Helping students thrive takes quality teaching and access to services that support their learning and well-being. That shared focus brought approximately 100 education leaders, community stakeholders and partners to Nevada State University’s second annual Education Summit on Sept. 30.

Sometimes, when a teacher quits, administrators can do little to stop them, like when a great teacher hits retirement age or needs to move out of state for a spouse’s job. But in many other cases, school leaders have significant power to stem teacher turnover.

The Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Disabilities was recently approved (Fall 2026) and offers teachers an asynchronous option to receive the state endorsement in Intellectual Disability in Nevada. The certificate contains 5 courses specific to teaching learners with intellectual disabilities. Although the courses are designed for current and future teachers of students with ID, the certificate may also be of interest to related professionals, families, or those interested in learning more about evidence-based practices for this student population.

Introducing the iECHO Website

Our new home for all things IECHO. Explore iECHO's features, read through the help center, see what's coming next, check our Trust Center and suggest features for our roadmap.

The University of Nevada Reno is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on Nov 1, 2026. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.

The Commission began this investigation to better understand how the national teacher shortage is affecting students with disabilities and to examine how the federal government, especially the U.S. Department of Education, has responded to this challenge.

• Special education is now a central issue in negotiations with teachers across the state, including San Diego, San Francisco and West Contra Costa.

• This comes as special education staffing shortages reach “crisis” levels at the state and national levels.

• Negotiated agreements include provisions to recruit special education teachers or to retain current teachers with reduced caseloads or stipends.

Community Talk #2: Trauma Heals in the Presence of Caring Others: Indigenous Relationality and Collective Pathways to Wellbeing

Join the UNLV College of Education and guest speaker, Dr. Emma Elliott, for the next installment of the Dunn Community Talk Series. This talk will be held via Zoom. 

Please RSVP by Monday, March 2. A Zoom link will be provided on Tuesday, March 3. 

The College of Education creates an intellectual environment that promotes quality instruction, significant research, and professional service. With four unique departments, graduates receive the necessary tools and experiences to make an impact on local, national, and global scales.

The Must-Attend Summit for K–12 Leaders

Discover how educators and leaders are putting purpose behind AI to drive real improvements in attendance, literacy, and student supports. At Panoramic 2026, you’ll gain ready-to-use strategies and inspiration to create lasting impact in your schools.

HLP Faculty Guides

HLPs! These faculty guides support educator preparation faculty in effectively training teacher candidates to implement High-Leverage Practices by providing resources that integrate HLPs into coursework, professional development, evaluations, and observation feedback.

 The Nevada Association for Positive Behavior Support (NV APBS) is excited to announce that registration is now open for our 9th Annual Conference, scheduled from February 3rd to 5th, 2026, at the University of Nevada, Reno!

Register now to take advantage of Early Bird Pricing!

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The nationwide teacher shortage is a problem the Cherry Creek School District was determined to fix. Now in the second year of its Aspiring Educator Pathway program, apprentices are training specifically in special education.

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Clark County School District started off the school year with more than 19,300 educators.

They also started with about 300 teacher openings, one of the lowest the district has seen in years.

When it comes to keeping staff, the retention rate among teachers in the 2024-2025 school year was 94.4% compared to 87.7% in the 2022-2023 school year.

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Clark County School District kicked off the school year with the lowest number of teacher vacancies it's seen in years.

While the district says this is great news for students and staff, the area that still sees the most need when it comes to hiring is the area of special education teachers.

Of the 320 classroom openings, 163 are in special education.

Teacher staffing is stabilizing in most subjects, but teacher-pipeline problems and declining working conditions could cause ongoing shortages in high-need subjects like science and special education.

New longitudinal data on staffing in Washington state suggest that preservice teachers may not be trained to enter the education fields that most need them, and active teachers need more support—particularly in special education—to keep them in the classroom.

The additional pay for teachers working in special education and Title I schools is coming to an end before the conclusion of the school year, according to an email sent to Clark County School District employees.