December 18, 2007
Strategist I Network streamlines path to special education teacher licensure
Statewide pact tackles scarcity of qualified special education teachers
Teachers across Iowa have an opportunity to earn special education credentials in a timely manner without necessarily returning to a college campus, through the Strategist 1 Network.
Iowa State University is a partner in the network, an Iowa Department of Education initiative designed to provide Iowa with more special education teachers. The network fully prepares teachers with general education licenses for teaching positions in resource room programs, said Patricia Carlson, an associate professor in curriculum and instruction at Iowa State.
The network prepares teachers for the state’s Instructional Strategist 1 credentials, which indicate skill in instructing students with mild to moderate disabilities, including learning or behavior problems in areas like attention and reading.
The network was created in response to a shortage of special education teachers.
"About 10 years ago, Iowa finally began to do something about shortage," Carlson said, noting there is still an abundance of open positions but few people fully qualified to fill them.
Due to the shortage, a number of Iowa teachers who are not fully prepared to teach special education are nonetheless teaching children with special needs, said Carlson. All of them have a conditional license, which requires them to work toward full licensure. Teachers with a conditional (Class C) license qualify for the Strategist 1 Network, said Carlson.
Studying for licensure on the network is faster, more convenient and more efficient than going through traditional licensing preparation, said Carlson. Students can continue their education through night classes delivered over the Iowa Communications Network or through online video streaming. Students can opt to take courses from different campuses across Iowa. Having more course offerings to choose from makes it easier to fit classes into busy work schedules.
Iowa is the only state with such a network, said Carlson, who helped start up the network 10 years ago and now serves as Iowa State’s liaison to the network. Other states have fast-track options to train special education or resource teachers, but many are ineffective and have a high turnover rate since they pull students from other jobs, said Carlson. Iowa’s network is especially geared towards established teachers and has a high retention rate, she said.
The program is designed especially for established teachers. “They know how to teach children, we [the network schools] are just giving them special ed,” said Carlson.
Besides Iowa State, the network includes eight other universities and colleges: Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Drake University and Grand View College in Des Moines, Morningside College in Sioux City, St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Simpson College in Indianola, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
Presently, 99 students are enrolled in the program. More than 175 students have completed the program and received their full credentials over the past ten years, said Carlson. It takes about two years to finish the program, depending on coursework a student has already completed.
More information about the program is available on the web at www.teachingiowa.com.
Contacts:
Patricia Carlson, associate professor, 515 294-8514.
Cathy Curtis, communications specialist, 515 294-8175.
Carrie Boyd, student journalist, 515 294-9424.
