plus a year of graduate specialized preparation including student teaching of partially seeing children. The specialists' second choice was for the candidate with the same qualifications but with no teaching experience. The three groups may favor graduate level because they think it hardly possible for a candidate to obtain a sufficient background of knowledge and skills during the undergraduate program. The fact that all three groups of special educators prefer the candidate who has on-the-job teaching experience with normal children as well as graduate specialized preparation may encourage those regular grade teachers who are looking for a change of professional activity. This is a source from which many fine special education teachers have come. SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS ALTHOUGH special provision must be made for the education of the partially seeing, the program offered should be an integral part of the regular school curriculum, approximating the normal as closely as possible. There is a variety of ways of educating partially seeing children, depending upon the individual child, the school system, and the community resources. This suggests the necessity for regularly recurring evaluations of the services and programs offered for partially seeing children. Specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities, over and above those required by the regular classroom teacher, are required by the teacher of partially seeing children—regardless of the type of educational program in which she works. Distinctive personal characteristics are essential to the teacher's effective work with partially seeing children. Many of these appear to be differences in degree rather than kind. There should be careful screening of candidates in teacher preparation institutions. Personal characteristics should also be considered by State and local organizations in establishing teacher certification requirements. The personal qualities as well as the professional preparation of the special teacher must be such as to enable her to participate in a continuing educational program to interpret the needs of partially seeing children to the school and to the community. Teachers of partially seeing children should be able to cooperate with other teachers and administrators in the school. A close working relationship is essential in planning the schedules and activities for partially seeing children. The special teacher should have skill in working both as a member of a team and individually with such persons as parents, ophthalmologists, school medical advisers, nurses, psychologists, and social workers in order to best serve the needs of partially seeing children. Medical knowledge as related to the eye is essential to the teacher of partially seeing children, for she should be able to draw educational implications from medical reports. Also very important to this teacher is ability to make educational interpretations from psychological and social reports. Teachers of the partially seeing apparently need skills in counseling children in making educational, social and emotional adjustments especially as they are effected by their physical limitations. Practical application of principles and theory in work with partially seeing children, direct experience with materials, and personal contact with consultants and specialists are all very important in the teacher's professional preparation experiences. Although she should have some of these experiences as part of college preparation her professional growth should continue. in various activities while doing on-the-job teaching. Highly valued experiences include: Student teaching of normal children Student-teaching of partially seeing children Observation in special schools and classes for the partially seeing Making educational interpretations from medical and psychological reports. These findings represent the combined thinking of a group of outstanding specialists throughout the Nation and as such have implications for many groups of special educators. They should, however, be subject to future evaluation in the light of changing conditions. The implications for college programs are that such preparation be given in a community which has available resources in many fields relating to the partially seeing child. This is necessary not only to cover all the aspects of preparation but also to make teacher candidates aware of the various agencies and services in the community which can be used. A further implication is that the college instructor should have much knowledge and experience in the field of the education of the partially seeing and must be able to coordinate the many parts of this specialized preparation. There are implications for directors and supervisors in State and local departments of education. Through the leadership of these specialists, the teacher's professional growth can be fostered by means of organized workshops, refresher courses, teacher-supervisor conferences, participation in community activities, professional literature, and membership in professional organizations. In addition, encouragement should be given to teacher-initiated activities and projects. There are implications for State and local agencies responsible for setting professional standards for teachers of partially seeing children and youth. On the basis of the findings, standards would include: Experience in teaching normal children Specialized practical experiences. Standard-setting agencies should be certain that colleges from which teacher candidates secure their preparation are: (1) located in communities which have educational resources such as provisions for student-teaching and medical resources such as eye clinics for observation; and (2) adequately staffed to offer courses and to supervise the numerous practical experiences essential to the teacher candidate. SUGGESTED AREAS FOR RESEARCH The areas of competence in which directors and supervisors in State and local school systems thought teachers were not sufficiently effective The role of directors and supervisors in improving the competence of teachers of partially seeing children Identification of the elements in an adequate inservice program for professional growth of teachers of visually handicapped children Ways of bringing distinctive educational services to partially seeing children who are geographically isolated Ways of meeting the needs of partially seeing children who have handicaps in addition to impaired vision Identification and delineation of supervisory or administrative responsibilities of the special teacher Further examination of the 20 competency items (see table 1) in which there was a significant difference in the teachers' ratings between the importance and their self-rating of proficiency in the competency Role of the regular classroom teacher in meeting the educational needs of partially seeing children The relationship, if any, between the high professional standards and the difficulty of recruiting teachers from college students and regular classroom teachers The relationship, if any, between the difficulties in recruiting these highly specialized teachers, as described in this publication, and the current tendency toward a single salary schedule The kinds and number of courses in the medical field which are necessary for effective work with partially seeing children. The scope of the counseling role of the teacher of the partially seeing. 46 APPENDIX A.-Office of Education Study Qualification and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children THIS HIS BROAD study on the teachers of exceptional children was undertaken by the Office of Education in collaboration with many leaders in special education from all parts of the Nation, with the special help of the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children, of New York City. It was directed by a member of the Office of Education staff, who was counseled by two committees. One was an Office of Education Policy Committee, whose function it was to assist the director in management and personnel aspects of the study. The other was a National Advisory Committee of leaders in special education from various parts of the United States whose function it was to help identify the problems, to assist in the development of the design of the study, and to otherwise facilitate the project. The study also had the counsel of a number of consultants who reviewed written material and made suggestions on personnel and procedures. (A complete list of these committee members and consultants appears on page ii.) The general purpose of the study was to learn more about the qualification, distinctive competencies, and specialized preparation needed by teachers of handicapped and gifted pupils. The term "teachers" was interpreted broadly to mean not only classroom instructors of the various types of exceptional children, but also directors and specialists in State and local school systems and professors of special education in colleges and universities. Separate studies were made of the qualification and preparation needed by teachers of children who are: (1) blind, (2) crippled, (3) deaf, (4) gifted, (5) hard of hearing, (6) mentally retarded, (7) partially seeing, (8) socially and emotionally maladjusted, (9) speech handicapped, or (10) handicapped by special health conditions such as rheumatic fever. Separate studies were also made of special education administrative and supervisory personnel in State departments of education (11), and in central offices of local school systems (12). Still another study (13) was made of instructors in colleges and universities preparing teachers of exceptional |