State Standards for Teachin Our Nation's 5,000,000 Exceptional. Ch TH Thirty-two States and the District of Columbia now issue special certificates for teachers of exceptional children in one or more areas. • More States require special credentials for speech correctionists than for teachers in any of the other areas of exceptionality. Next to speech correction, the areas in which the largest number of States have special teacher standards are, in order, the hard of hearing, the crippled, the mentally retarded, and the partially seeing. • The areas in which the least number of States issue special • Only one State has a special certificate for teachers of the gifted. Sixteen States do not require special certification of teachers of exceptional children. HESE and other facts are emerging from the nation-wide study, "Qualifications and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children," sponsored by the Office of Education. Approximately 2,000 people are participating in the project. Two committees serving in a general capacity in this study are the Office of Education Policy Committee, of which Dr. Galen Jones is chairman, and the National Committee, of which Miss Gwen Retherford is chairman. A number of outstanding leaders in special education are also serving as consultants on the study. They review materials and otherwise give guidance to the project. A complete list of committee members and consultants appears on page 10. A project of this magnitude was made possible by two grants, totaling $50,500, from the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children in New York City. Dr. Leonard Mayo is the director of the Association, and Mrs. Alice Fitzgerald is associate director. In general, the purpose of the Office of Education study is to secure information on competencies needed by teachers of exceptional children, on professional standards for special education personnel, and on curricula in colleges and universities preparing teachers of exceptional children. This is being achieved through two techniques. One is the use of statements of 13 committees who are studying the competencies needed by special education personnel. The other is through a series of inquiry forms which have been sent to State and local school systems, and to colleges and universities. Through play cere- The teacher helps im- リ Hildren by ROMAINE P. MACKIE, Specialist, Schools for the Physically Handicapped; and Director of the Study, "Qualifications and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children, and LLOYD M. DUNN, Assistant to the Director of the Study This article is the first to report information coming from the study, "Qualifications and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children." It includes a summary of the areas in which State departments of education have special certifying standards for teachers of exceptional children. A complete analysis of these standards will appear in a later publication. Examination of the map and the table indicates that two-thirds of the States now have special requirements for teachers of at least one type of exceptional child. Establishment of these standards has taken place largely within the last two decades. As recently as 1931, only 11 States had special standards for teachers of any type of exceptional child. This trend toward improving the professional qualifications of special education personnel parallels other movements to provide more and better opportunities for the 5,000,000 exceptional children in the Nation's school systems. Comparison of these data with the statistics on exceptional children in local school systems indicates that the States which have set standards for teachers tend to be the States which have extensive programs of special classes and services in local school systems. They also tend to be the States with full-time special education personnel in their State departments of education. Of the 16 States in which no special certification is required, 10 do not have a fulltime State director or supervisor of special education. 1 Office of Education. Statistics of Special Schools and Classes for Exceptional Children, by Elise H. Martens, et al. Washington, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1949. 82 p. (Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1946-48, chapter V.) Examination of the table shows marked differences in the number of areas in which special certificates are issued. By and large, the States which have set standards for special certification have gone much further in certain areas of the physically handicapped and the mentally handicapped than in the areas of the socially handicapped or the gifted. More States, 31 in all, have established a credential for teachers of speech correction than for any other area of exceptionality; 28 States have certificates for teachers of the hard of hearing; and 23 States have certification for both crippled and mentally retarded. In contrast, only eight States certify teachers especially for the socially maladjusted. Only one State, Pennsylvania, has a special credential for teachers of gifted children. To one not familiar with trends in the education of exceptional children, comparison of the number of States issuing special certificates for teachers of the mentally retarded with those requiring special standards for teachers of the gifted may come as a surprise. One may well ask, "Does this statistic have social significance?" This condition is well supported by other data coming out of the study. Of the colleges and universities offering a sequence of preparation for teachers of exceptional children, only two have a sequence of preparation for teachers of gifted children, while 40 offer such opportunity for teachers of mentally retarded. The material presented here shows general trends in State certification for teachers of exceptional children; it does not reflect all the efforts being put forth to secure qualified teachers for handicapped and gifted children. For example, a number of States that do not issue special certificates, such as Georgia and Tennessee, require local school systems to employ teachers with specialized preparation satisfactory to the State department of education. In other States where no formal certificates are issued, responsibility to raise standards seems to rest with State and local directors or supervisors of special education. Many local school systems require even higher standards than those set by the States. Private agencies have also done their share in elevating standards for special teachers. One of the important functions of these organizations is to see that standards for professional personnel in their field of specialization are high. There is a trend for these agencies, along with local school systems and teacher-education institutions, to cooperate with State departments of education in developing standards. The State departments, in turn, serve as official certifying agencies. Quantity or Quality All these efforts to establish special certifying standards are directed toward improving educational programs for handicapped and gifted children. In a period of acute teacher shortage throughout the Nation, we are often more concerned with teacher supply than with quality. The time has come to think about how we can insure selection and preparation of the people best qualified to teach our exceptional children. This is a matter that cannot be determined wholly by certifying standards, but the setting of proper standards helps in the process. Special certification for teachers of the various types of exceptional children is based upon the philosophy that these teachers need distinctive abilities, skills, knowledges and understandings. Fundamental to the