By Lateefah S. Williams, Esq.
Staffing shortages are one of the major issues that American schools face in special education. Addressing this shortage will require a multi-faceted approach that prioritizes both recruitment and retention of qualified, passionate professionals. Some strategies that can help recruit and retain talented special education professionals include:
1. Offer Competitive Compensation:
School districts should offer salaries that reflect how demanding of a role it is to be a special education teacher. Part of this compensation should include signing bonuses and incentives, such as student loan forgiveness and relocation assistance. School districts should also develop partnerships with colleges and universities, such as collaborating with teacher preparation programs, to encourage new and recent graduates to consider positions as special education teachers. Another form of compensation is to cover the certification costs. Further along those lines include simplifying the certification process by reducing barriers that prevent individuals from becoming certified special education teachers. To this end, providing mentorship is one method to achieve this without lowering quality standards.
2. Improve working conditions:
School districts can improve working conditions by reducing class size and caseloads, provide sufficient time to plan curriculums, and providing the necessary administrative support to prevent burnout. In addition, schools can support ongoing professional development in areas such as assistive technology, IEP compliance, and behavioral management. This type of meaningful training can empower educators and increase job satisfaction. Regarding mentorship, new special education teachers can be paired with veteran special education teachers to help them establish a relationship, so when times get tough, they have someone to go to. This will also help support newer teachers who have questions, but do not want to ask a supervisor. Finally, it is important for teachers to receive all the support they need, including emotional and mental health support. School systems should create programs where educators can reach out for help without being stigmatized. These suggestions would go a long way towards retaining qualified teachers in an often high-stress career field.
3. Provide Proper Support:
School districts can support special education teachers by hiring adequate support staff, including paraprofessionals and therapists. Another form of support is to have the proper assistive technology necessary for teachers to help students thrive more efficiently. The proper digital equipment can enable teachers to do important tasks, such as document IEPs more e Another form of support is to enact policies, procedures, and regulations that limit the number of students per teacher to prevent burnout.
4. Support Career Advancement:
School districts can support career advancement for special education teachers by providing opportunities for them to participate in leadership opportunities, while still working in the field. Also, everyone likes to be celebrated. Rewarding exemplary service and acknowledging key milestones, such as work anniversaries, can go a long way towards making teachers feel appreciated, which can help boost morale and increase retention.
5. Advocate the Benefits of Teaching Special Education:
Special education teachers can inform others about what they enjoy about the position and how they are making a difference in young people’s lives. There are many opportunities to discuss this, such as at career and job fairs, outreach events to high school and college students, and programs that focus on career changers. A teacher can also advocate for policy and legislative change that increases special education funding, including grants and subsidies for training programs. Moreover, school systems can engage parents, students, advocacy groups, and community organizations to support them in uplifting special education and ensuring that all students receive the education and resources necessary to succeed.
6. Use Virtual Services:
Virtual technology can help students get the services they need, despite staffing shortages. Virtual speech, occupational, and behavioral health therapists can be used to supplement on-site services. They can also enable educators to share resources across school districts. Finally, virtual services can allow more people to volunteer or intern with the school system to perform tasks that will free up time for educators to focus on students.
Thus, addressing these key areas will go a long way in reducing staffing shortages. They will enable school districts to attract more professionals to special education, retain new recruits, and support and retain those already working in the special education field.
