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Retaining teachers is an important priority for school leaders, especially in special education, a field with chronic shortages. We analyzed a nationally representative survey using conservation of resources theory to examine how job demands and resources interacted with one another and with teachers’ assignments (i.e., as special and general educators) to predict intentions to continue teaching. We found that teachers were more inclined to stay in their schools when they experienced stronger school administrative and collegial support, had more access to instructional materials, and were more experienced. Teachers indicated weaker intent to stay when they experienced more problems with students, spent more time working, were less experienced, and served in higher-poverty schools. School administrative support moderated relationships between intent and (a) school poverty and (b) experience. We found no differences between special and general educators’ intent to stay, though we did find differences in the conditions predicting special versus general educators’ intent.

Special education teachers (SETs) are expected to use effective practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, yet even those who are well-prepared may not be effective in teaching these students, as problematic working conditions may limit their opportunities to teach effectively and their longevity in the profession. To complicate matters, the context of SETs’ work has changed, calling into question the nature of their roles in supporting student learning. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad overview of what is known about working conditions and to articulate how we might improve them. The authors identify key themes from the research literature about the relationship of SETs’ working conditions to their early experiences in schools and their burnout, attrition, and effectiveness. The authors then outline an action agenda focused on researching and leveraging the roles of varied stakeholders, teacher educators, educational leaders, and professional organizations to improve these conditions.

In this article, the authors propose an agenda for special education teacher education researchers, with particular attention to policy work and studies of innovations in pre-service preparation, induction and mentoring, and professional development. Because previous research is limited and unfocused, the foundation for future research is weak, but opportunities to study questions of importance and interest are seemingly limitless. The authors discuss strategies to bolster the research foundation, namely, by oversampling special education teachers in the Schools and Staffing Survey and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey and by fostering the development of models of teacher development and related measures of teacher quality.

This national study of 859 teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) provides a profile of their characteristics and preparedness to teach and compares these teachers with 3,687 other special educators. Teachers of students with EBD were disproportionately male, were more diverse, and had significantly fewer years of teaching experience than other special educators. A smaller percentage of teachers in the EBD group was certified and a greater percentage entered through alternative programs than the other special educators. Only a small percentage of respondents teaching in grades 6–12 holds certification in the core academic areas defined under the No Child Left Behind Education Act (2001). Respondents felt least prepared to meet the needs of students from culturally and linguistically different backgrounds and to use technology in instruction.

This article presents a profile of early career special educators' (n= 1,153) working conditions, induction support, and career plans using data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE). The majority of respondents are Caucasion and female, and 80% are certified for their main assignments. Most respondents reported receiving informal support from other teachers and viewed this informal support as more valuable than other forms of support. Approximately 60% of respondents participated in formal mentoring, although one third did not find this support helpful. Those who reported higher levels of induction support reported greater job manageability and success in getting through to difficult students. School climate was related to teachers' intent to remain in special education.

Instructional supervision in special education is a critical function of administrative units. However, providing instructional leadership in rural areas can be problematic due to low numbers of children with disabilities, few supervisory staff, greater teacher needs, and lack of perceived alternatives. This article provides a framework for supervisory tasks in special education, outlines funding and organizational alternatives for providing supervision in rural areas, and suggests specific strategies for dealing with barriers to supervision in rural programs.

;This article is a broad and introductory overview of personnel supply/demand issues in special education. One premise is that matters of quality (competence, qualifications) interlock with matters of quantity (numbers) of personnel, and that many variables affect both personnel quality and quantity. Selected intervening variables are reviewed. We suggest that many complications in personnel supplyldemand are of relatively recent origin, and, thus, traditional policies and strategies for the development, recruitment, and retention of personnel may no longer be sufficient. Although national aggregate data are presented in order to clarify the status of special education supply/demand, it is emphasized that these problems are much more relevant as local issues than as statistical issues, and that shortages and causative factors occur in widely varying dimensions and degrees across states and districts. It is, therefore, recommended that supply/demand imbalances should be more clearly understood and cooperatively addressed at the local level, which is where these problems originate and where they can be solved. In order to plan solutions, however, it is necessary to achieve a vision of the directions special education should be taking as the 20th century draws to a close.

This study used path analysis to examine the effects of work-relatedfactors—including principal support, stress, role problems, job satisfaction, and commitment—on 542 Virginia special educators' expressions of intent to stay in teaching. Demographic variables—including teachers of students with emotional disabilities and race and gender of teachers—were treated as exogenous variables. Job satisfaction had a positive direct effect on intention to stay in teaching. Factors with small effects included professional commitment and perceived employability outside teaching. Principal support, stress, and role problems had direct effects on job satisfaction and commitment. Work-related variables should be included in strategies for retaining special educators.

The purpose of this study was to investigate speech-language pathologists’ perceptions of administrative support and non-support. Structured interview questions were used to elicit responses from 20 master’s level speech-language pathologists. Their perceptions of administrative support and non-support were divided into four primary areas: working conditions/resources, advocacy, staff development, and program assistance. Findings indicated that support has many dimensions, including provisions for adequate working conditions and resources, advocacy for the speech-language pathologist and the speech-language program, and facilitation of professional staff development. Implications for supervisors and administrators of speech-language pathologists’ perceptions of administrative support and non-support are suggested.

Selected methods for improving reading comprehension and facilitating self-regulation among special needs students are reviewed. First, an overview of the reading comprehension process from an interactionist perspective is provided. Then key components of effective comprehension instruction, including meta-cognitive instruction, are reviewed. Finally, examples of instructional interventions that have been implemented successfully with students experiencing reading difficulties are given.

In an effort to avoid hiring unprepared teachers, school systems may want to consider hiring general education teachers who are certified in special education. This study provides information about a potential "reserve pool" of special education teachers; specifically, general education teachers with special education certificates who have not previously taught in special education. We invesdgated the extent to which a sample of these general education teachers might be interested in moving into special education positions and their reasons for not having taught in special education. We also identified perceived deterrents to special education teaching and potential incentives that might influence them to consider teaching in special education. Questionnaires from 82 respondents were analyzed. Over half of these general educators indicated that they would consider special education positions. Respondents indicated that primary deterrents to special education teaching included paperwork and factors related to working with special populations. Potential incentives for special education teaching included adequate teaching resources and materials, minimal paperwork/nonteaching duties, opportunity to move back to general education teaching, and a modest increase in salary.