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 »

Colorado's special-needs students

11% of Colorado students, or 78,334 pupils of 724,508 statewide, are receiving special-education services.

8% or 60,852 students statewide, are not native English speakers.

The number of Colorado students who speak little or no English has more than tripled since 1992.

140 different languages are spoken by English-language learners in Colorado.

Under federal and state laws, most special-needs students spend most of their day in regular classrooms.

A shortage of teachers

17% of Colorado special-education teachers are not fully qualified to teach their special-education students.

51% of all Colorado school districts report difficulty finding special-education teachers.

9% of Colorado teachers assigned to work with English-language learners are not fully qualified to teach them.

17% of all Colorado school districts report difficulty in finding teachers to work with English-language learners.

Five major districts

Jefferson County, total students: 87,703
6% English-language learners, total: 5,366
10% special-education students, total: 8,435

Denver, total students: 70,847
28% English-language learners, total: 19,613
11% special-education students, total: 8,010

Cherry Creek, total students: 42,320
3% English-language learners, total: 1,206
12% special-education students, total: 4,881

Douglas County, total students: 34,918
1% English-language learners, total: 255
9% special-education students, total: 3,030

Aurora, total students: 30,453
21% English-language learners, total: 6,397
12% special-education students, total: 3,638

Teacher preparedness

In Colorado

55% of first and third-year Colorado elementary teachers rated their preparation in working with special-education students a 5 or above on a scale of 1 to 10, according to a recent survey by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

That survey of new teachers did not ask about their preparation working with English-language learners.

In the U.S.

32% of teachers surveyed nationally felt very well-prepared to teach special-education students.

27% of teachers surveyed nationally in 2000 said they felt very well-prepared to teach English-language learners.

Who are the teachers?

Traditional licenses

9% of the 2,901 teacher licenses given in 1999-2000 to Colorado teacher-education graduates were for special education teachers.

3% of state teacher licenses given in 1999-2000 to Colorado graduates were for English-language learners.

7% of the 4,447 teacher licenses given in 1999-2000 to applicants educated outside the state were for special education.

1% of the teacher licenses given in 1999-2000 to applicants educated outside the state were for working with English-language learners.

Emergency licenses

20% of the 1,523 emergency licenses issued in 2000-2001 were for special-education teachers.

7% of emergency licenses issued in 2000-2001 were for teachers working with English-language learners.

Alternative teaching programs

12% of 643 alternative teachers in Colorado are working with English-language learners.

Alternative programs are not available for special-education teachers.

Alternative programs typically allow college graduates to earn their teaching licenses while teaching.

Sources: Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Commission on Higher Education, U.S. Department of Education, National Conference of State Legislatures.