Date of Award
5-2026
Culminating Project Type
Starred Paper
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Special Education: M.S.
Department
Special Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Dr. Brian Valentini
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Keywords: special education teacher shortage: teacher retention: burnout: IDEA: economic incentives: FAPE
Abstract
Abstract
This paper looks at the special education teacher shortage and how leadership, structural supports, and financial incentives work together to support special education teacher retention. Many studies have focused on the recruitment of special education teachers and on improving the special education pipeline. The studies synthesized in this paper show that the attrition of special education teachers is a major issue in the special education teacher shortage. The attrition of special education teachers is attributed to working conditions or poor school climate, which in turn leads to teacher burnout. Due to special education teacher attrition, school districts do not have stability within their staff and can have difficulty being in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), by being unable to provide Free Appropriate Public Education to students with individualized education plans (IEPs). This synthesis shows that economic incentives, such as stipends and loan forgiveness, can retain special education teachers in the short-term, but in the long-term, they do not work on their own. Long-term retention needs intentional developmental leadership, strong induction and mentoring programs, and manageable caseloads. Focusing on these factors creates a positive school climate, which leads to less special education teacher burnout. This paper provides the information for administrators to know areas to focus on in order to provide a supportive work environment for retaining special education teachers and maintain consistent, high-quality instruction for students with disabilities.
Keywords: special education teacher shortage: teacher retention: burnout: IDEA: economic incentives: FAPE
Recommended Citation
Rud, Amy J., "The Special Education Teacher Shortage: Retention Strategies" (2026). Culminating Projects in Special Education. 250.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/sped_etds/250
Comments/Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Brian Valentini, Dr. Frances Kayona, and Dr. Bradley Kaffar for their support with this project.