Recruitment and Retention Issues and Recommendations

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Recruitment and Retention with Severe and Sensory Disabilities: Issues and Potential Solutions

Contents

Recruitment and Retention Defined

Recruitment is the process of soliciting people to enroll in a program or employment position. Recruitment efforts are often greater in positions of high need and are seen in all areas of labor including the military, medical fields, science and technology, and education. Retention is the process established to support people once they are hired into a program or position. Apprenticeship models and mentoring programs are examples of efforts that both help to secure and maintain staff. Both recruitment and retention processes are critical to training and maintaining a highly qualified work force.

Within education, much effort is put into recruitment and retention. Nowhere else is this apparent than in special education. The shortage of special educators has been reported by 98% of the nation’s school districts (Fideler, Foster, & Schwartz, 2000). According to the Council for Exceptional Children, in 2000 approximately 10% of those hired to teach within special education were not fully licensed. Recent legislation requiring all students to have access to highly qualified educators has added to this trend. States are still defining highly qualified special education teachers. In general, special educators who are highly qualified have completed a teacher preparation program by an accredited Institute of Higher Education (IHE), are certified within the state they work, and have passed the state’s required exam(s). Finally, special educators who are students’ main instructors for core academics (e.g., math, science, social studies, English) must also be highly qualified in those areas. Per the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), states are required to have all classrooms staffed with highly qualified teachers by the end of the 2007-2008 academic year. According to a recent report by Secretary of State, Margaret Spellings, states have been working hard to help teachers achieve the goal of 100% but have yet to arrive at saturation (U.S. Department of Education, 2006).

Challenges of Recruitment and Retention of Special Educators

According to some research, the need for special educators will continue to increase annually due to an increase in the number of students identified for services, legislation emphasizing education and employment of individuals with disabilities, educational reforms increasing standards, special educators switching to general education or changing careers, and retirement (Prater, 2005). Consequently, the need for qualified special educators will only continue to grow. Rural programs and schools must combat challenges of access to remote locations, lack of resources and life outside of school for staff, and lower wages as compared with larger school districts when recruiting and retaining staff (Rude et al., 2005). Schools within urban districts combat challenges of large class size, high dropout rates, increase in school violence, increase in teen pregnancy, and bureaucracy of navigating within a large school district (Voltz, 1998).

In 1997, Brownell, Smith, McNellis, and Miller surveyed teachers who left the field and divided the respondents into those who identified themselves as disgruntled and those who were not disgruntled. Disgruntled staff left the teaching profession for reasons of stress due to feelings of not being supported by administration and/or colleagues, feelings of unpreparedness, perceptions of being overwhelmed by student needs or job responsibilities, and perceptions of disempowerment. Non-disgruntled staff left due to retirement, start of a family, and interest in other career opportunities outside education.

Other research indicating factors that may contribute to recruitment and retention issues are certification requirements, family influences, retirement, positions not being reoffered, inadequate pay, amount of paperwork, lack of planning time, lack of administrative support, and type of disability (e.g., students with emotional-behavioral needs) (Brownell, Smith, McNellis, & Miller, 1997; Fore, Martin, & Bender, 2002; Miller, Brownell, and Smith, 1999; National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities, 2007). Recruitment and retention issues within the fields of severe and sensory disabilities incorporate those listed above and have some additional realities to consider.

  • Some states require teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or those with severe disabilities to specialize and obtain a Masters degree.
  • Fewer and fewer states are offering specialized programs to support the training of teachers within the severe and sensory disability fields.
  • Often, teachers within these fields are the only person in their school or district who works with this specialized population. Finding colleagues and supervisors who can offer support is often a challenge.
  • Issues of caseload size and configuration must be carefully considered. It is important to balance the level of need with numbers of students.
  • Students with sensory disabilities are often provided support by itinerant teachers who must work with parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and students from multiple buildings holding multiple philosophies of education.
  • While inclusion is the underlying focus for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), some programs struggle to define inclusion for their students who have significant support needs. The complexity of providing support to teachers of students with severe and sensory disabilities can be enormous. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken.

Facing the Challenge

With all that seems to be hindering recruitment and retention of those entering the special education profession, there is hope. Understanding why people may not choose to stay in the teaching profession, or avoid it all together, aids in satisfying the need for qualified and effective teachers within the fields of severe and sensory disabilities. Some teacher preparation programs function from an apprentice model (White, 2004). This model is different from traditional teacher education programs in that it purposefully places students in the schools early on within their training. An example of this model is paraeducators who work in the schools while earning their degree. Traditional teacher preparation programs have students working in classrooms during their final year of studies. To add to the support of teacher training within the schools, cooperating teachers and university consultants work closely with student teachers to offer support and guidance throughout all stages of their training (Kelley, 2004; Lucas & Robinson, 2003).

Teachers who feel supported by administrators and colleagues, and experience success both in and outside the classroom are more likely to stay in education (Fore, Martin, & Bender, 2002). For some teachers, having more control over what occurs in their classrooms ranks high on job satisfaction ratings, while for others it is the amount of time spent with students. Studies have also shown that teachers with more years in the profession tend to have higher ratings of job satisfaction (Inman & Marlow, 2004). Schools that implement mentoring programs for new teachers will do well to monitor these programs. Research suggests that these programs are not only positive for new teachers, but have been found to be positive for the mentoring teachers as well (Edmond, 2003; Zusan, Vaughan, & Welling, 2006). Finally, teachers choose to stay in the profession because of the students they work with and the belief that they can make a difference (Sebald, Jackson, Pearson, & Birgulin, 2006). It is for these reasons that the following recommendations are made.

