Annual Survey of IHE Preparation Programs
Associated with Shortages of
Special Education Personnel
June 1, 2003
The New
York State Education Department Office of Vocational and Educational
Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), Office of the
Professions and Office of Higher Education jointly issued the annual
survey in February 2003. Recipients of the survey included all Deans of
Education in Universities and Colleges with Registered Certification
Programs in Special Education, Bilingual Special Education and Related
Preparation Programs in New York State at both the undergraduate as well
as graduate level. Institutions operating programs leading to licensure
in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy had already provided the
needed information and these data were included in this survey analysis
where appropriate.
-
Introduction
The purpose of the survey is to gather
information for each of the next five years that could be used
proactively to address critical shortages in special education,
bilingual special education, and related pupil personnel service and
related service areas. The results of the survey are a deliverable in
the Joint Action Plan for the New York State Education
Department and the New York City Department of Education Relating to
Personnel Issues in the Jose P. Case and are being provided to
the plaintiffs, the New York City Department of Education and
preparation programs. The New York State Education Department (SED)
and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) agree that the
Annual Survey of IHE Preparation Programs Associated with Shortages
of Special Education Personnel will prove valuable in identifying
educational institutions to train teachers needed in New York City.
The results will be utilized by the State
Education Department, the New York City Department of Education, and
institutions of Higher Education to identify where additional State
and Federal resources could and should be used to increase capacity,
support recruitment, enhance faculty, and implement best practices.
-
Description of the Survey
-
Monolingual English-only and Bilingual
Areas
The survey included
a two page explanation of the survey and a two page form to be
completed by the institution for each of the programs that they
operated in the following bilingual and monolingual-English teacher
certification preparation areas. (APPENDIX A).
|
|
Preparation Areas
|
Monolingual
|
Bilingual
|
A
|
Certification
Area
|
|
|
|
|
School
Psychologist |
X |
X |
|
|
Teacher of Speech
and Hearing Handicapped |
X |
X |
|
|
Teacher of
Special Education |
X |
X |
|
|
Teacher of
English to Speakers of Other Languages |
X |
|
B
|
License
Area
|
|
|
|
|
Occupational
Therapist
|
X
|
|
|
|
Physical
Therapist |
X
|
|
The survey questions focused on the two
major areas of enrollment (including both applicants, current
enrollees and May 2003 graduates) and capacity at both the Graduate
and Undergraduate levels. It asked respondents to select single or
multiple issues from a field of three potential issues impeding growth
i.e.; lack of applicants, lack of faculty or lack of resources and
then asked whether the institution would consider expansion if their
identified issues were resolved. The survey form concluded with space
for open-ended comments as well as an opportunity to request
assistance from the State Education Department or it’s Technical
Assistance Partners for assistance in expanding capacity.
The survey was mailed to all eligible
parties during the first week of February 2003 with a response
requested by March 1, 2003. Subsequent e-mail and telephone reminders
were made by the VESID-funded Higher Education Support Center at
Syracuse University (monolingual-English only programs) and the
Bilingual Special Education Higher Education Support Center at the
State University College at Buffalo (bilingual special education and
TESOL) through May 15, 2003 to ensure the most complete response.
Each Center will conduct the same analysis on the information from
their targeted population and Syracuse University would provide a
computer analysis, as needed.
-
Occupational Therapy and Physical
Therapy Areas; Speech Language Pathology
In February 2003 a
survey was sent to all PT and OT programs in New York State to obtain
enrollment and capacity data in PT and OT professional education
programs. The data will be used by SED and the NYCDOE to identify
where additional State and federal resources might be used to increase
program capacity, expand the enrollment of qualified students, support
recruitment efforts, enhance faculty numbers and credentials, and
implement best practices. The survey will be conducted annually for the
next five years to establish trend data.
In September 2002 SED
sent a program information survey to all professional education programs
to solicit information about the application, enrollment, and graduation
in speech language pathology and audiology in New York State.
SED will share with
institutions of higher education projections from the NYCDOE on the need
for PTs, OTs, and SLPs in school settings. By correlating data
identifying the demand for therapists in these settings with information
on prospective PTs, OTs, and SLPs currently in preparation programs, the
hope is to coordinate efforts to increase the number of therapists
practicing in understaffed schools (APPENDIX B).
-
Survey Results
Identical questions were asked of programs
preparing English Language-only candidates and those training bilingual
professionals. The results are presented by monolingual-English;
bilingual and professional category. Survey results provide data
for the following professional categories: Teacher of Special Education,
Teacher of Speech and Hearing Handicapped, School Psychologist and
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Numerical as well as anecdotal
information is provided. The section will conclude with a review of the
results of the Occupational and Physical Therapy survey conducted by the
Department through another format.
