State and district policymakers should consider both (1) long-term strategies to help prevent these problems in the future by building pathways into the profession and sustaining current special educators; and (2) short-term strategies to ensure continuity in students’ access to high-quality intensive intervention, with skilled personnel, even when positions are vacant.

LONG-TERM STRATEGIES

Partnerships with local teacher preparation programs align student teaching experiences with district-specific needs, which has been shown to improve the supply, effectiveness, and retention of educators, especially in high-need areas.

• Partnering with local teacher preparation programs enhances alignment between teacher training and actual staffing needs, improves the effectiveness of new special education teachers, and establishes pathways into districts and schools with high needs. Research has shown that teachers are more likely to work where they completed their student teaching, suggesting that hosting student teachers could increase the supply of special educators in areas that are challenging to staff, like rural districts. This could be particularly effective when paired with financial support for student teaching.
• Special education teacher candidates are more likely to stay in their initial roles when those positions are similar to the environments where they student taught. For example, teachers who student-taught in an inclusive setting but were hired into a self-contained special education setting are more likely to leave the workforce early in their careers. This suggests that offering student teaching placements in classroom settings that reflect the environments where new teachers are most needed can increase teacher retention.
• Aligning curricula between teacher preparation programs and in-service teaching supports new teachers’ instructional quality and effectiveness. For example, in Washington state, special educators whose teacher preparation programs and in-service school districts both emphasized literacy instruction methods aligned with the science of reading were more effective than teachers who experienced misalignment between pre- and in-service approaches to literacy instruction.
• Student teaching with a cooperating teacher who holds a special education endorsement increases the likelihood of entering a special education position, regardless of whether the placement was in a special or general education setting.

Financial incentives for teachers in surplus areas to move into special education roles can reduce the special education teacher shortage by leveraging the existing workforce.

• Dual-certified teachers often prefer general education positions. Implementing financial incentives could motivate these general education teachers to work directly in special education. This strategy highlights the untapped potential of leveraging existing educators to fulfill the critical needs in special education.
• For example, researchers found that Hawaii’s $10,000 bonuses for special education teachers reduced vacancies and reliance on uncertified teachers by inducing general educators in surplus areas to switch to special education teaching positions.

“Grow your own” programs can increase the number of local candidates and candidates of color to be special education teachers.

• Grow your own (GYO) programs, which recruit local community members to become teachers, are increasingly popular across 40 states, often offering alternative certification paths with less coursework and student teaching. These programs show promise in reducing teacher attrition, improving student outcomes, and enhancing the diversity of the teaching workforce.
• Nearly half of students with disabilities are students of color, yet only 18% of both special and general education teachers are people of color, highlighting a significant demographic gap between students and teachers. Studies have found that “homegrown” teachers are more likely to match the racial and ethnic demographics of their students, especially in historically underserved urban districts.
• However, some research from Virginia and Tennessee suggests that alternatively certified teachers might require more support to meet certification standards, highlighting the importance of providing support for meeting state certification requirements (e.g., supporting the costs of licensure tests and test prep support).

Special educators are more effective and experience less stress and burnout when they have access to strong curricula, feel supported by administrators, and are provided with targeted professional learning.

• Research shows that all teachers are more effective at improving student outcomes when they have access to strong curricula, including well-developed lesson plans and logistical support. However, special educators often report a lack of adequate curricula and are sometimes excluded from curriculum purchases for their school, leaving them to find or create their own materials. Including special educators in all curriculum purchases for the grade levels they teach is essential for ensuring they have the necessary resources.
• Consistent evidence indicates that special educators who feel supported by school administrators experience less stress and burnout and are more likely to intend to continue teaching. Administrators can build relationships with special educators, meeting with them regularly and being responsive to their requests for support (e.g., purchasing materials that they need and protecting their time). Administrators can also consistently communicate value for special education and students with disabilities, building a culture of shared responsibility for ensuring students with disabilities have equitable educational experiences and outcomes.
• Targeted professional learning, especially coaching, supports special educators by enhancing their knowledge and skills specific to their unique roles. Regular, non-evaluative observations with feedback and problem-solving opportunities are effective in promoting professional growth.

Adequate planning time and reasonable workloads enable special educators to fulfill their responsibilities well, such that they experience less burnout, are less likely to leave their jobs, and provide higher-quality instruction.

• Special educators who rate their planning time as adequate are less likely to experience burnout and less likely to plan to leave their jobs. Further, emerging evidence indicates special educators may be more likely to use evidence-based practices, implement newly learned practices, and provide higher-quality instruction when they have adequate planning time. Protecting this planning time requires well-designed school schedules that prevent special educators from being pulled away to provide student support.
• Shifting duties like lunch and bus supervision to paraeducators and assigning administrative assistants to handle non-substantive paperwork can reduce special educators’ workloads, lowering stress and enhancing their focus on core responsibilities.

SHORT-TERM STRATEGIES

Other educators, such as reading specialists and early elementary teachers, possess skills to provide academic interventions, while school counselors can support social-emotional interventions.

• Other educators in the school may have the expertise necessary to provide interventions. For example, reading specialists or early elementary teachers may have the skills to provide reading interventions, while school counselors may have the skills to support social-emotional interventions.
• Reconfiguring these educators’ work creates dedicated time to provide interventions to students whose special education teacher’s position is vacant.

With training, observation, and ongoing coaching, paraeducators and personnel with relevant professional experience can effectively deliver highly structured interventions and evidence-based practices.

• Paraeducators are not trained to develop interventions, but prior research has consistently shown that paraeducators can deliver interventions that are highly structured or scripted. For example, paraeducators can effectively use evidence-based practices, such as simultaneous prompting, supporting peer interactions, and teaching vocational skills, contributing to significant positive outcomes for students.
• Paraeducators should be provided with appropriate training to provide these interventions effectively. Effective training includes:
  • Initial instruction on how to deliver the intervention
  • Observation and feedback on how well they deliver it
  • Ongoing coaching, with more intensive coaching and support for paraeducators who struggle to implement the intervention with fidelity
• In some subjects, personnel may bring valuable professional knowledge and skills to teaching, even if they do not have a teaching license. In particular, career and technical education teachers who have prior professional experience in the area for which they are providing instruction may promote better short- and long-term outcomes for students with disabilities than traditionally prepared career and technical education teachers.
• Thus, in some selected areas for which robust pedagogical content knowledge can be developed outside of teacher preparation, districts can consider acknowledging expertise gained through other professional experiences and hiring these personnel.

Inexperienced and uncertified personnel are more likely to stay and serve students effectively with induction support and ongoing coaching.

• Personnel hired without training may especially need and benefit from support for their professional learning, including coaching and mentoring.
• Intensifying these supports for these personnel may be especially important for ensuring they are able to provide robust services.