Allison Gilmour, American Institutes for Research
Loretta Mason-Williams, Binghamton University
Elizabeth Bettini, Boston University
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324C240002 to the American Institutes for Research. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
There have never been enough special education teachers to provide all students with disabilities the individualized instruction necessary for their success (McLeskey & Billingsley, 2008), but shortages have recently attracted national attention and concern (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2024; U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2024). During the 2022-23 school year, 21% of schools reported at least one vacancy in special education and 55% of schools reported it was difficult to fill special education teacher positions (School Pulse Panel, 2024). These challenges occur due to both the high turnover rates of special education teachers- about 15% leave their schools each year (Gilmour et al., 2023)- and the declining numbers of new special education teachers graduating each year from teacher preparation programs (Harper et al., 2023; Nguyen et al., 2024). The current state of special education staffing threatens students with disabilities’ access to the effective services they need to succeed in school.
How Do Special Education Teacher Shortages Harm Students?
Lack of teachers can mean a lack of services. A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (2024) found that some students with disabilities did not receive special education services or had services delayed because of special education staffing challenges. Districts reported relying on unqualified staff to provide services or providing virtual services that were less effective than in-person services. In a recent court case in Pennsylvania, an autistic student did not receive the services on their IEP and was unable to leave their classroom during the school day because of staff shortages. The court ruled that staff shortages were not an excuse for failing to provide a free appropriate public education (Zirkel, November 2024). Growing numbers of news reports further support that special education staffing appears to be limiting the services students receive and the places where they receive services (Graham & Hanna, 2024; Higgins, 2023; Weinstein, 2024). Without access to qualified special education teachers (or in some cases, any special education teacher at all) students with disabilities cannot receive the services they need to succeed in school.
For students with specific learning disabilities, staffing shortages could result in less access to intensive, individualized instruction. If schools are relying on unqualified personnel to fill special education positions, these teachers may not have adequate training in collecting and using data to make individualized instructional decisions. Even if a skilled, well-trained special education teacher is available, inadequate staffing could result in these teachers having insufficient time to plan and provide the intensity of instruction many students need.
Staffing challenges also harm students in less apparent ways. When special education teachers leave their positions, they take their knowledge and experience with them. This may disrupt program implementation and school-wide reform efforts (Sindelar et al., 2006). Students may also be affected by who replaces the teacher who leaves. Open positions are often filled by less experienced teachers who are typically less effective than more experienced teachers (Papay & Kraft, 2015). Additionally, evidence consistently indicates that when a teacher leaves their position it impacts the effectiveness of their colleagues who stay (Atteberry et al., 2017; Ronfeldt et al., 2013). These findings raise alarms as they indicate that special education teacher attrition may both exacerbate staffing challenges and reduce the effectiveness of the educators who remain in the school.
Importantly, the effects of special education staffing problems on students are not equitably distributed. Instead, schools and districts in rural areas or those serving more racially/ethnically minoritized students or students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds experience the greatest staffing challenges. For example, 17% of schools serving less than 25% students identified as minorities reported having one or more special education teacher vacancy; by contrast, 28% of schools serving more than 75% students identified as minorities reported having one or more special education teacher vacancy (School Pulse Panel, 2024). In schools serving more students experiencing poverty, the percentage of special education teachers with no teacher preparation is five percentage points higher than in schools serving more affluent students (Mason-Williams, 2015). There is also a seven percentage point gap, favoring schools serving more affluent students, in the percentage of certified special education teachers in higher vs. lower poverty schools (Mason-Williams, 2015). Thus, students from less advantaged backgrounds are more impacted by special education teacher shortages, accumulating even more disadvantage to students who are already marginalized.
The causes of shortages are multifaceted and require multiple, comprehensive solutions at the local, state, and federal levels. As part of a newly funded center, The Special Educator Workforce: A Research Collaborative (SPARC Center), we will be assessing the effects of a wide variety of initiatives to strengthen the special education teacher workforce in seven partner states (visit https://www.sparccenter.org for more information). There is, unfortunately, no single silver bullet to ensure all students with disabilities have access to a qualified teacher. But there are actions caregivers can take to address special education teacher shortages.
What Can We Do About Special Education Teacher Shortages?
Despite the complexity of the workforce challenges facing special education, research suggests there are ways to assist with retention and recruitment efforts in schools. .
