A Study of Experienced Special Education Teachers' Perceptions of Administrative Support.

The purpose of this study is to describe the level of administrator support perceived by special education teachers in South Texas. The literature on teacher retention indicates that "lack of administrative support" as an important reason for leaving the profession. This study examined the factors related to administrator support perceived by over 200 special education teachers in South Texas. Outcomes from this study are consistent with those currently presented in the literature. ********** A teacher shortage faces today's schools . As early as the 1980s research has demonstrated that retention is integral to the problem. Increased recruitment has the potential to be part of the solution, but more is needed. The focus must shift to retaining the teachers that enter into the teaching profession (Gersten, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001). The Texas Teacher Demand Study (2003) indicates that 2500 elementary special education teachers and 2500 high school special education teachers will be needed in the upcoming school year. With the current status of teacher supply and demand, it is easy to understand the concern about teacher retention. Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, with its emphasis on "highly qualified teachers, "filling vacancies is less of an issue than filling those vacancies with qualified teachers. Schools, colleges, and educator preparation programs must address the issue of teacher shortage. This shortage is most prevalent in the areas of mathematics, science, bilingual education, and special education. Though all of these areas are important for the continued growth of the nation and state, this study will focus specifically on the area of special education. Teachers are leaving special education positions in favor of regular education positions, new careers, and retirement. The largest group of educators at-risk for attrition is females below the age of 35 who have taught for less than five years (Singer, 1993). This group has left for a variety of reasons, both external and internal. The individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 , and the current reauthorization, continues to ensure free and appropriate public education for all individuals with disabilities. With the numbers of children with disabilities rising and the available number of educators dwindling, the teacher shortage is magnifying quickly. With the increased need to educate students with disabilities on the rise and the supply of special educations teachers is on the decline, the shortage in special education teachers is a cause for serious concern. Acquiring feedback from experienced (and likely effective) educators can help identify the areas needing reform in order to retain special education teachers. These data will contribute to the evaluation of working conditions, thus providing opportunities for teacher retention. Developing an understanding of working conditions of special education personnel and improving them may increase faculty retention. This study chose one of top five areas identified in the professional literature as needing additional research data to confirm its importance. Texas and most of the nation are experiencing a shortage of teachers in general. as well as in the field of special education. In the 1999-2000 school year, Texas had 63,300 teacher vacancies. Some vacancies were created by growth in the student population, but there was a statewide attrition rate of 22 percent. One quarter of newly certified teachers did not take teaching jobs in the first two years of teaching, and approximately half of the new teachers in Texas leave teaching within five years. This study explored the particular aspect of special education teachers positions that was perceived as needing to be improved to decrease the present attrition rate. The purpose of this study was to produce more data on special education perception of administrators support to describe its relationship to special educators teacher retention. …