Close to Home: Meeting the needs of special ed students

There has been a good deal of attention on children with disabilities and their teachers recently. Articles about the dearth of special education teachers and assistants, the critical need for greater inclusion of individuals with disabilities with their typically developing peers and the happy news that a special educator was named teacher of the year in Sonoma County have all been featured in the paper. As special education professors at Sonoma State University, we are gratified to see the community’s concern for the individuals we have dedicated our lives to serving.

Since 2019, Sonoma County has named three special educators as teachers of the year: Meaghan King (2023), Danielle Kennedy (2021) and Katya Robinson (2019), who was quoted extensively in recent Press Democrat articles. All three earned their teaching credentials through Sonoma State’s intern program. Each of these teachers embodies the evidence-based practices and dispositions that are infused throughout our rigorous credential coursework.

At this time, we have 21 intern teachers learning with us in our education specialist credential program in the evenings and providing excellent instruction to their students during the day. We also work with 19 student-teachers who chose to be mentored by an experienced teacher before they launch their careers. We believe our current candidates will eventually match the expertise and enthusiasm evinced by our alumni.

With an abiding commitment to increasing diversity and excellence in the teaching profession, the special education faculty at SSU has undertaken several initiatives to recruit and prepare teachers. To financially support future teachers, we were awarded a federal grant of just over $1 million to pay for qualified candidates' credential programs and related expenses. We assist them with preparation to pass exams required to become a teacher in California and provide sustained advising into their first year of teaching. Our first cohort of nine Seawolves to Education Specialist (SEEDS) scholars represents a diverse group of future teachers who reflect the backgrounds of their future students. They are passionate about advocating for inclusive education for all children as they build partnerships with their students’ families.

The Petaluma Regional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Residency Program, a cohort of special and general education credential students working together in an intensive student-teaching experience, is another supportive pathway into the profession. Residents receive a $20,000 stipend and work alongside skilled mentors to develop the collaborative skills needed for successful inclusion.

We are also developing a program to allow undergraduates to work on their special education teaching credential while earning a degree in early childhood studies. This blended pathway is founded on the principles of child development that help students understand the needs of children with disabilities and their families, and integrates content in science, technology, engineering and math along with the humanities to allow graduates to demonstrate mastery of subject matter through coursework rather than an exam. This pathway, launching in 2024, will decrease the time and money students must spend earning a teaching credential.

We work to ensure students with disabilities experience meaningful inclusion and advocate for their rightful presence in our communities. Candidates learn how to provide modified content, develop peer support, collaborate with professionals and families and teach alternative communication systems so students with all abilities can be successfully included.

Our Early Childhood Special Education Added Authorization program focuses on preschool being the launching point for inclusion, setting the expectation of rightful presence as students receive special education services throughout their school and transition experience.

Individuals with disabilities deserve and need the very best teachers, who are committed to helping them meet their maximum potential. We are proud of the ways we contribute to the well-being of individuals with disabilities through our proven special education teacher credential programs. We invite you to join us at Sonoma State to create a better future.

Jennifer N. Mahdavi, professor of special education, and Elizabeth McAdams Ducy, associate professor of special education, are co-directors of the SEEDS Project at Sonoma State University.

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