Fighting for the Underdog:  A Phenomenological Look at Special Education Teacher

Retention

Jennifer J. LeshBarry University, Miami Shores, FL

&School District of Palm Beach County

The Problem

• Special Education Teachers (SETs) leave in less than 5 years (Billingsley, Carlson, & Klein, 2004).

• SETs exiting special education (SE) for various reasons (Brownell, Rosenberg, Sindelar & Smith, 2004).

• SET attrition rate at crisis level (Ingersoll &Smith, 2001, McLeskey & Billingsley, 2008).

The Problem Continued• More shortages in urban school districts

(Darling-Hammond & Sclan, 1996).

• Direct connection between veteran SETs & learning gains of students (Russo, 2005; Billingsley,

2004)

• Loss of intelligence capitol (Ettore, 1997).

Continuous replacement of SETs prevents consistency in pedagogy, philosophy, and implementation (Brownell, Smith, McNellis & Miller, 1997).

• Loss of monetary capital (Darling-Hammond, 2003)

Purpose of the Study

• To learn why special education teachers remain in the special education setting.

Research Questions• Primary questions:– What has been your experience as a veteran

special education teacher?– What context or situations have typically

influenced or affected your experiences as a veteran special education teacher?• Secondary questions:• What have you done to keep yourself in the special

education longer than the average special education teacher?

• What is the secret for staying?• What would you say to a beginning SET just starting

his/her career?

Significance of the Study

–To understand veteran special educators’ reasons for remaining in the special education teaching field. –May also add to the special

education teacher retention knowledge –May improve special education

teacher retention.

Literature Review

• Some qualitative SET attrition studies:– Billingsley & Cross, (1992) - SET’s intent to

leave– Singer (1992) – SET’s who left– Brownell, Smith, McNellis & Lenk, (1995) –

Leavers and stayers in a large urban district– Morvant, Gerstan, Gillman, Keating & Blake,

(1995) – SETs left urban district– Brownell, Smith, McNellis & Miller, (1997) –

leavers and stayers random phone interviews

Literature Review Continued

• Billingsley (2004b)• Prather-Jones (2003, dissertation,

ERIC, Clearinghouse)• Ketron (2007, dissertation,

unpublished)

Method

Transcendental phenomenological approach (Husserl, 1931)

Social Constructivist lensQuantitative vs. QualitativeRationale

Personal Bracketing – Epoche’

• Wrote self-reflection of own teaching experience

• Interviewed myself• Wrote a reflection after each interview• Recorded my own bias

Personal Interest

• SET for 24 years• Beginning SET experience• Why have I stayed?• Realized I have changed over the years• What has been other SETs experience• Social Constructivist perspective

Criteria for Participation

• Inclusion characteristics:–Must have been Special Education

Teacher at the time of the interview–Must have had at least five years in the

classroom• Selection method:– Flyer solicited through University

Data Collection

• Audio taped interview– Two audio tape recorders– Journeled after each interview– Transcriptions completed

Data Analysis & Standards of Verification

• Sent transcriptions to each co-researcher for confirmability

• Identified significant statements• Eliminated statements that did not fit • Individual textural descriptions written for

each co-researcher• Textural description sent to each co-researcher

for member checking• Final copy of study sent to each co-researcher

Ethical Considerations

• IRB• Informed consent• Pseudonyms• Schools, other teacher names and

students names changed to adhere to confidentiality standards

Co-ResearchersName Years Exp. Elem/Sec Origin Certification Prior GET Moves

Barbie 29 Secondary NE Classic No 6 times

Dusty 12 Elementary SoFL Alt. Cert. Yes 4 times

Liz 19 Secondary SoFL Alt. Cert. Yes 5 times

Lynn 18 Secondary NE Alt. Cert. No 8 times

Marge 26 Secondary SoFL Classic Yes 8 times

Themes

• A Calling from Above• Standing up for the Underdog

-Sub Category: Personally committed to my kids, my babies

• Beating the Bushes with the Apathetic-Sub Category: Change is a good thing-Sub Category: Against my ethical judgement

Calling

• “And I said that is why I am put here on Earth, it is to work with those types of kids. I can’t see it any other way” – Dusty

• “I didn’t think it was everything I could offer, that I could offer to the special guys. I kind of thought is was my calling from the beginning, that’s the biggest reason I didn’t stay in Biology.” – Liz

• “I think I was called by God to do it.” –Lynn• “I am very passionate about special education. I

can’t see myself doing anything else.” - Marge

Standing Up for the Underdog

“There are so many students that have influenced my career as a special education teacher. I have looked at a number of students that have gotten scholarships and gone on to college that I have impacted their life and I think that those are things that I am most proud of. These kids come to high school, beaten down for so long, told you can’t do it, you won’t do it, and you’ll never pass. Those are the ones who said they would never read, never pass all the classes, those are my babies” - Marge

