Diversity in Teacher Education and Special Education : The Issues That Divide

Abstract

This article explores the enduring fissure between general and special teacher education by focusing directly on the issues that divide these two fields. In the first part of the article, the authors describe their individual and shared positionalities as scholars and practitioners. Then the article examines differences in the disciplinary traditions that influence the work of general teacher educators and special teacher educators as well as issues related to deficit perspectives and access to the general curriculum. The authors suggest that the lack of a common underpinning is the central cross-cutting reason for the continued deep division between the diversity communities in the two fields. Despite this deep divide, the article argues that it is imperative to find collaborative spaces that have the potential to unite the diversity communities and build new synergies in general teacher education and special teacher education.