The transformation of teacher education and special education - Work in progress

AS PUBLIC SCHOOLS IMPLEMENT THE NATIONAL REFORM AGENDA AND AS EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE REFLECT THE CHANGES IN CULTURE AND SCIENCE, TEACHER EDUCATORS ARE FINDING THEMSELVES NEEDING TO MAKE MORE EXTENSIVE CHANGES IN THEIR PROGRAMS AND IN THEMSELVES. WHAT FOLLOWS IS A DISCUSSION OF THE CHANGES IN ONE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT RESTRUCTURED ALL ASPECTS OF ITS PROGRAM IN ORDER TO RESPOND TO EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TO THE REFORMS RELATIVE TO SERVICES INTEGRATION. ADDRESSING THE BROAD REFORM AGENDAS THAT CUT ACROSS AND INTEGRATE FIELDS OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL WELFARE, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND OTHER SERVICE SYSTEMS HAS RESULTED IN CHANGES BOTH WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY AND THE COMMUNITY. A MAJOR FOCUS OF THIS ARTICLE IS ON OUR ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS THE CHANGING NEEDS OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS. A DISCUSSION OF THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXTS OF OUR WORK, AND THE PHILOSOPHY GUIDING OUR RESEARCH AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, IS FOLLOWED BY A DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC CHANGES IN OUR APPROACH TO TEACHER EDUCATION AND OUR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.