Ms. Mullen captures some he-said, he-said in her story as well as some human interest (a case of a child with substantial special education needs whose parents contend say he was not provided appropriate services). You can read Ms. Mullen’s report of this sad special education story in its original form (or snag this single-page version).

Qualifications: Applicants must hold an earned doctorate in special education, educational administration, or a related area (ABD considered) and have special education administrative experience in the public schools. The successful applicant will be expected to coordinate the Director of Special Education (DOSE) Post-Master’s Certification program at Illinois State University, teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and maintain an active research agenda. The Department is an ideal professional choice for an individual who wants to work at an institution where contributions in teaching, research, and service are expected and valued.

Application Procedures: Initial review of candidates will begin October 3, 2011, and continue until the position is filled. To assure full consideration, applicants should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae; official transcripts; and names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least two professional references by September 30, 2011 to:

Carrie Anna Courtad, PhD
Chair, Search Committee
Department of Special Education
Campus Box 5910
Normal, IL 61790-5910
Phone: 309-438-7524
FAX: 309-438-8699
Email: cacourt /at/ ilstu /dot/ edu

Initial review of applications will begin on October 3, 2011 and continue until the positions are filled.

This is an unusual opportunity to provide leadership in one of the leading organizations focused on special education in the world. It comes at a time when professional development services are changing rapidly and CEC can play an important role in contributing to postive progress for special educators and the children, youth, and families they serve.

Learn more about the position of Assistant Executive Director for Professional Development Services at CEC by downloading a PDF announcing the position vacancy. Learn more about CEC and it’s professional development activities by visiting Professionl Development section of CEC’s Web site.

Journalists reported that the parents of children with disabilities in Milwaukee (WI, US) and the American Civil Liberties Union have complained to the US Deaprtment of Justice that a Milwaukee school program permitting parents to choose schools discriminates against students with disabilities. According to the complaint, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program “discriminated against students with disabilities and segregated those students in one portion of the publicly funded educational system.” The statistical basis for the argument is that 1.6% of students in the voucher-supported schools have disabilities, but nearly 20% of the students in the public schools have disabilities.

Twenty years ago, Wisconsin passed laws creating, and DPI began implementing, a private school voucher system in the city of Milwaukee. The program provides public tax dollars for low-income students who live in the city to attend private religious and non-sectarian schools, at an estimated cost of $130.8 million for the 2010-11 school year. In 1990, when the voucher program began, it had only seven schools, enrolling just 337 students. In the last two decades it has grown to include more than 100 schools and now enrolls approximately 20% of the city’s students.

Today, nearly 21,000 Milwaukee students attend private schools with these public vouchers. Although an average of 83% of the students in voucher schools attend with a tuition voucher, and in many private schools all of the students attend on taxpayer-funded vouchers, the State of Wisconsin asserts that the voucher schools are “private” schools. The state’s implementing agency, DPI, fails to meaningfully enforce anti-discrimination laws against these schools; as a result, the voucher schools tend not to admit or accommodate students with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner. The two individual parent complainants are examples of the voucher schools’ discrimination against students with disabilities. D.E. attempted to enroll her two children with disabilities in a voucher school this year and they were never admitted. D.J.’s daughter, who has been diagnosed with a disability, was enrolled in a voucher school but expelled after her disability was not accommodated.

In addition to reading the full complaint (from which I drew the extract), see this coverage:

• Tom Held of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is covering the story; read his reports: “School choice program shuts out disabled, federal complaint says: Parents, civil rights groups request probe, seek to halt program’s proposed expansion” and “Choice school leader denounces ACLU lawsuit.”
• Under the headline “ACLU Alleges Milwaukee Voucher Program Discriminates Against Disabled Students,” Ed Week is covering a story about The story is behind Ed Week’s paywall, so it will be inaccessible to most readers, however, over at On Special Education, Nirvi Shah has a post entitled “Complaint: Milwaukee Vouchers Segregate Students With Disabilities” that provides some observations about the same story.)
• Michelle Diament has coverage on Disability Scoop under the headline “Disability Advocates Call For Federal Probe Of School Vouchers.”
• eSchool News also is carrying a story “Milwaukee’s voucher program discriminates based on disabilities, ACLU says” (behind it’s paywall).
• Even the Huffington Post is in on the fun, and reporter Joy Resmovits has some additional info in her story, “Milwaukee’s Voucher Program Discriminates Based On Disabilities, ACLU Says.”

For those readers who are wondering about a career in special education, there is no need to fret about whether there will be positions available. You’ll need training and a license. But, according to the BLS data, special education teachers in the field in 2008 were making on average $40,000 and $66,000 per year (median). The lowest paid were earning around $34,000 and the highest around $80,000. (Although the BLS data do not state it explicitly, these appear to be nine-month pay rates.)

For those readers who prepare special education teachers, the need is obvious. As noted by McLeskey, Tyler, and Flippin (2004), not only are these shortages chronic and severe, but they are accompanied by especially concerning undercurrents. Among these additional problems are the following: Given the overlap between cultural and linguistic diversity and special education, there is a heightened need for professional preparation that alerts special educators to concerns of students of color and their parents as well as a need to recruit and retain teachers of color in special education. Regardless of the personal-social characteristics of teachers, it is critical that education discover how to retain successful teachers, including those in special education. And, of course, the overarching question is what works to attract competent individuals into special education teaching positions?

Here are some links for those interested in persuing additional information about staffing demands, teaching, and teaching conditions in special education.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Teachers—Special Education, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos070.htm (visited January 06, 2011).

McLeskey, J., Tyler, N. C., & Flippin, S. (2004). The supply of and demand for special education teachers: A review of research regarding the chronic shortage of special education teachers. Journal of Special Education, 38, 5-21.