-
Monolingual English-Only
Responses from universities which operate programs in special education
and speech and hearing handicapped in English-only were received from 52
programs in 28 Institutions of Higher Education. The preliminary results
will be provided under this heading as these are an aggregate of the two
fields. However, a more extensive report that tracks the process used in
the bilingual reporting will be issued after the results from the second
survey are received. The current sample includes data from Bank Street
College, Adelphi University, Fordham University and Touro College.
-
Teacher of Special Education/Speech and Hearing Handicapped
|
Undergraduate
Enrollment
|
Graduate
Enrollment
|
Undergraduate
Capacity
|
Graduate
Capacity
|
Lack of
Applications |
Lack of
Faculty
|
Lack Of Resources
|
Expand if Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
|
564 |
450 |
114 |
150 |
22:21 |
18:25 |
27:16 |
36:7 |
Total undergraduate special education and
speech in the 28 universities is 564. Graduate enrollment in
special education and speech in the same institutions is 450. The
28 institutions in 2002-2003 conferred 398 undergraduate or graduate
degrees.
The universities responded that they could
support an additional 114 undergraduate and 150 graduate students in the
areas of speech and hearing handicapped and special education. Two of
the institutions from the New York City area indicated that they
currently have plans to extend their programs. More than 50% of the
universities in the sample believed that a lack of applications was a
reason for their small program and 58% indicated that faculty
appointments were not a problem. Undergraduate programs were more likely
to have application problems than graduate programs. Sixty-two percent
of the group believed that resources were a problem but if they had
increased resource, they would be willing to expand. It appears that
faculty shortages are more of an issue at institutions running an
undergraduate/graduate combined program than either a separate graduate
or undergraduate program.
-
Bilingual Areas
-
Teacher of Bilingual
Special Education (Data Source: 14 of 17
Programs Responding)
|
Undergraduate
Enrollment
|
Graduate
Enrollment
|
Undergraduate
Capacity
|
Graduate
Capacity
|
Lack of
Applications |
Lack of
Faculty
|
Lack
Of Resources
|
Expand if Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
|
50 |
114 |
20 |
244 |
4:2 |
4:2 |
3:2 |
5:0 |
Fourteen of 17 registered programs of
Bilingual Special Education or 82% of the potential respondents
responded. The responding institutions had a current enrollment of 50
undergraduate students and 114 graduate students. They believed in
aggregate, that they could support 20 additional students at the
undergraduate level and 244 at the graduate level. Five of the programs
have plans to expand and one believes they will reduce their program
size.
CUNY City College reported they could expand
their program by 100 seats, followed by Touro College with space for 40
additional students and Lehman College with 20 graduate and 20
undergraduate additional capacity. Since the last survey in May 2000,
CUNY Brooklyn, CUNY Hunter and CUNY York have closed programs.
Institutions believed that they could expand
their program either through in-house or on-line programs. Four
institutions or 17% believed that their programs were hampered by a lack
of applicants. Comments also pointed to the concern that certification
programs required completion of too many credits for the certification
and were expensive. 17% of the institutions also felt that their lack
of faculty was causing them to run smaller programs. Lack of
scholarship monies was identified by only three of the institutions as
an issue impeding growth. Five institutions thought that if the issues
impeding growth were resolved, they would expand programs.
The institutions provided various
suggestions for improvement: waivers for former NYC Bilingual
Psychologists to join faculty ranks and funding for training on-line
teachers so that on-line courses can expand.
-
Teacher of Bilingual Speech and
Hearing Handicapped (Data Source: 8 of 11 Programs Responding)
|
Undergraduate
Enrollment
|
Graduate
Enrollment
|
Undergraduate
Capacity
|
Graduate
Capacity
|
Lack of
Applications |
Lack of
Faculty
|
Lack Of Resources
|
Expand if Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
|
26 |
130 |
10 |
100 |
5:2 |
2:2 |
4:2 |
3:1 |
Eight (73%) of the 11 registered programs
responded with a combined total enrollment of 26 undergraduate and 130
graduate students. The institutions felt that they could support 10
more undergraduate students and more than 100 graduate students. Two of
the programs have plans to expand their programs and none believe that
they will reduce their program.
Touro College felt that they could accept an
additional 40 graduate students into their programs. Teachers College
is providing an institute program for a bilingual extension in speech
and accepts cohorts of 20 students. Adelphi felt that they could
receive an additional 25 students and CUNY Lehman thought that they
could accept an additional 20 students.
Five institutions felt that a lack of
applicants was a barrier, two institutions identified lack of faculty
and four lack of resources. However, if given resources three programs
would expand. It was reported that monies were needed to train
personnel to instruct in on-line certification programs and that an
on-line expansion would result in an increase of 100 students spread
throughout the bilingual titles. One institution was interested in
receiving recruitment information and wondered if money was still
available to support new program development.
