This article from the Center for American Progress discusses the relationship between teacher preparation and general education teachers’ readiness to support students with disabilities. The brief highlights that students with disabilities are scoring lower on proficiency tests, are graduating less frequently, and are disciplined more often than their typically developing peers in American k–12 public schools.

Simultaneously, a 2019 survey revealed that only 30% of general education teachers feel “strongly” that they can successfully teach students with learning disabilities. To this aim, the brief looks toward teacher preparation programs to provide explicit coursework that will prepare general education teachers to guide students with disabilities to success in the classroom and beyond. The report includes recommendations for districts, states, and teacher preparation programs to create educational environments where students with disabilities can reach their highest potential.