If we want better outcomes for students with disabilities, we have to retain the educators who are committed to expanding inclusive learning environments. Yet entering this school year, public schools again reported that special education was among the hardest roles to staff; 74% of elementary and middle schools struggled to fill teacher vacancies, with special education positions among the most challenging to fill, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s not an isolated blip — it’s a pattern we’ve seen for years, with special education consistently ranking as one of the top shortage areas nationwide.
In October, the Center for Learner Equity (CLE), in partnership with the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association (NJPCSA), released a practical Action Guide for system and school leaders who are ready to move from worry to work. This resource focuses squarely on supporting and retaining special education teachers — because if school leaders can better understand the root causes of why special educators leave their jobs, then we can take action to help these teachers stay.
What makes this guide different
This guide goes beyond identifying the problem—it helps solve it. The guide is designed for quick adoption with tangible recommendations, ready-to-use tools, and role-specific checklists. It’s also context-aware: the strategies were built with input from the New Jersey charter sector and special education practitioners, but they’re broadly applicable to all public schools across the nation — district, charter, magnet, and beyond. That matters, because students with disabilities — and the educators who serve them — deserve consistent support regardless of school model.
The problem we’re solving
Teacher retention is a pervasive and ongoing challenge in education, but even more so for special education teaching roles. Retention of special education roles has been a consistent obstacle for schools for decades, indicating deep-rooted challenges.
The role of the special educator is unique, and special education teachers face distinct challenges. The research demonstrates five root causes why special educators leave their roles.
- The Heavy Load: Volume and type of professional demands
- The Colleague Connection: It takes a supportive village
- Professional Isolation: Surrounded by people, yet often feeling alone
- Leadership Letdown: Special educators aren’t getting needed support
- The Pandemic’s Lasting Damage: School safety and student behavior
These root causes do not operate in isolation. In fact, more often than not, it is a combination of factors that impact an individual educator.
What you’ll find inside (and how to use it)
The guide organizes practical steps that you can make right now:
- Know what you do not know. Fewer than 18% of principals have direct experience with children with disabilities. If you have never been a special educator, listen to your teachers and get into their classrooms. Don’t assume that you know the challenges special educators face in the day-to-day
- Publicly recognize the unique role and contributions of special educators. Share a reflection about the work of a special educator in an upcoming newsletter or highlight special educator practices during faculty meetings.
- Model and celebrate examples of “collective responsibility.” Celebrate examples of general educators taking intentional steps to be inclusive of students, including students with disabilities, in their core instruction.
- Establish Clear Accountability Systems and Data Practices That Demonstrate Collective Responsibility. Create shared data review protocols in which general and special educators jointly analyze student progress data
Each short-term and long-term section of the guide comes with checklists, sample language, and templates so a principal, special education director, or HR lead can pick a lane and execute.
Why this matters for every public school — charter and district alike
CLE’s mission has always been about expanding access for students with disabilities to quality educational opportunities and choices, robust support, and inclusive environments. The guide reflects that stance. Both traditional district schools and charter networks rely on the expertise of special educators to deliver quality education to kids. In other words: school choice does not change the fundamentals. If we want stable teams, stronger inclusion, and better outcomes, we have to support and retain the people who make those outcomes possible.
Next steps
If you lead at the school or network level, download the guide and choose three actions you can implement before winter break. If you’re a system leader or authorizer, align your supports — funding, PD, and reporting — with the retention levers you expect schools to use. And if you’re a policymaker, ensure that staffing realities (like induction/mentoring and differential pay for specialized expertise) are funded, not just recommended.
Our students and their families deserve the continuity, expertise, and trust that only a stable special education workforce can provide. This guide will help you build it.
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