The Alternative Basic Certification Program in Special Education: In Search of Quantity and Quality in Special Education

Teacher shortages in special education generally result from variables (e.g., fewer teachers entering the field and others exiting due to personal and organizational factors, lack of administrative or other support, role ambiguity and role conflict) that may impact negatively on the provision of quality educational programs to students with disabilities. As a result, universities and state departments of education are joining forces to design and implement alternative teacher certification programs as an attempt to reverse the downturn in the availability of qualified special education teachers. In this article, we discuss the Alternative Basic Certification Program in Special Education (ABC-SE) offered by the Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in collaboration with the Hawaii Department of Education, including program characteristics, implementation, and aggregate outcomes for the years of operation.