There are many resources available for teachers with special education degrees as well as those who aspire to become special education teachers. A number of organizations exist to support children with special needs and their educators.
For example, the Council for Exceptional Children (www.cec.sped.org) outlines information on the education profession, teacher certification, and training programs for special education teachers. Other organizations with web sites full of this type of information include
Groups that focus on specific disabilities also have useful web sites, including the
Many state, local, school district, and teacher's organizations that operate on the state, local, and/or district level have web sites featuring information about special education, special education teachers, and/or requirements for positions in their area. For example, the Wisconsin Education Association Council (www.weac.org) has access to research materials, classroom resources, and educational materials for both general education and special education students and teachers. Another informative online resource for teachers and parents of children with learning disabilities and other conditions is LD OnLine (www.ldonline.org). This web site not only explains what various learning disorders are, but also offers extensive information about how to help such children and other resources.
A large number of books, manuals, journal articles, and magazine articles have been written about various topics in special education over the years. A few books particularly helpful to special education teachers are Joan M. Harwell's Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies and Activities for Teaching Students with Disabilities (2000); Janet W. Lerner's Learning Disabilities: Theories, Diagnosis, and Teaching Strategies (2003); and C.D. Mercer and A.R. Mercer's Teaching Students with Learning Problems (2001). An overall guide to learning disabilities can be found in C. Smith and L.W. Strick's Learning Disabilities from A to Z (1999). B. Harry and J.K. Klingner's book Why Are So Many Minority Children in Special Education? Understanding Race and Disability (2006) looks at an issue in special education that has become quite controversial, while J.M. Peterson and M.M. Hittie's Inclusive Teaching: Creating Effective Schools for All Learners (2003) touches on a major trend in special education. D.J. Sands, E.B. Kozleski, and N.K. French's Inclusive Education for the 21st Century (2000) also explores the topic of inclusion of special education students in general education classrooms. A history of special education can be found in M.A. Winzer's The History of Special Education: From Isolation to Integration (1992), while a legal history of the same topic is in M.L. Yell, D. Rogers, and E. L. Rogers' The History of the Law and Children with Disabilities (2006).
One particularly eye-opening article was written by William L. Heward and is titled "Ten Faulty Notions About Teaching and Learning That Hinder the Effectiveness of Special Education" (published in Journal of Special Education, vol. 36, 2003). Such academic journal articles can increase the knowledge of special education teachers working in the classroom. A complete guide to assessments and accommodations, the Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities can be found online at www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/AccommodationsManual.pdf.