Innovative solutions to meet diverse student needs

Key points:

Demand for special education services is increasing, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. However, the staff providing these services is decreasing. In 2023, 65 percent of schools nationwide reported difficulties hiring special educators. Now, schools are exploring new approaches, such as teletherapy, that efficiently address service gaps and students' increased learning needs.

Dr. Barbara Jenkins, who has more than 30 years of experience serving the diverse needs of students, including as former superintendent of Orange County Schools in Florida, says the call to action is simple: “If education K-12 is not only to survive but to thrive, we have to look for new and innovative ways to deliver services.”

In this Q&A, Jenkins discusses some of the obstacles school leaders and special educators face and provides insights on how to embrace technology to serve all students. The interview was conducted as part of the Visionary Voices video series. It has been edited for clarity and brevity.

What lessons have you learned from the pandemic?

I don't think we will know for a few years what the real impact of the pandemic was on our young people. What we do know is that we see increased behaviors and increased support needs.

Many districts used ESSER dollars to provide additional mental health supports, counselors, and individuals who could help children with their behaviors and help them overcome some of the issues they were dealing with.

While dollars were available, there were not enough counselors available. Those challenges continue in K-12. It is increasingly necessary to find alternative solutions in addition to having enough counselors.

Staffing shortages continue to plague schools across the country. What are some of the strategies and solutions you have seen schools explore that are effective?

I don't know if we will find solutions to the shortage of pipelines in the near future, so we have to be creative in using technology to expand and multiply the capacity to provide those services. In Orange County, as well as other districts, we have had to explore using virtual services for our children to meet their needs, whether it be occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, mental health counseling, and even tutoring.

How do you think teletherapy will be useful for schools?

Teletherapy is not only useful; It's critic. There is no way to provide the necessary services through the archaic means of some poor school psychologist, speech therapist, or occupational therapist going from school to school to school. We are wasting time on travel time. We are losing time in the efficiency of scheduling at the school site. It just won't get better unless we take advantage of technology.

You have been an early adopter of technology and talk about the role of emerging technologies. Can you share your thoughts on how ai can and should be considered in an educational setting?

Ignoring artificial intelligence would be like ignoring and denying the Internet when it emerged. It has to be our future or that train will hit us.

It has the ability and potential to transform K-12 education as we know it. I consider it a tool for teachers – not a substitute for teachers – but a means to exponentially multiply the good practices of individual teachers to serve more students.

Why do you think more schools should adopt technology-based solutions?

Schools must embrace the use of technology to provide services to students because it is the only means we have available to overcome staffing shortages and accurately provide individualized services.

Dr. Barbara Jenkins has been dedicated to serving the needs of students for over 30 years. In 2012, she was named superintendent of Orange County Public Schools, the eighth largest district in the country, and received a presidential appointment to the National Board of Education Sciences and the Baldrige Foundation Excellence in Leadership Award during his mandate. Dr. Jenkins is currently Chief Resident and directs the Women in Leadership initiative for Chiefs for Change, a national bipartisan group of district and state education leaders dedicated to the success of our nation's youth.