We’ve got to train special education teachers to be leaders as well as educators

When there aren’t enough teachers trained to teach students with disabilities, we fail the vulnerable students who most need educators’ help. We must help teachers get the training they need to be able to teach all of their students, including students with disabilities. I witnessed this need firsthand during my 20-year tenure as Maryland’s state superintendent of schools. And I knew before I retired from government service that I wanted to devote the next chapter of my life to this issue. The Kennedy Krieger Institute was already engaged in a similar pursuit. Joining forces, we established the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education. For the past five years, the center has offered fellowships to teachers who join us from across the country. During their year with us, fellows study the neuroscience of learning and the learner; the principles of behavior change; and educational law, administrative leadership and effective resource appropriation. Fellows are also prepared to develop, acquire, translate and use scientific evidence to design and implement high-quality lesson plans that will benefit students of all abilities.