Caregivers may find themselves in a position where staff shortages directly impact the services their child should receive. Regional Parent Centers (find yours at https://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/#info) may provide additional information about how to advocate for the supports needed in school, as well as provide information about options outside of school (e.g., tutoring programs or summer camps). Caregivers may need to partner with schools to think creatively about finding staff to deliver services. For example, IEP teams may need to consider the use of virtual services or contracted service providers if the district is lacking the personnel required to provide specialized instruction or related services included on an IEP. While perhaps not ideal, this approach is better than not including services on an IEP due to staffing shortages.
Special education teacher shortages exist due to systemic problems, and addressing them at scale will require systemic change. Throughout the history of special education, parents have been crucial advocates for systemic change, helping to create and ensure continuation of special education as a federal civil right. There are several key systemic levers for strengthening the special education teacher workforce; parents can engage in advocacy and activism on behalf of these systemic levers.
First, teacher preparation programs play a crucial role in ensuring an adequate number of new special education teachers enter the field and in shaping where they teach. For example, evidence indicates that student teachers are more likely to choose to teach in the district where they completed student teaching (Krieg et al., 2016). Thus, supporting student teachers can increase the likelihood that a district is able to recruit qualified personnel to fill open positions. Parents can engage with their local special education parent advisory councils to advocate for the district to build and maintain relationships with local teacher preparation programs. Parents can also engage with state and national advocacy groups (e.g., Learning Disabilities Association of America, the Council for Exceptional Children) to advocate for continued funding and support for special education teacher preparation.
Second, caregivers can be local advocates for special education and share information about programs that support entry into a special education teaching career. Critical to eliminating shortages is increasing the supply of special education teachers. Federal, and in some cases state and local, programs may be available to help defray the costs of higher education to help recruit new individuals into the field. For example, many universities have begun offering teacher residency, “grow your own” programs, and other “earn as you go” programs geared toward career changers and other non-traditional university students (Edwards & Kraft, 2024; Truwit et al., 2024). For students currently in college or considering getting a graduate degree to teach special education, the TEACH loan is a great option. A “service loan payback” program, it provides individuals pursuing a career in special education teaching (or other hard-to-staff fields) with up to $16,000 in federal loans to pay for college in exchange for teaching in a qualifying school for four years. Caregivers can promote these opportunities to individuals in their communities, or consider enrolling themselves.
Third, working conditions are a key factor contributing to higher special education teacher attrition (e.g., Billingsley & Bettini, 2019). Working conditions are the balance between the responsibilities special education teachers are assigned and the resources (e.g., time, materials, collegial support) they have to fulfill those responsibilities (Stark et al., 2023). When special education teachers experience heavy responsibilities without sufficient resources to fulfill all responsibilities well, they are more likely to feel stressed, overwhelmed, and burned out, and thus more likely to plan to leave their jobs (Bettini, Jones et al., 2017; Bettini, Cumming et al., 2020; Brunsting et al., 2022). Parents can work with their local special education parent advisory council to ask the district for data on special education teachers’ working conditions. The district may have measures they already administer to teachers, or parents can refer them to freely available resources for collecting such data (this toolkit provides a number of tools https://lead-idea.org/navigator/retention). These data can then be used to identify specific supports to advocate for potentially leading to stronger retention and more effective instruction.
Caregivers may also be able to directly impact the working conditions experienced by special education teachers in their local community. Several studies have indicated limited planning time makes it challenging for special education teachers to feel effective, contributing to their stress and potential burnout (e.g., Bettini, Cumming et al., 2020; Brunsting et al., 2022). Volunteers able to spend time assisting with tasks (i.e., making copies, cutting out pictures, making flashcards, etc.) could help alleviate some of that stress and help improve the working conditions. They can also communicate appreciation for special education teachers for example, by thanking them for their work, nominating them for teacher of the year awards, and sending positive comments to school and district leaders.
Fourth, improving working conditions will require leaders who are knowledgeable about special education and special education teachers’ work (Billingsley et al., 2020). Yet most school leaders report limited preparation for or knowledge about how to lead special education (Roberts et al., 2017; Rodl et al., 2017; Stelitano et al., 2019). Most principal preparation programs require principals to learn legal foundations of special education – but do not require them to learn about effective practice or how to support special education teachers to engage in effective practice (McHatton et al., 2010). With state and national advocacy groups, parents can advocate for improved preparation for school leaders, specifically regarding effective practices and how to organize the school to foster use of effective practices for students with disabilities. Parents can also advocate for their district to hire school and district leaders with strong knowledge of and experience in special education.
