Secondary Engineering Design Graphics Educators: Credentials, Characteristics, and Caseload

Abstract

Many secondary courses within Career and Technical Education, including engineering design graphics, have a high enrollment of students with categorical disabilities or limited English proficiency. However, current teacher preparation programs do not lend themselves to address the needs of the growing diverse classroom that exists in most secondary level engineering design graphics courses. This project analyzes the current credentials and characteristics of engineering design graphics teachers along with their caseload for working with students with categorical disabilities or limited English proficiency. The results show that although engineering design graphics teachers have a high case load for working with students with categorical disabilities or limited English proficiency, many of them earned a teaching certificate in a manner that may not adequately prepare them to teach these students. By understanding this information, future recommendations can be made to address the critical need to increase teacher preparedness to work with students with categorical disabilities or limited English proficiency.