Online extras Video essay, part 1: Three new teachers discuss their classrooms, how their education prepared them and the effect of a school's location on student discipline. Click here » Video essay, part 2: They face special education with confidence, but three new teachers know there's a wide range of students with different needs. Click here » Video essay, part 3: How prepared are new instructors to meet teacher requirements and students' academic goals? Three new teachers tackle standards. Click here » Video essay, part 4: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of teaching isn't dealing with students; it's with their parents. Click here » Video essays, part 5: The three new teachers reflect on the past year and talk about their futures in education. Dani Broe » Stephanie Leija » Erin O'Grady » Why teaching? Three newcomers to the profession explain why they want to be in the classroom. Erin O'Grady » Stephanie Leija » Dani Broe » Photo essay: A look inside the classrooms. Click here » Reader forum: Does Colorado prepare its teachers well? Sound off on the state of education. Click here » Teacher standards: A look at what new teachers must know to earn licensure. Click here » Colorado Senate Bill 154: In 1999, Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a bill concerning performance-based teaching programs. Click here » 360° photography: Virtual reality photos show how classroom set-ups affect discipline. Click here » More stories Part 5: In their own words Main story: A learning experience Dani Broe: Student teaching was most valuable Stephanie Leija: A few words bring immeasurable joy Erin O'Grady: Personal, academic triumphs in first year Part 4: Parents and the community Main story: Working with parents Dani Broe: Parterning with parents Stephanie Leija: Immigrant students a unique challenge Erin O'Grady: Cultural gaps test teachers Part 3: Standards Main story: High-stakes standards Dani Broe: Work sample a large hurdle Stephanie Leija: New teacher's road not easy Erin O'Grady: No simple answers to teaching reading PLACE test: Testing teachers Statistics: How prepared are Colorado's teachers? Part 2: Special education Stephanie Leija: Special needs struggle Dani Broe: Hands-on training in special needs Erin O'Grady: 23 students, 23 'classes' Higher education: Special education requirements Statistics: A look at special education Part 1: Discipline Main story: Ready, set, teach! Erin O'Grady: Inner-city teacher struggles for control Stephanie Leija: Teacher puts respect first Dani Broe: Student teacher: managing kids learned on the job Higher education: Classroom management requirements Statistics: Colorado teachers grade readiness About this series This is the second part in a series examining teacher preparation in Colorado through the eyes of two young teachers and one college senior preparing for a teaching career. This report examines the formidable challenge young teachers face from special education and first-time English learners. The first installment details how prepared teachers are to deal with classroom discipline and management. First installment » The third installment illustrates how well first-year teachers are equipped to meet teacher and student academic standards. Third installment » The fourth installment deals with teachers' abilities to interact with parents and the community. Fourth installment » The fifth installment looks at the past year in the teachers' own words. Fifth installment »

Special education requirements

Special-education and English as a second language requirements for general education students at Colorado's five largest teacher-education programs and the University of Denver:

Colorado State University: One required course called Individualization and Management focuses on individualizing instruction for all students, including those with special needs. The course includes 98 hours of field experience. Students studying early childhood education also must take courses called Child Exceptionality and Psychopathology and Diagnosis of Special Needs.

Metropolitan State College of Denver: One required course called Exceptional Learner in the Classroom. The course focuses on all types of student needs, including special education and English as a second language.

University of Colorado: School and Society is an introductory course focusing on the philosophical, historical and cultural forces that shaped public education. The course touches on the needs of special-education students, though the emphasis is more on multicultural issues. Teaching in American Schools investigates what it means to be a teacher, and special education is revisited, as are issues related to ESL and language minority students. CU students must plan a lesson and analytic paper for students with special needs. Students also must learn how to identify individual student needs.

University of Colorado at Denver: (Master's program only) Students are required to take two courses. One is Teaching for the Success of all Adolescents, which focuses on understanding learner variance due to differences in abilities and/or disabilities, linguistic experiences, socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicity. The other course is called Individualizing Instruction for Diverse Learners.

University of Northern Colorado: One required class specifically deals with special education and the law as it applies to general-education teachers. The course covers adaptations for, and characteristics of, students with disabilities and exceptionalities. Students are likely to encounter non-English-speaking students through UNC's partner schools, where UNC students complete their field experience, but there is no ESL requirement.

University of Denver: Students must take a formal course in special education/special needs. Teaching English-language learners is addressed in methods courses, the special-needs class and in a seminar that accompanies field experiences.