Fifth, financial incentives, such as annual bonuses for special education teachers, can induce qualified general education teachers to consider switching into special education teaching positions, thereby reducing the number of special education positions that are vacant or that are filled by unlicensed personnel (Theobald et al., 2025). This solution is especially attractive, as some evidence indicates that educators with both special and general education licensure are more effective in promoting positive student outcomes (Goldman & Gilmour, 2021). Such bonuses can be offered at either the district or state level. Parents can engage with their local parent advisory council or state advocacy organizations, to encourage policymakers to fund such incentive programs.
Notably, any single approach to addressing retention and recruitment will likely be insufficient. Instead, states and districts will need to take multi-pronged approaches to improving the special education workforce. For example, Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education is implementing accelerated certification programs, mentoring programs, and learning communities, in addition to other activities, to address recruitment and retention of special education teachers and other special education staff. Future research will show if multi-pronged efforts effect special education teacher shortages.
Conclusion
Addressing special education teacher shortages is essential to ensuring that special education results in better outcomes for students with disabilities. Though the proliferation of news stories about special education shortages can be disheartening, it is notable that many states and districts are now working more proactively to recruit and retain special education teachers than they have in the past. States and districts are following Hawaii’s lead and providing bonuses for special education teachers (Leslie, 2024; Oregon Department of Education, 2024). Pennsylvania and Georgia are creating robust mentoring systems to support special education teachers in the classroom (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2024). Many states and districts are adopting teacher residencies and grow-your-own preparation programs to decrease barriers to entering the field of special education.
Overcoming the long history of teacher shortages in special education will require substantial investments of attention, time, and resources. Caregivers have always been crucial to the improvement of educational opportunities for students with disabilities. In the current context, caregivers’ voices are urgently needed to press states and districts to adopt systemic, creative, and collaborative solutions to address special education teacher shortages, and thus ensure an effective education for all students with learning disabilities.
References
Atteberry, A., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2017). Teacher churning: Reassignment rates and implications for student achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716659929
Bettini, E., Cumming, M. M., O’Brien, K. M., Brunsting, N. C., Ragunathan, M., Sutton, R., & Chopra, A. (2020). Predicting special educators’ intent to continue teaching students with emotional or behavioral disorders in self-contained settings. Exceptional Children, 86(2), 209–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402919873556
Bettini, E., Jones, N., Brownell, M., Conroy, M., Park, Y., Leite, W., … & Benedict, A. (2017). Workload manageability among novice special and general educators: Relationships with emotional exhaustion and career intentions. Remedial and Special Education, 38(4), 246-256.
Billingsley, B., Bettini, E., Mathews, H. M., & McLeskey, J. (2020). Improving working conditions to support special educators’ effectiveness: A call for leadership. Teacher Education and Special Education, 43(1), 7–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406419880353
Billingsley, B., & Bettini, E. (2019). Special education teacher attrition and retention: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 697–744. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319862495
Brunsting, N.C., Bettini, E., Rock, M., Common, E.A., Royer, D.J., Lane, K.L., Xie, F., Chen, A., & Zeng, F. (2022). Working conditions and burnout of special educators of students with EBD: Longitudinal outcomes. Teacher Education and Special Education, 46(1), 44-64.
Edwards, D. S., & Kraft, M. A. (2024, January). Grow your own: An umbrella term for very different localized teacher pipeline programs (EdWorkingPaper: 24-895). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/0s8x-c050
Georgia Department of Education (2023). Georgia Teacher/Provider Retention Project Annual Grant Performance Report (ED 524B). Report submitted to the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.
Goldman, S., & Gilmour, A. F. (2021). Educating students with autism spectrum disorder: Is teacher certification area associated with academic outcomes? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 550-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04561-w
Graham, K. A., & Hanna, M. (2024, October 7). An all-time high in the number of special ed students has led to a ‘dire’ shortage of trained school staff in Pa. and beyond. Philadelphia Inquirer.
