TED Statement on Special Education Move from ED to HHS
The Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children represents the faculty, researchers, and programs that prepare this nation’s special education teachers. As responsibility for full implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act moves toward the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we remain focused on strengthening the special education workforce nationally, and we are ready to engage constructively with whoever carries that work forward. Our commitment to students with disabilities, and to the educators who serve them, has never belonged to any single agency or office.
We will be honest that this is a hard moment. This is not a change we would have chosen, and it creates real uncertainty. Many across our field are worried about what it means for the students they serve, and those concerns are reasonable. We see that worry. We feel it too. But worry is not where this story has to end.
As an organization, we will continue to do the work to realize the opportunities the current moment presents. We will work with HHS to protect the dedicated federal commitment to special education personnel preparation and research, and to strengthen support for the profession. We will stay at the table in good faith, ready to give credit where it is earned and to keep working alongside our partners to turn good intentions into lasting commitments, regardless of where these programs are housed.
From initial conversations with leadership in HHS, we recognize a shared commitment to sustaining a robust educator workforce. Teaching is the profession that makes every other profession possible, and special educators carry that responsibility for the children who can least afford for us to get it wrong. Protecting and elevating that workforce is a goal worth pursuing. TED stands ready to partner with the agencies that administer these programs, with Congress, and with everyone serious about that goal. We invite educators, advocates, and stakeholders across our field to join us in the effort.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions and information expressed in this statement by Teacher Education Division may not reflect the official policies or positions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).