A Tale of Two Grant-Funded Special Education Recruitment and Training Projects Focused on Assistive Technology

Abstract

Colorado has a significant shortage of special education teachers, particularly within rural areas. This article will compare two grant-funded recruitment and training projects drawing connections from the current research base in training and retention. High-Leverage Practices were infused into these projects to support authentic assistive technology (AT) implementations and the use of multimodal literacy strategies with K-12 special education students. The recruitment and training grants focused on two distinct pathways for teacher preparation: alternative special education teachers and paraprofessionals. Consistent in both projects was the inclusion of intensive asynchronous online training related to AT and multimodal literacy and coursework assignments incorporating technology into their teaching and learning. The article will include project materials, timelines, training resources, illustrative case studies, and student artifacts showcasing exemplars and practical ways to apply these initiatives within teacher preparation programs.