The SPARC Center at @AIRInforms conducts research & leads systemic change to strengthen the special educator workforce.
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ALT A graphic featuring a headshot of Gretchen Scheibel. She smiles against a blue photo backdrop. She is wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt and has long blond hair. Above the headshot reads: “Gretchen Scheibel SPARC Scholar 2026-2027.” Below the headshot are text boxes with the SPARC logo, the SPARC website domain, and a text box reading “Assistant Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children’s Project”.
ALT A graphic featuring a headshot of Helen "Rosie" Miesner. The woman stands in front of a brick wall, smiling at the camera. Her brown hair is pulled back and she wears a black shirt. Above the headshot reads: “Rosie Miesner SPARC Scholar 2026-2027.” Below the headshot are text boxes with the SPARC logo, the SPARC website domain, and a text box reading “Research Assistant Professor, Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill”.
ALT A graphic featuring a headshot of Hannah Kistler. She smiles in front of a light gray background. She is wearing a green sweater and brown hair. Above the headshot reads: “Hannah Kistler SPARC Scholar 2026-2027.” Below the headshot are text boxes with the SPARC logo, the SPARC website domain, and a text box reading “Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Policy & Leadership at the University at Albany”.
ALT Webinar promotional graphic titled "Leveraging Data and Apprenticeships to Strengthen the Educator Workforce," scheduled for September 24 from 2–3 pm ET, presented by the CEEDAR Center and SPARC Center. Image includes headshots and titles for four panelists: James Meadows, PhD (Founding Dean and Director, Washington Education Association Apprenticeship Residency in Teaching); Roddy Theobald, PhD (Senior Policy Researcher at RAND and Co-Director at SPARC Center); Lisa White, EdD (Apprenticeship Team Coordinator at CEEDAR); and Meghan Wills, MPP (Content Expert at CEEDAR and Senior Technical Assistance Consultant at American Institutes for Research).
ALT A graphic featuring a headshot of Danielle Jeannite. She stands outdoors in front of tropical leaves, smiling. She has dark curly hair. She wears a purple shirt with a black blazer. Above the headshot reads: “Danielle Jeannite SPARC Scholar 2026-2027.” Below the headshot are text boxes with the SPARC logo, the SPARC website domain, and a text box reading “Doctoral Candidate in Special Education, University of Florida”.
ALT A graphic featuring a headshot of Sarah Caroleo. She is wearing a plaid blazer and white top, and she has wavy brown hair. She smiles at the camera while standing outside of a brown building. Above the headshot reads: “Sarah Caroleo SPARC Scholar 2026-2027.” Below the headshot are text boxes with the SPARC logo, the SPARC website domain, and a text box reading “Postdoctoral Research Associate, the Annenberg Institute at Brown University”
ALT Webinar promotional graphic titled "Leveraging Data and Apprenticeships to Strengthen the Educator Workforce," scheduled for September 24 from 2–3 pm ET, presented by the CEEDAR Center and SPARC Center. Image includes headshots and titles for four panelists: James Meadows, PhD (Founding Dean and Director, Washington Education Association Apprenticeship Residency in Teaching); Roddy Theobald, PhD (Senior Policy Researcher at RAND and Co-Director at SPARC Center); Lisa White, EdD (Apprenticeship Team Coordinator at CEEDAR); and Meghan Wills, MPP (Content Expert at CEEDAR and Senior Technical Assistance Consultant at American Institutes for Research).
ALT A graphic featuring a headshot of Phoebe Ahn. She stands in front of a gray background, smiling. She has long black hair and is wearing a white long-sleeved top. Above the headshot reads: “Phoebe Ahn SPARC Scholar 2026-2027.” Below the headshot are text boxes with the SPARC logo, the SPARC website domain, and a text box reading “Ph.D. candidate in Special Education, Vanderbilt University.”
ALT Paper in American Educational Research Journal: "Composition, Distribution, and Stability of the Special Education Teacher Workforce in Seven States." The abstract reads: Special education staffing challenges threaten the delivery of effective special education services to students with disabilities. We investigated the composition, distribution, and stability of the special education teacher (SET) workforce over time and across seven states. Some challenges were similar across states, such as trends in SET workforce stability over time, whereas other challenges (e.g., SET certification rates) varied considerably by state. Staffing challenges also varied within some states, contributing to considerable inequity in SET stability and in the distribution of novice SETs, SETs without full certification, and SETs of color. These findings suggest a need for policies and practices that vary by state context and target the districts and schools most affected by SET staffing challenges.
ALT Promotional graphic for an upcoming SPARC Center webinar titled “Mapping Pathways: Trends in Special Education Teacher Preparation Over Time Across SPARC States.” The webinar will take place on August 19 at 2 p.m. ET and features Li Feng, SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator, and Tuan Nguyen, SPARC Center Key Personnel, Quantitative Analysis Team. The graphic has a blue background with white text, circular speaker headshots, and SPARC branding at the bottom, including the website sparccenter.org. The SPARC logo appears at the bottom left.
ALT Promotional graphic for an upcoming SPARC Center webinar titled “Mapping Pathways: Trends in Special Education Teacher Preparation Over Time Across SPARC States.” The webinar will take place on August 19 at 2 p.m. ET and features Li Feng, SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator, and Tuan Nguyen, SPARC Center Key Personnel, Quantitative Analysis Team. The graphic has a dark blue background with white text, circular speaker headshots, and SPARC branding at the bottom, including the website sparccenter.org. The SPARC logo appears at the bottom left.
ALT Promotional graphic for an upcoming SPARC Center webinar titled “Mapping Pathways: Trends in Special Education Teacher Preparation Over Time Across SPARC States.” The webinar will take place on August 19 at 2 p.m. ET and features Li Feng, SPARC Center Co-Principal Investigator, and Tuan Nguyen, SPARC Center Key Personnel, Quantitative Analysis Team. The graphic has a dark blue background with white text, circular speaker headshots, and SPARC branding at the bottom, including the website sparccenter.org. The SPARC logo appears at the bottom left.