In this Issue: Statewide Recruitment Campaigns

Introduction

Three States Customize NCPSE's Recruitment Products to Implement Statewide Recruitment Campaigns to BECOME ONE!

NCPSE's Customizable Recruitment Products

Introduction

NCPSE actively consults with states to develop statewide campaigns that increase awareness of the special education professions, connect interested persons with preparation programs, and recruit special educators for vacancies. States use funds from State Improvement Grants and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B allocations and now will be committing No Child Left Behind dollars to this recruitment effort. NCPSE products, including descriptive brochures about the profession, the One Child at a Time recruitment video, public service announcements (PSAs), and ready-to-distribute newspaper articles, are customized for specific state use. Their use and distribution vary by state, as you will see in the examples here. Each state, however, is focused and committed to recruiting to the special education professions persons who are committed to providing instruction and support that allow students with disabilities to prosper.

Three States Customize NCPSE's Recruitment Products to Implement Statewide Recruitment Campaigns to BECOME ONE!

California, Virginia, and Tennessee have become the first three states to customize NCPSE products in implementing statewide Special Educator Recruitment Campaigns to BECOME ONE!

In California (CA), a collaborative effort among The California Department of Education, The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and CalTeach has resulted in the distribution of over 2000 recruitment tool kits to local school districts, personnel preparation programs, and county administrative offices, among others, that strive to attract persons to the special education professions. Using California's State Improvement Grant (SIG) funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, NCPSE's recruitment brochures, public service announcements, and recruitment video have been customized and are now available for distribution through CalTeach, California's recruitment warehouse for information on the teaching profession and programs for teacher preparation. View California's version of these products online. In the near future, these customized CA brochures will be available for downloading and printing from the CalTeach website.

In Tennessee, the State Department of Education distributed customized versions of NCPSE's recruitment brochures, poster, and recruitment video at their Become a Special Educator in Tennessee kick-off reception on March 19th at the 2003 Annual Special Education Spring Conference in Nashville. Over 900 persons attended the conference, including local special education directors, higher faculty, higher education students, state Department of Education staff, parents, advocacy and professional organizations, and other service providers. Select television stations will be airing Tennessee 's customized version of NCPSE's Public Service Announcements that refer the viewer to the new BASE-TENNESSEE (Become a Special Educator in Tennessee) website, and a toll free number. The website and toll free number are resources for potential and current students to learn more about opportunities for preparation and financial aid programs. They also provide general information on careers in special education. The Tennessee Interagency Professional Educators Consortium (TIPEC), a statewide interagency advisory board, provided guidance to the media recruitment campaign for special educators in Tennessee, while IDEA Part B funds were used to fund the campaign and create the informative website.

Virginia is now airing its customized versions of NCPSE's PSAs as a part of its own Become One campaign to attract persons to the field of special education and to enhance local districts' abilities to place qualified special educators in Virginia classrooms. Through a contract with the online recruiting service, Teachers-Teachers.com, Virginia Department of Education has used State Improvement Grant (SIG) funds to implement a statewide media campaign that includes the expertise of a public relations professional to work with radio and television stations in the state and encourage them to air the customized PSAs on their stations. Viewers and listeners are then referred to a toll free number that is manned by a state recruitment director. The director, also provided by Teachers-Teachers.com, answers questions and disseminates information about special education professions and special education preparation programs in Virginia. Other resources include a website created by Teachers-Teachers.com specifically for the Become One campaign. This campaign was advertised across Virginia through a press release (PDF) from the office of the Superintendent of Instruction.

These state wide recruitment campaigns are the result of state consultations that Clearinghouse staff have provided as a service to statewide task forces on recruitment, preparation, and retention and to statewide local directors' meetings during the past three years. Contact the Clearinghouse to find out more about how your state can take advantage of these consultation services.

NCPSE's Customizable Recruitment Products

The following recruitment products can be used individually or together to create a comprehensive statewide recruitment media campaign. All of the products can be customized to include state-specific recruitment information.

"One Child at a Time" Recruitment Video: This new 10-minute long video focuses on recruiting persons from underrepresented groups to special education licensure programs. Complete with discussion guidelines, the video is an excellent resource to use with middle and high school students, college students, and community groups. A 90 second clip of "One Child at a Time" is available online.

Public Service Announcements: This series of five 30-second public service announcements (PSAs) is aimed at several target audiences including mid-career changers, rural and urban educators, and Spanish-speaking individuals. The PSAs can be viewed online.

North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS) Articles: A collection of 12 news articles focusing on the high demand for qualified special educators and the many opportunities that the profession offers. The NAPS articles can be used in university newspapers or department newsletters, alumni publications, and local papers. View the NAPS articles online.

Recruitment Tool Kit: NCPSE's recruitment tool kit is a series of three brochures and a poster. Information regarding financial aid for students in special education licensure programs, offered through OSEP grants, is included. View the tool kit online.

For more information about NCPSE's recruitment products and how they can be customized to include specific information for your state or school district, please contact the Clearinghouse.

The National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education is the descriptive title for the National Clearinghouse on Careers and Professions Related to Early Intervention and Education for Children with Disabilities Cooperative Agreement H326P980002 between the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Exceptional Children. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of either the U. S. Department of Education or the Council for Exceptional Children. This information is in the public domain, unless otherwise indicated. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Clearinghouse for professions in Special Education. U. S. Department of Education Project Officer Martha B. Bokee