Behind The Shortage Of Special Ed Teachers: Long Hours, Crushing Paperwork : NPR Ed : NPR

Behind The Shortage Of Special Ed Teachers: Long Hours, Crushing Paperwork : NPR Ed : NPR:

Behind The Shortage Of Special Ed Teachers: Long Hours, Crushing Paperwork

There is a letter that school districts really don't like sending home to parents of special education students. Each state has a different version, but they begin with something like this:

"Dear Parent, as of the date of this letter your child's teacher is not considered 'highly qualified.' " And then: "This doesn't mean your child's teacher is not capable or effective. It means they haven't met the state standards for teaching in their subject."

Quick Facts

• 49 States

  Report a shortage of special education teachers/related service personnel

• 12.3 percent

  Of special education teachers leave the profession. Nearly double the rate of general education teachers

• 82 percent

  Of special educators across the nation report there are not enough professionals to meet the needs of students with disabilities

• 51 percent

  Of all school districts and 90 percent of high-poverty schools report having difficulty recruiting highly qualified special education teachers
  (Compiled by the National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services)

In any other subject, that's an annoying problem that suggests students may not be well served. In special education, it means the school district is breaking the law.

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires that every student have what's known as an IEP — Individualized Education Program. And almost always, those IEP's spell out that students — either some of the time or all of the time — must be taught by a teacher fully certified in special education.

'Under A Microscope'

And yet, around the country, that's exactly the category of teacher that's most in demand, as many states and districts are reporting severe shortages.

"This crisis has been coming for a long time," says David Pennington, superintendent of Ponca City public schools in Oklahoma. Many teachers there are nearing retirement and he's not sure he can replace them.

"Forget about replacing them with someone of the same quality," he says. "I'm just worried about replacing them. Period."

Pennington's rural district of 5,300 students northwest of Tulsa has been hit hard by the shortage. He says it's extremely difficult to persuade newer special education teachers to stay beyond two or three years.

"The job is not what they thought it was going to be," Pennington explains. "They feel like they're under a microscope all the time."

On top of the normal demands of teaching, special education teachers face additional pressures: feelings of isolation, fear of lawsuits and students who demand extra attention. Many are the only special-needs teacher in their grade or their school, or sometimes in the entire district.

And then, there's the seemingly endless paperwork.

"It is not uncommon," Pennington says, "for a special ed teacher to tell me, 'I did not Behind The Shortage Of Special Ed Teachers: Long Hours, Crushing Paperwork : NPR Ed : NPR: