Preparedness of Special Education Teacher Educators and Teacher Candidates to Teach Mathematics to English Learners

As classrooms across the USA become increasingly diverse, special education teacher preparation programs must ensure that teacher candidates are equipped to teach mathematics to English learners (ELs) with disabilities. We review evidence-based practices for teaching ELs with mathematics disabilities and report findings from a survey examining special education teacher educators’ and teacher candidates’ readiness to support ELs with disabilities in mathematics. Although both groups affirmed the importance of addressing ELs with disabilities in math methods courses and agreed that teacher candidates will be responsible for teaching this population, they reported low confidence in these areas and limited exposure to relevant content. Reported course experiences emphasized general pedagogical frameworks and instructional routines, with less attention to EL-specific language development and culturally and linguistically responsive mathematics practices. Together, these findings underscore the need for more intentional math methods coursework and sustained faculty development to strengthen preparation for teaching dual-identified learners in inclusive mathematics classrooms.