Cultivating and Keeping Committed Special Education Teachers
What Principals and District Leaders Can Do
Foreword by James McLeskey
Courses:
Administration of Special Education
Administration of Special Education
March 2005 | 264 pages | Corwin
Improve teacher retention by understanding and supporting the work of special education teachers!
Are you concerned about special education teacher attrition? Do you wonder about how to meet the demand for highly qualified special educators? This book highlights the problems that drive many special educators out of teaching and outlines practical recommendations that leaders can use to increase retention. Drawing on field experience as well as research findings, Billingsley provides a comprehensive framework for supporting special educators.
Are you concerned about special education teacher attrition? Do you wonder about how to meet the demand for highly qualified special educators? This book highlights the problems that drive many special educators out of teaching and outlines practical recommendations that leaders can use to increase retention. Drawing on field experience as well as research findings, Billingsley provides a comprehensive framework for supporting special educators.
Cultivating and Keeping Committed Special Education Teachers provides effective ways to:
- Recruit and hire qualified special educators
- Provide responsive induction programs for new teachers
- Design effective professional development opportunities
- Create inclusive and collaborative schools
- Provide reasonable work assignments and reduce paperwork
- Promote wellness by reducing stress
This book emphasizes the important role that principals play in supporting special educators and how they can make a difference in what special educators accomplish in their schools. Numerous assessments, tools, and resources are included to help leaders, mentors, and teachers improve the conditions of special education teaching.
List of Figures
List of Contributors
Dedication
James McLeskey
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Part I: Understanding Teacher Attrition and Retention
1. Introduction: A Leader's Framework for Teacher Retention
2. Why Special Educators Leave and Why It Matters
Part II. Finding and Cultivating High Quality Special Educators
3. Recruiting and Hiring Highly Qualified Special Educators
4. Supporting New Teachers Through Responsive Induction
5. Designing Effective Professional Development
Part III. Creating Positive Work Environments
6. Creating Inclusive and Collaborative Schools
7. Designing Reasonable Work Assignments
8. Promoting Wellness by Reducing Stress
9. Strategic Planning for Teacher Quality and Retention
Part IV. Resources
A. Principal Support Questionnaire
B. Teacher Stress Inventory
C.Teacher Exit Interview
D. Teacher Follow-up Exit Questionnaire
E. Teacher Workforce Survey
F. Focus Group Interviews
References
Feedback Form
Index