Awareness about special learning needs in K-12 classrooms has evolved significantly over the past two decades across the U.S.
Educators — with support from the university-based teacher education programs that train them — have developed more precise methods and language for identifying the needs of individual students. In response, many new supports and tools are now available to help special education students thrive.
Meanwhile, the position of special education teacher has one of the highest vacancy rates in schools across Wisconsin, according to Dr. Terry Burant, associate clinical professor and director of teacher education in Marquette’s College of Education.
All of these factors helped inspire a new program the college is launching this year to equip both current and future teachers as special educators. The effort emerged through a close partnership with the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and grant funding from the Erica P. John Fund.
This commitment will particularly bolster special education offerings at private Catholic schools across Wisconsin, while offering value for public school teachers, too. It will also address a recruiting barrier that Marquette has faced with potential education students for many years. Historically, the college has been limited to covering basic special education content in its courses for teachers.
“We’re always being asked about special education,” Burant says of her conversations with prospective and current students, and their parents. “We’ve had to say, ‘Sorry, we don’t have the capacity for that.’”
The school will now offer a special education minor — including several specialized courses starting this fall — and state-approved special education certifications for existing teachers.
Meeting a need in Catholic schools
The post-baccalaureate certification program in special education will support teachers who are already working in schools today.
This particular opportunity especially appeals to Edward Foy, a partner in the effort and superintendent of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. “This is something that’s going to bridge the skills gap our schools have,” says Foy, who oversees more than 100 Milwaukee-area private schools.
“Without these special education courses, I don’t think I could be the best educator I can be.”
Allie Spaltholz, minoring in the Special Education Grades K-12 Certificate Program
Foy has set a target goal of seeing 50 archdiocese educators complete the post-baccalaureate certification program over the next five years. The effort will include some scholarship opportunities for archdiocesan teachers who wish to apply.
This program could help support a needed shift toward special education resources within private Catholic schools, which have historically looked to public schools to meet those needs, according to Foy. “Right now, kids with unique learning needs are our largest category of growth,” he says. “Unfortunately, historically our institutions are not really well equipped with educators who have the resources to support them.”
Marquette’s new programming aims to change that. “Catholic schools are known for their academic rigor, whole-person approach, faith-based education. But they’re not known for meeting the needs of special education,” says Dr. Leigh van den Kieboom, professor and associate dean in the College of Education.
Lucas Stangler is the principal at St. Robert School, one of Milwaukee’s archdiocesan institutions with a more robust special education program. He says he sees increasing demand for this type of support within the educational world at large, and he’s experienced it in his personal life. “As a father of two boys with special needs, we had to remove our kids from a Catholic school in order to better serve their needs,” Stangler says. “However, there is definitely a movement in Catholic education right now to focus on special education.”
One additional factor that motivated Marquette leaders to launch the new special education initiative was the 2023 closure of Cardinal Stritch University in the Milwaukee area. It was one of the few Catholic universities in the state with an emphasis on special education programming.
Teaching for all learners
Allie Spaltholz, a rising senior in Marquette’s College of Education, said she will gladly push back her graduation date next year to ensure she can complete the new minor in special education. The timely program allows her to feed her passion for special needs learning while also specializing in math and secondary education.
“When you have an integrated and inclusive special needs community, it benefits all the learners, all the families and all the teachers.”
Ed Foy, superintendent of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
In her view, the fundamental concept of “differentiation in learning” within special education applies to any classroom and learner. The general idea is that teaching can be tailored to meet the unique learning styles of individual students. “Whether a student is classified as special needs or not, you need to have different thought processes, ways of teaching or different visuals in order for all students to understand concepts,” she said. “Without these special education courses, I don’t think I could be the best educator I can be.”
Burant, who helped design and approve the courses, says intuitive teaching approaches can be a big asset for special education teachers. “Your learners don’t all fit in a box. They don’t all need the same thing,” she says.
The emerging program will also educate current and future teachers with the laws and legal layers they must know while working with this student population.
Expanding diversity in classrooms
Creating more opportunities for K-12 students with special needs adds a meaningful layer of diversity into schools, according to Foy.
“We can learn a lot about ourselves if we are regularly working with and welcoming people who are different from us. And the way people learn is one of those dimensions,” he says. “When you have an integrated and inclusive special needs community, it benefits all the learners, all the families and all the teachers.”
The training framework for special education licensure at Marquette, according to Burant, will also emphasize integration and general approaches for special education. This means any student teacher or current teacher specializing in history or biology education, for example, will gain skills to meet students who need additional support.
“The best place for most children with disabilities is to be with their peers, getting the same kind of challenging curriculum that other students get, but getting it with more support and assistance,” Burant says.
