The Teacher Shortage Crisis
Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance.While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all. But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.
This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective. These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.
Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums. Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.
The Teacher Shortage Crisis
24. A Brief Overview of the Complexities and History of the Special Education Mess
In this episode, Trina English takes listeners on a dive deep into the complexities and challenges faced by special education within the K-12 education system, particularly in the context of the national teacher shortage crisis. This discussion highlights the multifaceted issues causing a significant shortage of highly qualified special education (SPED) teachers, the bureaucratic hurdles, and the ethical dilemmas involved.
Key Points:
- Scope of the Issue: Special education's crucial role and how its dysfunction affects everyone.
- Factors Contributing to Shortage: Discusses low pay, credentialing requirements, and lack of teacher autonomy.
- Perverted Terms: The misuse of key educational terms to reduce the need for special education services.
- Civil Rights History: Acknowledging the historical civil rights challenges that led to the current laws.
- Roles and Responsibilities: Detailed look into the overwhelming roles of SPED teachers and the extensive legal and administrative challenges they face, including IEP meetings and assessment processes.
- Emotional and Ethical Impact: The burnout and ethical compromises faced by SPED teachers in their attempts to support students.
- Legal and Administrative Barriers: Explanation of the convoluted process for getting a child assessed and the intentional bureaucratic delays.
- Classifications of Disabilities: Overview of categories within special education and the corresponding services.
- Future Discussions: Previews in-depth conversations with veteran SPED teachers for nuanced insights.
This episode sets the stage for an ongoing, honest discourse about the shortcomings in special education and the systemic changes needed to address them.
00:00 Introduction to the Special Education Crisis
00:45 Understanding the SPED Teacher Shortage
02:00 Misuse of Educational Terms
03:11 The Role and Challenges of SPED Teachers
06:54 Legal and Bureaucratic Hurdles
15:19 Historical Context of Special Education
25:30 Categories and Services in Special Education
31:04 Mainstreaming and Inclusion Controversies
www.teachershortagecrisis.com
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