Preparing General Education Teachers to Include Students With Extensive Support Needs: An Analysis of “SPED 101” Courses

Students with extensive support needs (ESN) benefit from inclusion in general education settings with their same-age peers. Many teachers, however, report feeling overwhelmed and underprepared to effectively educate students with ESN within general education settings. To mitigate this, we must ensure that content related to the instruction and inclusion of students with ESN in general education settings is included in the introductory special education courses taken by preservice general education teachers, which we refer to as “SPED 101.” Our research team surveyed 302 instructors of SPED 101 courses in general education baccalaureate teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education across the United States. Data suggest that most instructors cover content related to the instruction and the inclusion of students with ESN, although the extent to which content is addressed varies among instructors, indicating inconsistencies in course content, delivery, and instruction. Limitations, implications, and future research are discussed.