About
About Get SET Nebraska
Get SET Nebraska is a comprehensive statewide mentorship and professional development program designed to support special education teachers (SET) and school administrators serving students ages 3-21. The program’s purpose is to help retain special education teachers and ensure schools can improve academic and behavioral outcomes for all students.
Why is Get SET Nebraska needed?
- Throughout the United States and in Nebraska, the number of teachers qualified to support students with special needs is declining. This may leave students with special needs at risk for compromised learning and growth.
- Nebraska’s ability to deliver high-quality instruction to students with special needs depends on the availability of specially trained teachers with appropriate backgrounds, credentials and certifications.
- Special education teachers need positive professional support and mentorship to navigate the challenges of teaching — and feel empowered to sustain their important and highly demanding work
- Administrators can benefit from receiving specialized training in how to foster a healthy school climate and ways to respond to special education teachers’ needs.
How it works
Get SET Nebraska uses a comprehensive approach — integrating mentorship for early career special education teachers and professional development for administrators — to meet the needs of educators and empower them to deliver high-quality instruction to students with special needs.
Special Education Teacher Induction and Mentorship Program
Intended for: Special education teachers (mentees and mentors)
What to expect:
Resources, mentorship opportunities and interactive professional learning modules to support special education teachers in delivering high-quality instruction to students with special needs, while fostering a sense of community within the special education field. Mentoring includes pairing an early career teacher (mentee) with a professional level teacher (mentor).
Administrative Leadership Academy
Intended for: Administrators, coordinators and other school leaders
What to expect:
Resources and interactive professional learning modules aimed at helping administrators effectively respond to special education teachers’ needs, as well as creating a healthy school climate and maintaining positive working relationships with staff.
Key elements
- School induction planning.
- District retention plan development.
- Assessment of current skills and needs.
- Development of an Individual Mentoring Plan.
- High-leverage practices in special education development; modeling and coaching.
- Resources for evidence-based practices.
- Administrators only: Methods to select appropriate mentors and match mentees with effective support.
Benefits
- Research strongly supports mentorship opportunities within the school environment to promote job satisfaction and retention.
- Positive school culture increases instructional effectiveness.
- In-school supports for special education teachers may reduce teacher stress, increase job satisfaction, and ultimately, retain special education teachers in the field.
- Reducing expenditures related to turnover and resource costs.