Abstract
This article is a critical review of the literature on special education teacher attrition and retention. The research focused on journal articles from 2004 to present. The results of the study helped define special educator attrition and retention. The major themes present in the findings were job satisfaction, administrative support, induction programs, and mentoring. The literature shows a clear need for comprehensive administrative support to improve job satisfaction and the likelihood a special educator will remain in their job.
Highlights
There is a severe shortage of special education teachers in this country, which has increased over the last decade (Payne, 2005)
Special educator attrition and retention are defined using a variety of terms
If a special educator remains in the same position as the previous year, it is called absolute retention (Boe, 1990)
Summary
There is a severe shortage of special education teachers in this country, which has increased over the last decade (Payne, 2005). The factors that contribute to the teacher shortage in special education are wide reaching, ranging from preparation programs to the support a teacher receives their first few years as an educator Researchers of this topic have focused on a variety of factors that influence a special educator’s decision to remain in, or leave, the field of special education (Griffin et al, 2009). Given the gap between the number of special education teachers available and the number of jobs to be filled increases each year, a critical examination of the literature is imperative in determining factors relating to both attrition and retention (Boe & Cook, 2006). This review of the literature focuses on the following aspects of teacher retention and attrition in special education: (a) definition of attrition and retention, (b)
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