The Importance Of Teacher Retentionment

The Montgomery County IU is one of the 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania. They currently provide services to over 200 Montgomery County public schools within the counties 22 districts; 150 non-public schools (parochial, private, charter and residential); 4 technical schools and the Department of Education (Montgomery County Intermediate Unit 23, 2015). Services provided to these local education agencies include but are not limited to training, cross-county classrooms, access to assistive technology, family services and community outreach support. In order to serve the diverse needs of Montgomery County, the IU employees teachers, non-teaching professions, related service providers, supervisors, substitute teachers and support staff. Additionally, …show more content…
This can reduce attrition and increase retention. It is important to note that while most special education teachers enter the field with good intentions and a positive outlook, the burnout rate for special education teachers is notably higher than their general education peers. The epidemic of teacher turnover has led to a shortage of special education teachers, leaving positions vacant and costing U.S. schools over two billion dollars per year (Zhang, Wang & Katsiyannis, 2014). Due to this shortage, it is crucial for organizations to seek out the best possible candidates and work to retain …show more content…
Universities should be working to provide high-quality pre-service training in order to best prepare job candidates. Additionally, local education agencies should strive to provide genuine job descriptions, a virgous interview process, offer incentives and most importantly, provide ongoing support (Billingsley, 2005). Notwithstanding, the recruitment and hiring process play a crucial role in the the retention of a quality special education; however, this is simply the first step in developing and strengthening an effective special education