Drawing on experience across both P–12 and higher education settings, including training and supervising teacher candidates in school-based placements, the session highlights how strong partnerships between schools and educator preparation programs can enhance outcomes for students and strengthen the special education workforce. Participants will examine classroom-based applications of EBPs and learn how cross-generational collaboration among practicing educators, mentor teachers, and teacher candidates can support inclusive, responsive instruction for diverse learners. The presentation emphasizes professional learning across the educator career continuum—from pre-service preparation through in-service practice—and offers strategies for reimagining educator preparation to meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's classrooms. Attendees will leave with ready-to-implement tools, resources, and supervisory practices that support both student transition outcomes and the development of highly effective special educators.
This session will share how an undergraduate teacher candidate designed a task to examine elementary students’ mathematical thinking. The teacher candidate will explain the process of engaging in this high leverage teaching practice, from formulating questions and encouraging multimodal engagement, to listening to student responses and interpreting the student thinking.
