Special Educators Speak Out on Their Needs for Resource Products and Services

Abstract

wish I had .... Do you know where .... Where did you get that? Special educators, in fact all teachers, repeat these questions daily in their never ending (or what seems to be never ending) search for resources and services for use in their classrooms. During the spring and summer of 1974, CEC's Information Center conducted interviews with 189 special educators in order to obtain ideas and suggestions for the kinds of new products and services CEC should develop. The sample of teachers interviewed represented all levels of public education (i.e., elementary, junior high, high school, and other, teachers who taught at special schools where a wide range of ages was represented), as well as teachers who worked with many different exceptionalities in a variety of teaching situations, such as self contained classes, resource rooms, team teaching, etc. Teachers from around the country were interviewed at the CEC April 1974 national convention; however, the majority of the sample came from Washington, D.C., and its metropolitan area including Arlington County Public Schools, Virginia; Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland; and Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia. This month's Continuing Dialogue highlights the findings of this study.