The Nationwide Trends and Preparation Requirements of Alternative Route Programs in Special Education

In the United States, there exists a chronic shortage of qualified special education teachers to provide instructional services to students with disabilities. One policy solution developed to increase the number of qualified teachers is alternative routes (ARs), which are broadly defined as nontraditional and accelerated preparation paths to obtain a teaching license. In this longitudinal descriptive study, we investigate (a) the national trends of special education teacher enrollment and completion in AR programs from 2012 to 2020 and (b) the special education teacher preparation requirements in state alternative pathways that are disaggregated by their affiliation with institutions of higher education. Findings reveal that AR programs preparing special education teachers are on the rise within the United States, but they vary significantly on their preparation requirements. Implications for future research and policy recommendations needed within the recruitment and preparation of special education teachers will be discussed.