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Cultivating and Keeping Committed Special Education Teachers
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Cultivating and Keeping Committed Special Education Teachers
What Principals and District Leaders Can Do

Foreword by James McLeskey



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.

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
Chapter Overview

 
The Leadership Framework

 
Types of Attrition: A District and School Perspective

 
Chapter Summary

 
 
2. Why Special Educators Leave and Why It Matters
Scenario: Two Perspectives on Attrition

 
Chapter Overview

 
Why Special Educators Leave

 
Special Educators' Plans to Leave

 
Why Attrition Matters

 
Chapter Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
Part II. Finding and Cultivating High Quality Special Educators
 
3. Recruiting and Hiring Highly Qualified Special Educators
Scenario: "Where are the Qualified Applicants?"

 
Chapter Overview

 
Recruiting Special Education Teachers

 
Effective Hiring and Assignment Practices

 
Tips for Leaders

 
Chapter Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
4. Supporting New Teachers Through Responsive Induction
Scenario: How We Eat Our Young

 
Chapter Overview

 
Reasons New Teachers Struggle

 
Induction Goals and Planning

 
Key Components of Induction Programs

 
Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
5. Designing Effective Professional Development
Scenario: Unclear Boundaries

 
Chapter Overview

 
Involve Teachers in Assessing Needs and Planning Goals

 
Use Effective Professional Development Practices

 
Clarify Leader Roles in Professional Development

 
Developing University-School Partnerships for Professional Development

 
Enhancing Experienced Teachers' Professional Growth

 
Tips for Leaders

 
Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
Part III. Creating Positive Work Environments
 
6. Creating Inclusive and Collaborative Schools
Scenario: What a Difference a Principal Can Make

 
Chapter Overview

 
Eight Leadership Tasks for Inclusive and Collaborative Schools

 
Tips for Leaders

 
Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
7. Designing Reasonable Work Assignments
Scenario: "I Wanted to Teach Kids"

 
Chapter Overview

 
Four Types of Role Problems

 
Designing Reasonable Assignments for Special Education Teachers

 
Tips for Leaders

 
Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
8. Promoting Wellness by Reducing Stress
Scenario: "Where's the Joy?"

 
Chapter Overview

 
Symptoms of Teacher Stress and Burnout

 
Contributors to Stress and Burnout

 
Assessing Stress and Burnout

 
Strategies to Reduce Stress

 
Tips for Leaders

 
Understand Local Stressors Affecting Special Educators

 
Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
9. Strategic Planning for Teacher Quality and Retention
Scenario: Learning From Teachers

 
Chapter Overview

 
Key Questions for Understanding and Improving Retention

 
Strategic Planning for Retention

 
Summary

 
Selected Readings

 
Websites

 
 
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
Key features
  • Features vignettes from practice and interviews with teachers
  • Provides research-based strategies for principals
  • Includes coverage of NCLB, and key topics such as 504 plans and IEPs
  • Market to principals; market to special education list – it is critical to include the book in both areas
  • Good candidate for ads in EAQ, EAA, EUS, and UEQ

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ISBN: 9781483361314

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