Don't use plagiarized sources. Get Your Custom Essay on

Special education teacher retention analysis

Just from $9/Page

Order Essay

Purpose of the Study. 3

Research Questions. 4

Hypothesis. 4

Methodology. 5

Findings/ Results. 5

Application of Results. 6

Background of Issue

The central challenge in the field of special education is coming up with a workforce that is qualified and establishing work environments that sustain the involvement of special educators and their commitment. For numerous years, the demand and supply of special teachers and educators have been of central concern to many stakeholders and especially, policymakers. The field of special education has an insufficient supply of current and new educators, in addition to, qualified educators who are currently available to fill in the vacancies. For instance, numerous administrators indicate that a shortage of qualified educators is the main barrier to getting special education tutors. Current data indicate that there has been a regular development over the years was the demand of special education tutors has exceeded their supply. As it follows, there has been a distinctive increasing tendency in the number of tutors required overtime to replace unqualified professionals and fill vacancies(Sindelar, Shearer, Yendol-Hoppey& Liebert, 2006).

The number of researchers estimates that about 10 per cent of the current special education teachers are not fully certified or qualified for their jobs and positions. However, these statistics, though crucial, may not fully show the level to which the teacher shortage issue is affecting education. For instance, school districts might be forced to decrease and limit services to disabled children or in rising limits to the size of the class. The special educator shortage problems have critical implications for students with different kinds of disabilities, especially when educators with inadequate qualifications and preparation teach them. Numerous studies point out that this can result to a number of crucial consequences, including insufficient educational experiences for the learners, decreased levels of student achievement and inadequate competence of resulting graduates in the workplace(Boe, Cook& Sunderland, 2006).

Although the causes of the special education teacher shortage are varied and complex, the retention of educators has been identified as the most crucial part of solving the issue. This is because shortage issues will not be addressed by recruiting thousands of new educators into the teaching profession if they end up leaving after a few years(Nance &Calabrese, 2009). It is also crucial to become familiar with the number of tutors leaving and the reasons as to why they leave. However, before figuring this out, the key issue to answering this question is solving and understanding teacher attrition. Clearly, educator attrition is a key contributor to the shortage of tutors in special education. Appreciating the levels at which educators, leave is essential, as most educators are employed or hired to replace those who decide to leave rather than to meet the increasing needs of an expanding enrolment, or new programs or smaller class sizes. As it follows, efforts committed to dealing with attrition should put more focus on understanding the factor or elements that contribute to the decisions special educators make to leave the special education field(Futernick, 2007).

Identification of the Problem

Attracting and retaining special education educators who are qualified is a challenge. The quality of educators in special education is mainly threatened by the lack of qualified professionals, the reaction of educators to their environment of work and personal elements such as lack of or diminished interest because of unknown reasons or stress. Special educators, the most crucial recruits in public schools currently, work hard daily to deliver on the promises of the IDEA, individuals with disabilities education act, however, complexities of the environment they work in and their profession conspire to convince them to leave their work. A study carried out recently found that more than 28 per cent of the special educator participants were undecided about whether they were going to remain in the field or wanted to stay only for a short term up to when something more interesting crops up (Guarino, Santibanez& Daley, 2006).

The study cited different factors such as unmanageable workloads, teaching children from more than four disability groups and interference of paperwork with work as some of the main reasons as to why special education tutors intended to leave their profession as soon as they could. Other reasons given included minimal opportunities for professional development, unsupportive school environments, non- certification or license status, administrative burdens related to IDEA, caseloads with more than one area of disability and role dissonance and conflict(Nance &Calabrese, 2009). The study noted that 6 per cent of all educators in special education leave their profession each year with other five per cent of educators in special education leaving for another field in teaching(Guarino, Santibanez& Daley, 2006).

As it follows, administrators face a serious shortage of licensed and qualified special education tutors, in an era of increasing accountability for all tutors to be highly qualified and for all learners to make enough annual progress. Yet, never was the effectiveness of an educator in special education more significant than in the current educational field (Sindelar, Shearer, Yendol-Hoppey& Liebert, 2006).

Purpose of the Study

The intention of this research essay is to draw attention to and discuss the reasons former or current tenured educators in special education leave or remain in their special education professionals. The paper will do so by highlighting the importance of highly qualified tutors in special education and their influence on high levels of academic success by students. In addition to this, the essay will also share the reasons why teachers in special education decide to leave their positions for other professions. Furthermore, the article will show how administrators and policymakers can support tutors in special education and convince them to stay in their profession.

