The first eight years of a person's life is a crucial period for brain development. During this time, children are still developing motor skills and brain functions. Many children suffer injuries or are born with disabilities which impede brain development. As a result, special education programs have been established to assist disabled children learn and develop.
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), enacted by the United States Congress during the mid 1970's was passed to ensure all children struggling with mental and physical disabilities receive proper educations in public schools. The law mandated that all public schools offer special education programs. These programs are designed to provide the same education other children receive but are tailored to their specific needs. The EHA is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The IDEA has since been amended to better address the problems special needs children struggle with. It is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Under the IDEIA, states can request federal funds to support local and state special education programs. This money is also frequently used to purchase technology to assist special needs children and train teachers.
The IDEIA also expanded the amount of classified disabilities to be addressed by special education programs since children struggling with disabilities require different forms of assistance. For example, some children can learn and participate in a traditional classroom while others cannot. As a result, it's the responsibility of counselors, teachers, and parents to determine the proper assistance programs special needs children require.
The need for special educators is growing, and it's growing quickly. More and more children going through the school systems are being identified for special education interventions of all sorts--some for a short time, others for their entire schooling career. Diagnoses of autism and other conditions are increasing in frequency, and large numbers of teachers from the baby boom generation are reaching retirement age and leaving the profession. There's a high demand for new teachers in this challenging and richly rewarding line of work.
A Basic Guide to Certification
There are many positions in the field of special education for which certification is not required: part-time aides, teacher's assistants, and paraeducators, for example. These positions are entry-level, and are generally not very well-paid (often earning only half of a teacher's salary). However, all full-fledged special education teachers must be certified (licensed). This is true in every state. It's important for aspiring teachers to understand the basic requirements of certification, which changed in 2004 after the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If you hope to teach elementary aged children, you must be certified in elementary education; if you hope to teach high school aged children, you must be certified in one of the core subjects (math, social studies, science, or English/language arts). Also, make sure that the certification program you're enrolled in is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teachers Education (NCATE), or else you may be wasting your time.
Alternative Paths to Certification
The demand for special education teachers is often urgent, and the supply of certified teachers is often limited. Employers have a way around this problem, called "emergency certification." Emergency certification is a process by which teachers can earn their license while teaching. The specifics of this process vary by state, but typically involve taking night classes in an accredited certification program. The organizations who urgently need special educators will help you through this process, and will make sure you understand the steps required.
It's important to understand that the organizations who are willing to work towards your emergency certification are not likely to offer you a cushy, well-paid suburban position. These positions are highly competitive, and applicants typically hold master's degrees and are professionally licensed. On the contrary, emergency certification is generally an option for more challenging, lower-paid positions, such as those found in inner city public schools. These are the environments where special educators are in shortest supply, and are most urgently needed. There are exceptions to this rule, but it generally the case.
If you're willing to work hard and take night classes, and if you hold a bachelor's degree, you qualify for emergency certification. This can be an excellent way to break into the field without several years of additional schooling, and may very well open up doors to more comfortable positions down the road. After all, many emergency certification programs culminate in a master's degree, which can yield opportunities for advancement in the future. And make no mistake: while inner city schools can be more challenging, they can also be intensely rewarding.
