Improving Working Conditions to Support Special Educators’ Effectiveness: A Call for Leadership

Abstract

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.

Rethinking Shortages in Special Education: Making Good on the Promise of an Equal Opportunity for Students With Disabilities

“…Given their limited preparation to teach SWDs, it seems plausible that SETs in high poverty settings who are not well-prepared for their work are serious attrition risks. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that high-poverty schools are staffed by larger proportions of SETs of color (Billingsley, Bettini, Mathews, & McLeskey, in press) and teachers of color may have higher retention rates in these schools than White teachers in high-poverty schools, and higher retention rates than teachers of color in low-poverty schools (Carver-Thomas, 2018).…”

Know What You Need: A Special Educator’s Guide to Locating and Asking for Classroom Curricular Resources

“…One key issue for special educators is access to curricular resources and training, which can create either positive or negative working conditions (Bettini, Cumming, et al, 2020; Billingsley et al, 2020). When special education teachers are provided with curricular resources, such as textbooks, instructional materials, and scope and sequence, studies have shown a projected reduction in stress and teachers identified they are more likely to stay in the profession.…”

“…When special education teachers are provided with curricular resources, such as textbooks, instructional materials, and scope and sequence, studies have shown a projected reduction in stress and teachers identified they are more likely to stay in the profession. On the other hand, when access to curricular resources is low, teachers are more likely to report high levels of stress and burnout with an increased desire to leave the job (Bettini, Cumming, et al, 2020; Bettini, Gilmour, et al, 2020; Billingsley et al, 2020; Kaufhold et al, 2006, Mastropieri, 2001; McCarthy et al, 2016). Research also indicates that when teachers feel they have curricular resources, this may lead to (a) reduced time spent searching for and creating materials for instruction and (b) increases in teachers’ perception of well-used planning time (Bettini, Cumming, et al, 2020).…”

“…Access to curricular resources has been demonstrated to be beneficial for teacher retention (Billingsley et al, 2020) and supportive in teachers’ ability to make effective instructional decisions (Siuty et al, 2018). Even teacher planning time can be more effective when provided with instructional materials, as teachers can use time for planning instead of creating materials (Bettini, Cumming, et al, 2020).…”

Evaluation of emotional and psycholinguistic problems in deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the Canary Islands

“…A hearing and speech specialist has been a professional which has performed a crucial social function. The working conditions of HSSs have been examined by Billingsley et al. (2020) , who have worked to further the research agenda that have supported special educators’ work environment.…”