establishment of sound standards is the compilation of data delineating these essential competencies. This is one of the chief purposes of the Offce of Fle atin study. Future publiing from the study will report on cumpet pejes required by special educauon personnel, as well as on other aspects of the qualifications and preparation of such teachers. Such information should be useful in establishing certifying standards and developing teacher education programs. In turn, this should make possible expanded and improved education programs for the Nation's 5,000,000 exceptional children. For full titles of committee members and consultants see "Teachers of Exceptional Children," School Life, November 1952. Photographs by the District of Columbia Society of Crippled Children, Illinois State Department of Public Instruction, and Cincinnati, Ohio, Public Schools. Members of the Office Policy Committee are: DR. GALEN JONES, Chairman, DR. EARL ARMSTRONG, DR. FRED BEACH, DR. BESS GOODYKOONTZ, MR. ARTHUR HILL, and DR. HERBERT CONRAD. Members of the National Committee are: MISS GWEN RETHERFORD, Chairman, DR. WILLIAM CRUICKSHANK, MR. FRANCIS DOYLE, DR. SAMUEL KIRK, MRS. HAZEL C. MCINTIRE, MR. JOHN TENNY, and MR. HARLEY WOODEN, ex officio member. Consultants on the study are: DR. LEO CAIN, MISS ANNA ENGEL, DR. JOHN LEE, MISS MARY 1 Special health problems include cardiac conditions, epilepsy, tuberculosis and other below par conditions. 2 Combined certificate in speech and hearing. 3 Certificate.covers teachers of the handicapped only and thus excludes teachers of the gitted. Combined certificate for teachers of the crippled and of children with special health problems. 5 Combined certificate for teachers of the blind and partially seeing. 6 Combined certificate for teachers of the deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech handicapped. 7 Combined certificate tor teachers of the deaf and hard-of-hearing. 8 Combined certificate for teachers of the homebound children who are crippled and who are special health problems. 9 Single special education credential issued to overall supervisors of programs for exceptional children. 10 Speech correctionists are expected to meet American Speech and Hearing Association standards. 11 Ohio issues a special credential for special class teachers of the hard-of-hearing, as well as a certificate for speech and hearing specialists. If you are a teacher in an elementary school, high school, or. junior college, you may wish to know about teaching opportunities in other countries. Looking at the chart above you will see the countries which are now participating in teacher exchange under the Educational Exchange Program of the Department of State; the Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and the Board of Foreign Scholarships. The Office of Education recently prepared and published a pamphlet that is available to you. This pamphlet answers questions such as "What is the teacher exchange program?" Who supervises the program? What does the Office of Education do? What are the basic requirements for application? It gives details also on financial arrangements for various types of teacher exchanges, factors concerning terms of the awards, and when to apply. Write for your copy of this publication, "1954-55 Exchange Teaching Opportunities". The address is: Teacher Exchange Section, Division of International Education, Office of Education, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington 25, D. C. WHITE indicates interchange partial travel under Fulbright Act. "It is not enough that we merely know where another nation lies. It is not enough that we know something of their institutions, their history, their traditions. We must gain some understanding of those people as such * * "If we, therefore, are going to progress along the lines of these understandings, we can talk about all the diplomacy that it is possible to bring to bear upon it, we can talk about all the security we may achieve by arms, and by any other arrangements, but we are never going to make real progress unless the educational people, and groups, and institutions of all countries see this problem and get into it to help.' From remarks to the Annual Meeting of The American Council on Education at the Statler Hotel, Washington, D. C.-October 8, 1953. Flash Reviews -of New Office of Education Publications These publications are for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. WITH FOCUS ON FAMILY LIVING, by Muriel W. Brown, Office of Education Vocational Division Bulletin No. 249, Home Economics Education Series No. 28, 248 pages, 1953-60 cents-is the story of four experiments in community organization for family life education. These experiments, launched in 1938, at a conference in Washington, have more than fulfilled the hopes held for them so long ago. Through them, progress has been made toward finding ways in which family living can be strengthened through functional education. However, the greater value of these experiments lies in the opportunities they have afforded for gaining insight into the process of school-community interaction in one of the most important of all educational fields-the field of education for home and family living. This new publication, which contains outstanding examples of community cooperation, should be helpful to school administrators, teachers, parents, and the many others interested in education for home and family living and in school-community cooperation. STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF EDUCATION, 1949-50, by Rose Marie Smith, Office of Education Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1948-50, Chapter 1, 52 pages, 1953-20 cents-condenses data collected by the Office of Education or other agencies from over 170,000 educational institutions, including elementary schools, secondary schools, libraries, and institutions of higher education. Data are drawn principally from other chapters of the Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1948-50. The other chapters (2 through 5) may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents for a total of $1.35. each year of the equivalent of approximately half of the number of persons graduated from colleges and universities in 1953. During the 20-year period ending June 1952, per capita income payments to individuals in the United States increased 217 percent; while average annual salaries of teachers increased only 128 percent. Auxiliary and Out-of-School Services School children's physical and mental health.-Voluntary and official agencies community, State, and national-are providing better programs and services for the physical, mental, and emotional needs of children and youth, even in the face of an overall teacher shortage. Groups meeting nationally have discussed the values and dangers of competition in sports, special problems of children in crowded areas, problems of child delinquency and maladjustment, and teacher education in health. School lunches.-The 9,900,000 pupils served by federally aided school-lunch programs in 1952-53 were half a million more in number than those served in 1951-52 and nearly 3 times more than those served in 1944, the first year of Federal assistance for this program. Education and general welfare of the handicapped.-Among the significant trends in the American program for handicapped children are the following: a steadily increasing number of handicapped children served by public schools; an increased number of teacher courses preparing for work with these children; greater financial support and more consultative services to local school systems from State departments of education; and increased medical, educational, sociological, and psychological research in the field. |