💡“The unique thing about Pennsylvania is they decided to do as many things as they can at once, addressing each part of the [special education teacher] pipeline.” - @afgilmour.bsky.social Read how Pennsylvania supports its #SpecialEducation workforce: www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

“Delivering effective #SpecialEducation involves collecting data, monitoring progress, and making instructional changes when progress stalls or falters.” - @afgilmour.bsky.social Alli’s recent article in Education Next reflects on 50 years of #IDEA: www.educationnext.org/idea-at-50-l...

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (#IDEA) was enacted 50 years ago. @airinforms.bsky.social highlights IDEA’s impact and the ongoing work to ensure a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities below.

💡“Our shortages aren’t really from not having enough people; it’s having people teaching the wrong thing.” - @afgilmour.bsky.social Check out this article from Education Week which features research from our recent working paper on the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce.

Did you know recruitment and retention of #SpecialEducation teachers varies widely by school contexts, including by poverty level, enrollment demographics, and location? 🔎Explore more with our data visualizer: sparccenter.org/data-explore...

🎉 Congratulations to SPARC Center’s @lmasonwms.bsky.social for receiving the Excellence in Teacher Education Award from @ted-cec.bsky.social! This honor recognizes Lucky's outstanding contributions to preparing and supporting #SpecialEducation teachers.

✨What does the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce look like within and across states? Our new interactive data visualizer tool looks at the composition, stability, and distribution of the workforce in our seven partner states. Explore the tool: sparccenter.org/data-explore...

"As we have demonstrated, different states face different #SpecialEducation teacher turnover problems. This suggests that the most promising solutions might vary across states." Read more about our recent findings in our article with @brookings.edu: www.brookings.edu/articles/sta...

🔍Our new Working Paper uses consistent variables across states. Leveraging Common Education Data Standards and Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems enables meaningful cross-state comparisons of the #SpecialEducation Teacher workforce. Read more: sparccenter.org/research-fin...

💡SPARC Center’s @roddy-theobald.bsky.social is presenting at @appam.bsky.social this week. Explore his sessions at the link below.

🌟SPARC Center researchers are presenting at @ted-cec.bsky.social next week. Check out this thread for their sessions:

📢 Our new Working Paper provides important cross-state insights into the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce. We highlight some of our major findings in this thread⬇️

📢 NEW RESEARCH ALERT! The SPARC Center is excited to share THREE new resources with our findings from our first year of research on the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce. Explore the resources in this thread, or visit our website to learn more: sparccenter.org

💡Attending #SREE2025 this week? Join SPARC Center experts @lizbettini.bsky.social and @afgilmour.bsky.social for their session on Measuring and Strengthening the Special Education Teacher Workforce on Saturday, Oct 11 from 12-1:30 CT at Palmer House Hilton – Crystal.

The US Commission on Civil Rights (@usccrgov.bsky.social) released a new report on The Federal Response to Teacher Shortage Impacts on Students with Disabilities, offering eight suggestions to help overcome longstanding shortages: www.usccr.gov/reports/2025...

Hot off the presses a new @caldercenter.bsky.social paper on which college students are opting into a path toward becoming a teacher (by applying to a teacher ed program): caldercenter.org/publications... 1/n

🎓 Is having a dual-certification in #SpecialEducation and general education better than having one certification? SPARC Center co-director @afgilmour.bsky.social and Tiffany Lam reviewed the research to learn more on this topic: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Excited to circulate another @caldercenter.bsky.social WP! Another study from my dissertation, w/ @roddy-theobald.bsky.social‬. Using data from WA, we track individual paraeducators to predict exit from the state education workforce. Ungated WP here: ‬ tinyurl.com/3wtfrm2m 🧵 below:

Policy solutions can help stabilize and diversify the paraeducator workforce to improve #SpecialEducation outcomes. A recent paper by @lindseykaler.bsky.social and @roddy-theobald.bsky.social at @caldercenter.bsky.social examines turnover patterns in WA and offers suggestions for policymakers.

Excited to share a new publication with co-author Tiffany Lam- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Dual-Certification in Special Education and General Education. Read the full paper here- journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

SPARC Center Co-Directors @afgilmour.bsky.social and @lizbettini.bsky.social will join @aefpweb.bsky.social for a free forum on teacher shortages and vacancies on August 28 from 1–2pm ET. Register to attend: aefpweb.org/ev_calendar_...

Join SPARC Center Director @roddy-theobald.bsky.social and Co-Director @afgilmour.bsky.social on August 13 at 11am ET for a free, virtual event hosted by the PROGRESS Center! Register: promotingprogress.org/events/prepp...

In this new paper, #SPARCCenter Co-PI LaRon Scott draws on psychological theory to offer a fresh perspective on the high turnover rates among #SpecialEducation teachers of color—and what we can do about it. 📄 Read more: doi.org/10.1080/1547...

Many of our #SpecialEducation colleagues are coming together for the @usedgov.bsky.social Office of Special Education Programs Project Directors’ Meeting this week! Improving outcomes for students with disabilities requires a strong, well-qualified, and stable workforce. Learn more: sparccenter.org

In a recent @caldercenter.bsky.social study, @lindseykaler.bsky.social, @roddy-theobald.bsky.social, @lizbettini.bsky.social, and @natejones.bsky.social show how #SpecialEducation teacher turnover negatively impacts test scores—making teacher retention a critical priority. 📄 Learn more

We can’t afford to lose #SpecialEducation teachers to burnout. Improving working conditions is critical to keeping them in the profession. Check out this new research review from #SPARCCenter Co-Director @lizbettini.bsky.social and colleagues: doi.org/10.3102/0034...

