Administrator training, confidence, and knowledge in special education

Abstract

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-method study was to understand the relationship among administrator training and experience in special education, the administrators’ background (e.g., training and experience) and their training needs in special education as related to the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) 2015-2019 Special Education Administrator Standards. Survey participants included 65 school-level, district-level, and state-level administrators in the state of Hawai’i. The first phase of this study was designed to understand administrator confidence in special education. The second phase of this study was to understand how administrators administer special education, that is, evidence of their ability to apply knowledge or information as communicated through examples provided in the semi-structured interview. The survey was designed to understand the perceived knowledge of administrators in special education while the interview was designed to understand the actual knowledge of administrators in special education. Results indicated that administrators felt fairly confident in their knowledge of special education across domains such as assessment, curricular content knowledge, programs and services, leadership and policy, and collaboration. However, results of the interviews indicated that administrators lacked the actual knowledge needed to effectively support special education teachers in the implementation of special education. This study indicates a need for administrator training in special education that is on-going, relevant, and practical.