Peering Into the Past to Get a Glimpse of the Future:

A History of Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Preparation and the Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Early Childhood in Wisconsin

1973-2006

By David J. Franks, PhD

Professor Emeritus in Special Education
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Document Completed February 28, 2015

A history of the development of a competency based teacher training and certification in early childhood special education in Wisconsin from 1970 through the 2010. This paper describes collaborative activities that built preservice and in-service/professional development practices that were early examples of best practice that are being initiated and elaborated on in 2020.

Table of Contents

• Purpose

• Definition of Terms

• Personal Background

• Early Childhood Special Education in Wisconsin: Mid-1960’s to Early 70’s

• Early Collaborative Activities and Outcomes

• Creation of the Wisconsin Division on Early Childhood (WDEC)

• Development of the ECSE Teacher Certification

• Development of ECSE Teacher Preparation Programs

• University of Wisconsin- Whitewater and -Eau Claire: Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs 1973-2006

• UW-Whitewater ECSE Program Practices

• The UW-Eau Claire’s ECSE Program Practices

• Related UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Preparation Initiatives

• Summary

• References

• Appendix A: More about the Author

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