SPARC Center

@sparccenter.bsky.social

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The SPARC Center at @airinforms.bsky.social conducts research & leads systemic change to strengthen the special educator workforce. Visit us at https://sparccenter.org/!

Promotional graphic for an upcoming SPARC Center webinar titled “Mapping Pathways: Trends in Special Education Teacher Preparation Over Time Across SPARC States.” The webinar will take place on August 19 at 2 p.m. ET and features Li Feng, SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator, and Tuan Nguyen, SPARC Center Key Personnel, Quantitative Analysis Team. The graphic has a dark blue background with white text, circular speaker headshots, and SPARC branding at the bottom, including the website sparccenter.org. The SPARC logo appears at the bottom left.
Promotional graphic for an upcoming SPARC Center webinar titled “Mapping Pathways: Trends in Special Education Teacher Preparation Over Time Across SPARC States.” The webinar will take place on August 19 at 2 p.m. ET and features Li Feng, SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator, and Tuan Nguyen, SPARC Center Key Personnel, Quantitative Analysis Team. The graphic has a dark blue background with white text, circular speaker headshots, and SPARC branding at the bottom, including the website sparccenter.org. The SPARC logo appears at the bottom left.
Graphic promoting an upcoming webinar titled “Leading Beyond the Classroom: Pathways from Special Educator to School Leader,” scheduled for May 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The speakers listed are Abby Foley (Lead IDEA Center Director), Roddy Theobald (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), LaRon Scott (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), and Jinseok Shin (University of Texas–Austin Research Fellow). The SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, appear at the bottom.
Graphic promoting an upcoming webinar titled “Leading Beyond the Classroom: Pathways from Special Educator to School Leader,” scheduled for May 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The speakers listed are Abby Foley (Lead IDEA Center Director), Roddy Theobald (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), LaRon Scott (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), and Jinseok Shin (University of Texas–Austin Research Fellow). The SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, appear at the bottom.
Graphic promoting an upcoming webinar titled “Leading Beyond the Classroom: Pathways from Special Educator to School Leader,” scheduled for May 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The speakers listed are Abby Foley (Lead IDEA Center Director), Roddy Theobald (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), LaRon Scott (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), and Jinseok Shin (University of Texas–Austin Research Fellow). The SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, appear at the bottom.
Promotional graphic with a header of “Scholars Program” and subtext of “Apply for SPARC Center Scholars Program by May 1, 2026”. The SPARC Center logo is featured in the graphic’s bottom left corner and it includes the website sparccenter.org
Graphic promoting an upcoming webinar titled “Leading Beyond the Classroom: Pathways from Special Educator to School Leader,” scheduled for May 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The speakers listed are Abby Foley (Lead IDEA Center Director), Roddy Theobald (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), LaRon Scott (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), and Jinseok Shin (University of Texas–Austin Research Fellow). The SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, appear at the bottom.
Graphic promoting an upcoming webinar titled “Leading Beyond the Classroom: Pathways from Special Educator to Administrator,” scheduled for May 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The speakers listed are Abby Foley (Lead IDEA Center Director), Roddy Theobald (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), LaRon Scott (SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator), and Jinseok Shin (University of Texas–Austin, to be determined). The SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, appear at the bottom.
Graphic promoting the SPARC Center Scholars Program FAQ Session. Text reads “SPARC Center Scholars Program FAQ Session,” “April 15 at 4pm ET,” and “Virtual.” Additional text invites participants to ask questions live and learn about the program’s mission, benefits, eligibility requirements, and application process. The graphic lists Loretta Mason‑Williams, SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator, and includes the SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, at the bottom.
Graphic promoting the SPARC Center Scholars Program FAQ Session. Text reads “SPARC Center Scholars Program FAQ Session,” “April 15 at 4pm ET,” and “Virtual.” Additional text invites participants to ask questions live and learn about the program’s mission, benefits, eligibility requirements, and application process. The graphic lists Loretta Mason‑Williams, SPARC Center Co‑Principal Investigator, and includes the SPARC Center logo and website, sparccenter.org, at the bottom.
Lucky Mason-Williams, Elizabeth Bettini, & Lynn Holdheide stand in front of a large screen displaying a session titled “Strengthening the Special Education Workforce with the SPARC Center and LEAD IDEA” at the CEC 2026 Convention & Expo in Salt Lake City. The three presenters are smiling and wearing lanyards with name tags.
Graphic promoting the AEFP 2026 Conversation Group titled “Building and Sustaining a Strong Special Education Workforce Through Policy‑Relevant Research.” Event details read “March 20 at 4:30pm CT | Zurich D Ballroom,” with four speaker headshots labeled Elizabeth Bettini (SPARC Center, Co‑Director), Allison Gilmour (SPARC Center, Co‑Director), Loretta Mason‑Williams (SPARC Center, Co‑Principal Investigator), and Roddy Theobald (SPARC Center, Director). SPARC logo and sparccenter.org appear at the bottom.
Graphic announcing an upcoming conference: “Association for Education Finance & Policy (AEFP) 51st Annual Conference, March 19-21 in Chicago” displayed over a cityscape background. SPARC logo and sparccenter.org appear at the bottom.
