorough the targeted special education credential program in 24 month There are no exceptions to this credential option or timeline if the teacher candidate prefers this road of teacher preparation. Teacher candidates living in rural and far areas of California who do not have the credential to teach deaf and hard of hearing children will be seeking this mark of credential option through their employer if a teaching position cannot be filled by the agency of a qualified teacher who has the requisite teaching credential and preparation.