-
Bilingual School Psychology
(Data Source: 9 of 10 Programs Responding)
|
Undergraduate
Enrollment
|
Graduate
Enrollment
|
Undergraduate
Capacity
|
Graduate
Capacity
|
Lack of
Applications |
Lack of
Faculty
|
Lack Of Resources
|
Expand if Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
|
NA |
116 |
NA |
49 |
2:4 |
4:2 |
4:2 |
1:2 |
Ninety percent
of the programs responded (9/10). School Psychology is a graduate
program-only and reported 116 students enrolled. The institutions felt
they could expand to accommodate an additional 49 students and one
program is working on expansion plans. None of the programs is
contracting.
Eight of the 10 programs are offered in
independent colleges. CUNY Queens reported that they could receive an
additional 20 students. Touro College joined CUNY Queens in reporting
20 available seats.
Slightly less than 50 percent of the
institutions are impeded by lack of faculty and lack of resources and
only two institutions report a lack of applicants. Again, one
institution questioned funding to expand an on-line initiative.
-
Teacher of English to Speakers
of Languages Other Than English (TESOL) (Data Source: 19 of 29 Programs
Responding)
|
Undergraduate
Enrollment
|
Graduate
Enrollment
|
Undergraduate
Capacity
|
Graduate
Capacity
|
Lack of
Applications |
Lack of Faculty
|
Lack Of Resources
|
Expand if Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
Yes/No |
|
46 |
817 |
10 |
385 |
2:8 |
8:2 |
4:6 |
8:3 |
Nineteen (65%)
of the 29 TESOL programs responded. Their total enrollment is 46
students at the undergraduate level and 817 at the graduate level. They
believe that 10 more students could be supported at the undergraduate
level and 385 at the graduate level. Ten of the programs have plans to
expand. For 8 programs, lack of faculty is the major concern followed
by lack of resources for 4 programs and lack of applicants at two
institutions. Eight institutions reported that they would expand if the
issues at their institution were resolved.
University
faculty issues were a major source of comments from TESOL institutions.
They asked that NYSED consider modifying rigid Ph.D. and EdD
requirements for hiring. Need to collaborate in offering courses with
other institutions because of increasing SED requirements.
Individual
institutional results appear as APPENDIX C.
-
Occupational Therapy and Physical
Therapy; Speech Language Pathology
-
Occupational Therapy and
Physical Therapy
No PT or OT programs plan to expand or
contract their capacity. The only limit to full-time capacity is the
number of qualified applicants. For both occupational therapy and
physical therapy, colleges reported that, with existing resources, on
average, they could only expand their programs by a few students per
class. With the full transition to DPT programs, institutions believe
that the capacity will be full. [Applications and acceptances are down
in PT schools that do not yet offer the DPT]. Only one OT school in
these regions is in the process of converting to an MS program, the
others all offer the MS degree. No SLP program plan to expand
capacity; several will contract slightly. The most promising way to
increase graduates is to create new programs at new schools.
- Mid-Hudson, New York City,
and Long Island Regions - Occupational Therapy
|
Institution |
Enrollments |
Graduation |
|
Dominican College |
38 |
35 |
|
Mercy College |
33 |
27 |
|
Columbia University |
40 |
42 |
|
York College* |
30 |
20 |
|
LIU Brooklyn |
35 |
30 |
|
New York University |
52 |
39 |
|
Touro College |
30 |
33 |
|
SUNY Brooklyn |
16 |
9 |
|
New York Institute of Technology |
20 |
18 |
* York
is the only BS OT program. Application in SED for a master’s program.
Other OT Issues:
High cost of
private graduate education limits recruitment of qualified students (1)
Lack of funding
at the State level to recruit more students from underrepresented groups
(1)
Suggestions
from OT Schools:
Need dedicated
scholarship, merit aid, graduate assistantships, and financial
incentives (i.e., loan forgiveness, agency/facility sponsorship).
Financial incentives to support practicing clinicians to complete
terminal degrees (3)
Subsidies and
grant programs to recruit and support minority enrollment (2)
- Mid-Hudson, New York City
and Long Island Regions- Physical Therapy
|
Institution |
Enrollments |
Graduations |
|
Dominican College |
25 |
32 |
|
Mercy College |
25 |
28 |
|
New York Medical College* |
23 |
30 |
|
Columbia University* |
25 |
36 |
|
CUNY Staten Island |
24 |
18 |
|
CUNY Hunter College |
38 |
18 |
|
LIU Brooklyn* |
38 |
36 |
|
New York University* |
25 |
20 |
|
SUNY Brooklyn |
20 |
10 |
|
Touro College* |
35 |
40 |
|
New York Institute of Technology* |
30 |
27 |
|
