The Teacher Education Division (TED) is one of 17 special interest groups of the Council for Exceptional Children(CEC), the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, including students with disabilities and those identified as gifted. TED works on behalf of special education teacher educators. Supported primarily by volunteers, TED strives to serve its members through a variety of activities that include an annual conference, awards, and this Web site. TED also supports subdivisions in many states.

Every professional educator possesses the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and values to enable students with exceptional needs to reach their potential.

The Teacher Education Division is a diverse community of professionals who lead and support teacher education on behalf of students with exceptional needs and their families. We accomplish this through:

• Research
• Professional and leadership development
• Advocacy

• Members’ diverse perspectives.
• Research that promotes the use of best practices in teacher education.
• Knowledge generation, using a wide-range of research methodologies, synthesis and dissemination of quality practices related to teacher education.
• Teacher education programs that graduate well-prepared special education personnel.
• Teacher educators who utilize principles of adult learning to facilitate the exchange and transfer of knowledge with students and all stakeholders.
• Collaborative relationships that advance professional interests in teacher education.
• Well-prepared leaders who provide vision and passion to the administration of teacher education programs.
• Advocacy for the development of local, state, national, and international policies that promote, support and sustain high quality special education teacher preparation programs.
• Content knowledge as an essential element of the preparation of highly qualified special education personnel.
• Mentoring and supporting the next generation of special education leaders to ensure sustainability of the Division and the profession.