The Special Education Teacher Pipeline in Pennsylvania: Year 1 Report

This report provides data about the special education teacher pipeline in Pennsylvania and projects associated with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education’s Attract, Prepare, and Retain (APR) efforts. We first used administrative data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to provide a historical portrait of the special education teacher pipeline in the state. These data provide a baseline picture of special education teachers in the state and the motivation for the APR projects. To provide formative feedback on the APR projects, we also surveyed students and educators participating in three such projects: Developing Future Special Educators Grants, Mentoring, and Learning Communities/Networking. These data provide some early evidence about how participants view their experiences with these projects.