Recommendations

Institutes of Higher Education can…

  • Develop and maintain appropriate and flexible admission standards.
  • Consider the possibility of delivering distance education so local individuals do not need to relocate to complete their education, or to become highly qualified in additional areas.
  • Help prospective students understand the financial incentives available for students entering special education programs.
  • Explore flexibility in terms of course of study, extended time for completion of a program, and examination requirements.
  • Advertise the need for special educators at a variety of locations including: local community organizations, religious organizations, local high schools, community colleges, and other colleges and universities.
  • Use recent graduates to advertise openings in your special education program.
  • Provide professional development for school administrators on best educational practices, distance education strategies, and knowledge advancement in severe and sensory disabilities.
  • Provide professional develop opportunities to special and general educators who work with students with sensory and severe disabilities.

Districts can…

  • Create an interdisciplinary recruitment and retention team in collaboration with local Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) and the community at-large.
  • Develop a comprehensive written recruitment and retention plan with specific goals, activities, persons responsible and timelines.
  • Work with IHEs to develop grants that will support interested high school graduates to attend college and become special education teachers.
  • Provide technical assistance to educators and parents of children with severe and sensory disabilities.

Administrators can…

  • Clearly understand how their state defines highly qualified special educators and understand the steps in place for supporting staff in becoming highly qualified. If a state or district does not yet have plans in place for defining highly qualified special educators, administrators can become involved to help establish the criteria.
  • Start early in the recruitment of future teachers. Individuals who show an early interest in teaching can be mentored early on and are more likely to stay in the local community.
  • Provide a systematic mentoring program for recent graduates entering the profession that includes both professionals and peers preferably from similar ethnic backgrounds.
  • Refer paraprofessionals who work in the schools, general education teachers interested in changing teaching areas, and involved and interested parents into becoming special educators.
For additional information about the Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education visit The Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education

References

  • Brownell, M. T., Smith, S. W., McNellis, J. R., Miller, M. D. (1997). Attrition in special education: Why teachers leave the classroom and where they go. Exceptionality, 7(3), 143-155.
  • Campbell-Whatley, G. D. (2003). Recruiting and retaining of culturally and linguistically diverse groups in special education: Defining the problem. Teacher Education and Special Education, 26, 255-263.
  • Edmond, N. (2003). School-based learning: Constraints and limitations in learning from school experience for teaching assistants. Journal of Education for Teaching, 29(2), 113-123.
  • Fideler, E.F., Foster, E.D., & Schwartz, S. (2000). The urban teacher challenge: Teacher demand and supply in the great city schools. The Urban Teacher Collaborative. Retrieved August 23, 2001, from www.rnt.org/quick/utc.pdf
  • Fore, C., Martin, C. & Bender, W. (2002). Teacher burnout in special education: The causes and the recommended solutions. High School Journal, 86(1), 36-44.
  • Helge, D. (1992). Special Education. In M.W. Galbraith (Ed.), Education in the rural American community: A lifelong process (pp. 107-136). Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing.
  • Inman, D., & Marlow, L. (2004). Teacher retention: Why do beginning teachers remain in the profession? Education, 124(4), 605-614.
  • Keiper, R. & Busselle, K. (1996). The rural educator and stress. Rural Educator, 17(1), 18-21.
  • Lemke, J.C. (1995). Attracting and retaining special educators in rural and small schools: Issues and solutions. Rural Special Education Quarterly 14(2), 47-52.
  • Kelley, L. (2004). Why induction matters. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(5), 438-448.
  • Lucas, T., & Robinson, J. (2003). Reaching them early: Identifying and supporting prospective teachers. Journal of Education for Teaching, 29(2), 159-175.
  • Miller, M. D., Brownell, M. T., Smith, S. W. (1999). Factors that predict teachers staying in, leaving, or transferring from the special education classroom. Council For Exceptional Children, 65(2), 201-218.
  • Prater, M. A. (2005). Ethnically diverse rural special educators who are highly qualified: Does NCLB make this impossible? Rural Special Education Quarterly, 24(1), 23-26.
  • Rude, H., Jackson, L., Correa, S., Luckner, J., Muir, S., Ferrell, K. (2005). Perceived needs of students with low-incidence disabilities in rural areas. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 24(3), 3-14.
  • Sealander, K., Eigenberger, M., Peterson, P., Shellady, S., & Prater, G. (2001). Challenges facing teacher educators in rural, remote, and isolated areas: Using what we know and what we have learned. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 20(1), 13-21.
  • Sebald, A., Jackson, L., Pearson, B., & Birjulin, A. (2007). Colorado Department of Education: Special education AU survey. Retrieved April 13, 2007 from http://nclid.unco.edu/rch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=677&Itemid=2
  • Tyler, N. C., Cantou-Clarke, C. D., Easterling, J., & Klepper, T. (2003). Recruitment and retention and special education teacher preparation in rural areas: Diversity, federal funding, and technical assistance considerations. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 22(3). Retrieved March 5, 2007, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4052/is_200307/ai_n9241778
  • United States Department of Education (2003). Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Data. Available at www.ideadata.org.
  • U.S. Department of Education (2006). U.S. Department of Education releases results of state plans for highly qualified teachers in every classroom. Retrieved January 5, 2007, from http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/08/08162006a.html
  • Voltz, D. (1998). Challenges and choices in urban education: The perceptions of teachers and principals. The Urban Review, 30(3), 211-228.
  • Westling, D. & Whitten, T. (1996). Rural special education teachers' plans to continue or leave their teaching positions. Exceptional Children, 62(4), 319-355.
  • White, R. (2004). The recruitment of paraeducators into the special education profession. Remedial & Special Education, 25(4), 214-218.
  • Zusan, E., Vaughan, A., & Welling, R. E. (2006). Mentorship in a community-based residency program. American Surgeon, 72(7), 563-564.
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