ERIC Number: EJ859088
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0951-354X
EISSN: N/A
Special Education Teacher Retention and Attrition: The Impact of Increased Legal Requirements
Nance, Erica; Calabrese, Raymond L.
International Journal of Educational Management, v23 n5 p431-440 2009
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the reasons current or former tenured special education teachers in a Local Education Agency remain or leave their special education teaching positions through the theoretical perspectives of organizational learning and organizational culture. The paper aims to describe the influence of increased legal requirements on current or former tenured special education teacher attrition or retention by reporting their reasons for staying or leaving. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative multiple case study of two units of analysis was conducted through a constructionist epistemology. Data were collected from 40 current and former tenured special education teachers through focus groups, semi-structured interviews, the Left Hand and Right-Hand Column Case Method, and review of appropriate documents. The data collected were analyzed using text analysis software, content analysis, and pattern matching. Findings: Four salient findings from the paper are: current tenured special education teachers want to be listened to and have their needs considered; current tenured special education teachers feel overwhelmed by the workload related to state assessments; current and former tenured special education teachers believe that legally-required changes affected them in practice; and current and former tenured special education teachers perceive that time requirements for administrative tasks reduce time for student services. Practical implications: Implications for praxis include organizational learning and organizational culture that encourage listening to the experience of tenured special education teachers and including them in decisions that affect them in an effort to retain them. Originality/value: The paper assesses the impact of increased legal requirements on special education teacher retention and attrition.
Descriptors: Organizational Culture, Teacher Persistence, Focus Groups, Interviews, School Districts, Special Education Teachers, Content Analysis, Faculty Mobility, Epistemology, Special Education, Organizational Development, Experienced Teachers, Case Studies, Computer Software, Teaching Conditions, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Assessment, Compliance (Legal), School Law, State Regulation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A