Graphic announcing an upcoming conference: “Council for Exceptional Children 2026 Convention & Expo, March 11–14, Salt Lake City, UT,” displayed over a cityscape background. SPARC logo and sparccenter.org appear at the bottom.
Promotional graphic with a header of “Scholars Program” and subtext of “Apply for SPARC Center Scholars Program by May 1, 2026”. The SPARC Center logo is featured in the graphic’s bottom left corner and it includes the website sparccenter.org
Promotional graphic that announces the launch of the SPARC Center Scholars Program. It includes that applications are due by May 1, 2026. The SPARC Center logo is featured in the graphic’s bottom left corner and it includes the website sparccenter.org
Screenshot from the SPARC Center Data Explorer. The graph looks at the percentage of special education teachers (SETs) who changed schools by school-poverty level. Seven states are included: Hawai‘i, Indiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. For each state, there are three dots showing the percent of SETs moving schools at low-poverty schools, middle-poverty schools, and high-poverty schools. In all states except Hawai‘i, the rate is highest for high-poverty schools.
Photo from the award presentation for the Excellence in Teacher Education Award from the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. Two people stand in the center of the photo, both smiling. LaRon Scott, left, wears a tan suit. Lucky Mason-Williams, right, wears a black suit and holds the award plaque in her hand.
Promotional graphic for an upcoming conference. The background shows a twilight view of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. White bold text at the top reads: “Upcoming Conference.” Below, in smaller text: “Teacher Education Division 2025, Nov 11–14 | Kansas City, MO.” At the bottom, the SPARC logo appears with colorful starburst lines. The website “sparccenter.org” is displayed in blue on the lower right.
A stacked bar chart showing turnover rates of special education teachers in seven states, broken down by school type and by turnover type (attrition from teaching, moving schools, or switching to general education).
A stacked bar chart showing turnover rates of special education teachers in seven states, broken down by school poverty level and by turnover type (attrition from teaching, moving schools, or switching to general education).
A line graph showing attrition rates for special education teachers between 2015 and 2023.
A bar chart showing attrition rates of special education teachers vs non-special education teachers in seven states. Most states had higher rates of attrition for SETs.
A bar chart showing the ratios of students with disabilities to special education teachers in seven states. Ratios vary widely.
Abstract of SPARC Working Paper No. 01-1025, titled "The Composition, Distribution, and Stability of the Special Education Teacher Workforce in Seven States." The abstract reads: Special education staffing challenges threaten the delivery of effective special education services to students with disabilities. We investigated the composition, distribution, and stability of the special education teacher (SET) workforce over time and across seven states. Some challenges were similar across states, such as trends in SET workforce stability over time, while other challenges (e.g., SET certification rates) varied considerably by state. Staffing challenges also varied within some states, contributing to considerable inequity in SET stability and in the distribution of novice SETs, SETs without full certification, and SETs of color. These findings suggest a need for policies and practices that vary by state context and target the districts and schools most affected by SET staffing challenges.
Abstract of SPARC Working Paper No. 01-1025, titled "The Composition, Distribution, and Stability of the Special Education Teacher Workforce in Seven States." The abstract reads: Special education staffing challenges threaten the delivery of effective special education services to students with disabilities. We investigated the composition, distribution, and stability of the special education teacher (SET) workforce over time and across seven states. Some challenges were similar across states, such as trends in SET workforce stability over time, while other challenges (e.g., SET certification rates) varied considerably by state. Staffing challenges also varied within some states, contributing to considerable inequity in SET stability and in the distribution of novice SETs,SETs without full certification, and SETs of color. These findings suggest a need for policies and practices that vary by state context and target the districts and schools most affected by SET staffing challenges.
Promotional graphic for the SPARC Center’s new multi-state analysis resources. It includes a bulleted list detailing the resources, including a working paper, fact sheets with state-specific summaries, and a data visualizer tool.
Promotional graphic for the SREE 2025 session titled "Measuring and Strengthening the Special Education Teacher Workforce." Scheduled for October 11 at 12 PM CT at Palmer House Hilton – Crystal. Includes headshots of speakers Elizabeth Bettini and Allison Gilmour, both Co-Directors of the SPARC Center. The bottom features the SPARC logo with the tagline "The Special Educator Workforce: A Research Collaborative," and icons for Twitter and LinkedIn.
Using State Longitudinal Data Systems to Study Special Education Teachers
Using State Longitudinal Data Systems to Study Special Education Teachers
Two Weeks Away: Using State Longitudinal Data Systems to Study Special Education Teachers Webinar
Three Weeks Away: Using State Longitudinal Data Systems to Study Special Education Teachers Webinar
Upcoming Webinar: Using State Longitudinal Data Systems to Study Special Education Teachers
SPARC Leadership and Advisory Board gathering.
Reminder the SPARC Center Launch event is happening on March 11, 2025.
Reminder of SPARC Center Launch Event on March 11, 2025.
Reminder of SPARC Center Launch Event on March 11, 2025, featuring event speaker and SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Elizabeth Bettini.
Reminder of SPARC Center Launch Event on March 11, 2025, featuring event speaker and SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Loretta Mason-Williams.
Reminder of the SPARC Center Launch Event on March 11, 2025, featuring event speaker and SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Allison Gilmour.
SPARC Center Launch Event announcement