Harper, J., Gilmour, A. F., & Galea, N. (2023). Trends in the potential supply of new special educators. Exceptionality, 31(4), 258-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2022.2134867
Higgins, L. (2023, December 13). Detroit district staff raise concerns about shortages and delays in special education evaluations. Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/detroit/2023/12/13/detroit-school-district-staff-raise-concern-special-education-iep-delays/
Krieg, J. M., Theobald, R., & Goldhaber, D. (2016). A foot in the door: Exploring the role of student teaching assignments in teachers’ initial job placements. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 38(2), 364-388.
Leslie, A. (2024, August). Providence offering $10,000 salary increase for special ed teachers. Retrieved from https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/providence-offering-10000-salary-increase-for-special-ed-teachers/
Mason-Williams, L. (2015). Unequal opportunities: A profile of the distribution of special education teachers. Exceptional Children, 81(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402914551737
McLeskey, J., & Billingsley, B. S. (2008). How does the quality and stability of the teaching force influence the research-to-practice gap?: A perspective on the teacher shortage in special education. Remedial and Special Education, 29(5), 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932507312010
McHatton, P., Boyer, N.R., Shaunessy, E., Terry, P.M., & Farmer, J.L. (2010). Principals’ perceptions of preparation and practice in gifted and special education: Are we doing enough?. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 5(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/194277511000500101
National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). School pulse panel. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/spp/results.asp
Nguyen, T., Bettini, E., Gilmour, A., & Redding, C. (2024). Examining the supply of new special educators: Variations by institutional characteristics and for-profit status. Remedial and Special Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325241270044
Oregon Department of Education. (2024). 2024-25 special education staff stipends. Retrieved from https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/grants/pages/special-education-staff-stipends.aspx
Papay, J. P., & Kraft, M. A. (2015). Productivity returns to experience in the teacher labor market: Methodological challenges and new evidence on long-term career improvement. Journal of Public Economics, 130, 105-119.
Pennsylvania Department of Education (2024). Attract-prepare-retain (APR) repository. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/pattan.net/pa-apr/home
Roberts, C. A., Ruppar, A. L., & Olson, A. J. (2017). Perceptions matter: Administrators’ vision of instruction for students with severe disabilities. Research & Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 43(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796917743931
Rodl, J.E., Bonifay, W., Cruz, R.A., & Manchanda, S. (2018). A survey of school administrators’ training and support related to evaluating special education teachers. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 3(1), 19-31.
Ronfeldt, M., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2013). How teacher turnover harms student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 50(1), 4–36. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831212463813
School Pulse Panel, August 2024. (2024). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/spp/results.asp?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsflash
Stark, K., Bettini, E., Cumming, M., O’Brien, K. M., Brunsting, N., Huggins-Manley, C., … & Shaheen, T. (2023). Measuring special educators’ working conditions: A systematic review. Remedial and Special Education, 44(2), 137-153.
Stelitano, L., Russell, J. L., & Bray, L. E. (2020). Organizing for meaningful inclusion: Exploring the routines that shape student supports in secondary schools. American Educational Research Journal, 57(2), 535-575.
Sindelar, P. T., Shearer, D. K., Yendol-Hoppey, D., & Liebert, T. W. (2006). The sustainability of inclusive school reform. Exceptional Children, 72(3), 317–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290607200304
Theobald, R., Xu, Z., Gilmour, A.,Lachlan-Hache, L., Bettini, E., & Jones, N. (2025). The impact of a $10,000 bonus on special education teacher shortages in Hawai’i. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analyses.
Truwit, M., Ronfeldt, M., & Bardelli, E. (2024). Exploring whether and how teacher residencies offer a different kind of preparation. AERA Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241231937
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (2024). Federal Response to Teacher Shortage Impacts on Students with Disabilities. https://www.usccr.gov/meetings/2024/11-15-federal-response-teacher-shortage-impacts-students-disabilities
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2024). Special education: Education needs school- and district-level data to fully assess resources available to students with disabilities. GAO-24-106264.
Weinstein, E. (2024, September 26). At least 3 Vermont school districts warn parents that lack of staff will prevent adequate special education services. VT Digger. https://vtdigger.org/2024/09/26/at-least-3-vermont-school-districts-warn-parents-that-lack-of-staff-will-prevent-adequate-special-education-services/?utm_content=header
Zirkel, P. (2024, November). Special education legal update. https://perryzirkel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/zirkel-legal-update-november-2024.pdf