Are you a novice leader or looking to increase your capacity to support the implementation of IDEA? Apply for the free, yearlong Lead IDEA Leadership Academy: lead-idea.org/lead-idea-le...

Supporting #SpecialEducation teachers can boost their desire to remain in the classroom. New research from #SPARCCenter Co-PI LaRon Scott, Salena Layden and Kristin Gansle explores how supports are related to their intentions to remain in teaching. 📄 Learn more: doi.org/10.1177/1088...

In the Handbook of Education Policy Research (2nd Edition), @lmasonwms.bsky.social and Margaret McLaughlin explore “Finding the Right Tools: The Affordances and Limitations of the IDEA”. 📘 See the full table of contents: www.aera.net/Portals/38/2...

Our researchers are digging into questions about the #SpecialEducation teacher workforce. Recently, @lizbettini.bsky.social, @lindseykaler.bsky.social, @hannahmmathews.bsky.social,‬ Malavika Ragunathan & Katheryn Meyer explored teacher beliefs about students labeled with EBD.

Excited to share a new working paper with Bluesky-less Equia Aniagyei-Cobbold and @roddy-theobald.bsky.social : Unequal and Maybe Inequitable: Emergency Permitted Special Education Teachers in Pennsylvania Read it here- tinyurl.com/372h4bcy

New research on #SpecialEducation Personnel Attrition with PA Dept. of Ed shows: ➡️Admins leave more than teachers ➡️Higher attrition among Black educators, urban settings, and more diverse districts ➡️Retention must be role- & context-specific Learn more: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Our researchers recently hosted a webinar on the challenges of identifying #SpecialEducation teachers in state longitudinal data systems (#SLDS). Scroll through some of our initial learnings from our first year analyzing data and stay tuned for a working paper with these results.

TOMORROW! 🚨 Don’t miss our webinar on how we define and track #SpecialEducation teachers in workforce data. ⏰ June 26 | 3pm ET 🔗 sparccenter.org/events/regis...

Happening next week! Join our webinar on June 26 at 3pm ET to discuss how we define and track #SpecialEducation teachers in data systems. Register: sparccenter.org/events/regis...

Working to fill #SpecialEducation teacher gaps for fall? Research from our experts supports the use of incentives to help fill critical shortages. See the NCTQ report on district strategies to recruit and retain special education teachers. www.nctq.org/research-ins...

2️⃣ weeks out! #SpecialEducation teacher shortages can only be solved if we can define who is in the workforce. We’ll explore this during our upcoming webinar on June 26 at 3pm ET: sparccenter.org/events/regis...

⏳Three weeks away! Join #SPARCCenter experts for a webinar on how we define and track special education teachers in workforce data. 🔗 Register: sparccenter.org/events/regis...

There's a #SpecialEducation teacher shortage—but defining and identifying special education teachers varies by state and system. We’re unpacking the complexity in our upcoming webinar. 🗓️ June 26 at 3pm ET 🔗 Register: sparccenter.org/events/regis...

Congrats to SPARC Center Advisory Board member Dr. David DeMatthews on receiving @aeraedresearch.bsky.social's 2025 Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award! 🎉👏 Learn more: www.aera.net/About-AERA/A...

The #SPARCCenter now has a website! 🎉 Check it out for a wealth of resources, groundbreaking research, and a community committed to enhancing the special education workforce. Join us in making a difference! 🔗 sparccenter.org

Evidence on teacher shortages in Washington state from the @caldercenter.bsky.social helps motivate #SPARCCenter work to address #SpecialEducation workforce challenges. Prioritizing these issues is key to improving outcomes for students with disabilities.

The shortage of #SpecialEducation teachers affects services for many students with disabilities. @afgilmour.bsky.social, @lizbettini.bsky.social, and @lmasonwms.bsky.social share ways families and advocates can help. ldaamerica.org/how-the-spec...

What an inspiring day at the SPARC Center Launch Event! 🎉 Thank you to everyone who joined us and shared ideas on how we can collaborate to drive transformation in #SpecialEducation. Excited for the journey ahead to create lasting change for educators and students! 🙌

🚨 It’s tomorrow! 🚨 The #SPARCCenter Launch Event is happening March 11, 2025, from 1-2pm ET! Join us and hear from some of our experts on #SpecialEducation research, leadership, and more! 👉 Register now: tinyurl.com/SPARCLaunch

⏰ One week to go! ⏰ The #SPARCCenter Launch Event is on March 11, 2025, 1-2pm EST. Join us for an exciting discussion on the future of #SpecialEducation with presentations from our experts and leadership team. 👉 Register: tinyurl.com/SPARCLaunch

🚨 Only TWO weeks left until the #SPARCCenter Launch Event! 🚨 Join us on March 11, 2025, with @lizbettini.bsky.social, who will share next steps for our mixed-methods research and how the results can drive positive change in #SpecialEducation. 👉 Register: tinyurl.com/SPARCLaunch

⏳ The #SPARCCenter Launch Event is almost here! ⏳ Join us on March 11, 2025, with @lmasonwms.bsky.social discussing leadership in #SpecialEducation. Hear valuable insights on driving systemic change and supporting special educators. 👉 Register: tinyurl.com/SPARCLaunch

@afgilmour.bsky.social will be speaking at the SPARC Center Launch Event on March 11, 2025! Join us to hear her insights on quantitative research and its impact on special education, from data-driven strategies to leadership for change. 👉 Register now: tinyurl.com/SPARCLaunch

🚨 Mark your calendars for March 11, 2025! 🚨 Join us for the #SPARCCenter Launch Event to strengthen the special educator workforce. 🎯 Get insights on cross-state analyses, upcoming research, and leadership strategies. 👉 Register: tinyurl.com/SPARCLaunch