The purpose of this study was to extend the research on the experiences of special education teachers (SETs) who educate students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities in self-contained classroom (SCC) settings. We used narrative inquiry to generate individual participant stories and to develop a thematic cross-case analysis among five participants. Our findings showed the unique experiences of this group of SETs, with the following themes from the cross-case analysis: (a) The Accumulation of Small Student Victories is Gratifying for Teachers, (b) Teamwork is Essential to a Successful SCC, (c) SCCs are Complex Environments Involving Challenges from Multiple Sources, and (d) Teachers Need Specific Training and Support to Meet Students’ Complex Needs. These findings are discussed in terms of pre- and in-service training and supports for SETs educating students with complex learning needs in SCCs.
Paraeducators are increasingly employed to serve students with disabilities, providing crucial services to students. Paraeducators have a significant positive effect on students’ outcomes; moreover, the paraeducator workforce presents important opportunities to strengthen the special education teacher workforce. Yet, our field has too often devalued paraeducators, taking for granted their availability to provide inexpensive, essential services. With rising paraeducator attrition, neglecting this crucial segment of the special education workforce is no longer tenable. We constructed a special series of Teacher Education and Special Education to both reflect and reinforce the fact that paraeducators are not ancillary to the special education workforce—they are central to it, and they warrant robust research. Four studies, published over the 2026 volume, showcase rigorous research about paraeducators. In this editorial reflection, we highlight what can be learned from these four studies, as well as crucial areas for future research to strengthen the paraeducator workforce.
Paraeducators are often considered essential to the success of K-12 inclusive general education classrooms. Multiple explorations of paraeducator training, domain-specific paraeducator support delivery, and broad descriptions of paraeducator roles and services provided to students with disabilities occur in the extant literature. We conducted a multiyear multiple-method design study in a large public school district through a survey and observational methods. Paraeducators delivering special education services in K-12 classrooms completed a survey and researchers conducted observations of paraeducators across a diverse array of instructional activities. We analyzed data separately and then combined data to explore how paraeducators' beliefs about their roles and supports delivery in K-12 classrooms aligned with their actual practice. Paraeducators reported delivering a diverse array of supports, despite few supports being actually observed in classrooms. Paraeducators engaged in active monitoring of students most often compared with other activities, with minimal academic, behavioral, or social supports delivered. Furthermore, paraeducators did not implement communication, health, or mobility supports across classrooms, despite paraeducators' reports of delivering these supports in their classrooms. Implications for integrating the diverse array of possible supports for students with disabilities in special educator training and paraeducator training are discussed.
Many teacher education programs inadequately prepare teacher candidates to develop the sociopolitical identity needed to disrupt and transform inequities in inclusive classrooms. Cultivating candidates’ dispositional knowledge, skills, and beliefs are necessary constructs to shift their sociopolitical identity toward social justice. Without this preparation, candidates may unknowingly reproduce racist and ableist practices in schools. Grounded in Dis/ability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) and DisCrit Classroom Ecology, this study examined how an equity-focused teacher education intervention supported candidates’ sociopolitical identity development during inclusive fieldwork placements. Analysis of candidates’ qualitative survey responses and reflective journals revealed three themes: divergence in equity recognition versus engagement, navigating power and equity within educational hierarchies, and dispositional development through reflection. These findings highlight the complexities and possibilities of preparing future educators for inclusive, social justice-oriented praxis. We conclude with implications for reimagining teacher education to more effectively prepare candidates as anti-racist and anti-ableist educators.
This case study examines one exemplary dual certification program that took deliberate steps to develop a comprehensive approach to teacher education for inclusion. Analysis through a Multidimensional Framework for Inclusive Teacher Education indicated that the faculty in this program participated in intentional, collaborative efforts to consider how they might develop course and clinical experiences that provided opportunities for teacher candidates to (a) design curriculum that centers students' intersecting social identities, (b) critically engage with theoretical understandings of inclusion in schools through deliberately scaffolded clinical experiences, and (c) examine the role of inquiry in their teacher identity development. Importantly, practices reflected high degrees of multiple drivers of transformative inclusive education designed to work in tandem to allow the faculty in the program to execute critical, ongoing work to further refine learning experiences for teacher candidates. These findings shed light on ways for teacher educators to further the work of transformative inclusive education.