Research Questions

To realize the intention of the essay, the article will base its research on three main questions. These questions will help in answering questions that can be used to solve the issue of teacher retention. The questions include the following.

Are special education tutors candidates the right fit for the job?
What are some of the internal elements that lead to the retention of teachers in the special education field?
What are some of the external factors that might lead to educator retention in the profession of special education?
What can be done to improve educator retention in the profession of special education?

Hypothesis

In order for the paper to work out these questions and come up with conclusive answers, it will have to base its research on one hypothesis. The hypothesis is as follows: Providing special education educators with support, training, personal enrichment and conducive work environment and conditions will increase the chances of administrators retaining more educators while decreasing teacher shortage in the profession of special education.

Methodology

For this article, electronic databases like Google Scholar, ERIC and Psychological Abstracts, among others, were searched using search terms such as retention of special education educators, teacher retention, special education attrition, turnover, retention and transfer. Studies prior to 2006 were not considered or included since they represent information derived and applicable to older education systems. Since the study required information and data pertaining to the current special education profession and issues affecting it, it was found better to focus on studies and surveys carried out and published in the past five years.

The reference page summarizes five research-based articles and studies in scholarly journals that meet the previously described criteria. A number of research presentations and reports and their findings are also included in this research paper as the results and findings from several key funded projects are not present as journal articles. Reports consisting mainly of tables, charts and diagrams with minimal or limited narrative discussion were not included. In addition to this, research papers directed mainly at personnel demand and supply, job satisfaction, rates of attrition, burnout, stress and general education attrition were included and used only to give context for the results and findings of this research paper. Furthermore, dissertations and books were not included in the report.

Findings/ Results

The literature review provided essential results, which pointed to a number of factors that affect teacher retention in special education. The review provides a description of a broad range of elements that influence the career decisions of most special educators. The review also provides a wide range of influences on the career decisions of special education teachers including employment factors, external factors and personal factors. Some of the external factors identified include societal, economic and institutional, are external to the employing district and teacher, and have an indirect impact on the career decisions of special education educators. The centre of this model emphasizes on employment factors such as work conditions, professional qualifications, rewards and commitment to the district, school, teaching profession and field. The review indicates that when work conditions and professional qualifications (internal factors) are not as favourable, educators are likely to experience fewer rewards, and, therefore, decreased commitment. Whether educators actually leave, depends on a number of social, personal and economic factors.

Application of Results

Generally, this research found that a broad range of elements influences educator retention in special education including priorities and personal circumstances of teachers. Most of the retention surveys emphasize more in problematic work conditions and environment variable and their connection to retention. Work environment elements like poor climate, role issues and lack of support from the administration can result to negative affective responses like increased stress levels, as well as, low levels of satisfaction with job and low commitment. These negative responses can also result to withdrawal and eventually attrition. Moreover, teacher qualifications variables and characteristics associated with attrition also influence retention.

The findings of this survey have noteworthy implications, mainly for administrators and policymakers. For instance, those administrators and policymakers interested in decreasing rates of attrition, increasing special educator retention must enhance the creation of improved work environments for educators in special education, solving issues like teacher role overload, and the need for crucial support systems must be addressed to make sure that tutors can be efficient and effective at their jobs. This is not to mean that solving one or two issues affecting the lives of teachers and their work will be sufficient to significantly increase retention. A holistic review at establishing positive work conditions and environments should not only increase retention, but also help sustain the involvement and commitment of educators of special educators in their fields of work.

References

Boe, E., Cook, H.& Sunderland, J. (2006). Attrition of beginning teachers: Does teacher preparation matter? (Report No. 2006-TSDQ2): Center for Research and Evaluation in Social Policy. Philadelphia, PA: Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

Futernick, K. (2007). A possible dream: retaining California’s special education teachers. The Special Edge 19 (3).

Guarino, M., Santibanez, L. & Daley, A. (2006). Teacher recruitment and retention: A review of the recent empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 76(2), 173-208.

Nance, E. &Calabrese, L. (2009). Special education teacher retention and attrition: the impact of increased legal requirements.International Journal of Educational Management, 23 (5), 431 – 440.

Sindelar, T., Shearer, K., Yendol-Hoppey, D. & Liebert, W. (2006). The sustainability of inclusive school reform. Exceptional Children, 72(3), 317-331.

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

Plagiarism free papers
Timely delivery
Any deadline
Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
Subject-relevant academic writer
Adherence to paper instructions
Ability to tackle bulk assignments
Reasonable prices
24/7 Customer Support
Get superb grades consistently

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment Help Service Works

1. Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2. Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3. Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.