Standing Up for the Underdog

“Teachers always say emotionally handicapped kids are just behavior problems and no one ever wants to give them the opportunity. If I could just find a way in to their heart, I could just teach this kid. If you could find a way so that kid could function in school, if you can get them to understand they are smart. If you can tap into their intelligence, you can find a way to change their future. I truly believe you can change a child’s future with the right education. I believe it now; I believed it back then when I was that 12-year-old kid making fun of Bob on our street.”-Barbie

Personally Committed

“There have been a lot of very interesting experiences, some very rewarding, some very frustrating, I had a child I had to pull off a John Deere tractor, and when we finally got him off, he held what looked like a wooden spear to his throat. I have been punched in the stomach when I was pregnant, but you get over it. They don’t mean it; they don’t realize what they do.”- Dusty

Personally Committed

“I still have students that keep in touch with me, One kid in particular still keeps in touch, so does his parent. He will say from time to time that Mrs. L. taught me to read and changed my life. He was in the second grade in the public school system. He was clinically depressed when I started working with him.” - Lynn

Personally Committed

• “Well, I have to be honest, the one thing that I did, I actually loved teaching, but I think I had to go above and beyond when I wrote the charters and wrote curriculum for community based instruction. Because I didn’t see anything happening within the public school environment. I thought we needed a different vision for transition.” - Liz

Beating the Bushes with the Apathetic

• “I told my supervisor at the district I could no longer service that school because I was out there beating the bushes with people that did not understand special education. I need to be in a school where I have direct impact with children. I don’t think we can change the mindset of administrators in a school, I think all you can do is hope to change the mindset of one individual student at a time. I learned very quickly that most high schools don’t really care about helping ESE kids. And when my opportunity arose for me to go back to a high school I did.” - Barbie

Beating the Bushes with the Apathetic

“First I was a general education teacher, I taught high school for three years and wasn’t getting anything out of it. I didn’t feel any rewarding type of experience. I really couldn’t reach them in the regular education setting. I would never go back, and a lot of gen ed teachers ask me, How do you do this? How do you work with these kids? And my comment back is, I don’t see how you work with those kids.” – Dusty

Change is a Good Thing“I have changed schools, I have changed jobs, I have changed areas. I think the change has helped. I think that every time you change, it is a different challenge, and I like a challenge. Maybe that is why I stay in special education, because I like a challenge. I am not afraid to change. I think one of the reasons I have stayed in ESE so long, it is because I haven’t stayed anywhere for too long. But you know the people who are afraid of change, they just keep staying stagnate. I have changed teaching positions numerous times.” - Marge

Change is a Good Thing

“I have been in it almost twenty years. I think change is good. I think I’ve always been searching for where I was supposed to be. Because I keep finding myself saying, I can’t do this, when they’re asking me to do something. I think for me, it’s just the change, making the change. I can’t do this; I need to do something else.” - Lynn

Against My Ethical Judgment

“Why was I going to stay there and pretend that is was okay and stay there because it is was close to home, which there are teachers who do that. They have been here for 40 years. I just can’t do that, but there are some teachers who can do that. I think that is the wrong attitude, it is complacency. I would rather put myself where I am in a little uncomfortable situation. I would rather be somewhere in a new place, with a new curriculum or something. As opposed to accept to do something that is not right, I just can’t do that, I don’t get how people can.”- Lynn

Against My Ethical Judgment

“The administrators are happiest when we stay away from their office. When I don’t see them for months on end, they are the happiest. This is NOT how I like to work. I like to be able to go to the administrator when I have an idea, a thought, an issue and they are happy to help. ” - Marge

Co-Researchers’ Advice to Beginning SETs

• “You may get burned out after a certain number of years, so maybe you change what you teach and create new challenges for yourself. You can regain your focus if you stay committed and you keep your work ethic” - Liz

Co-Researchers’ Advice to Beginning SETs

• “A new teacher is going through a learning process of her own. Therefore, I think as a new special education teacher, you would have to remember you are learning too, and that your best intention is to help kids. As long as you give it your best, you are going to effect some change. If you are willing to listen and open up it will be easier for you. Because I know the ones who have not stayed have said they had it all under control. They need to listen to the people who have been there” - Lynn

Co-Researchers’ Advice to Beginning SETs

• “Give it time, hang in there, there is so much to learn, I know everyone is different. I probably had a three year learning curve before I felt comfortable with what I do in the classroom. I would tell them if you don’t have patience, you will learn patience. Every time I got frustrated with a kid who acted out, I would turn it around and put myself in their shoes, what if that was me or that was my child. I think the most important thing to do is to put myself in their shoes, their families’ shoes. It is not their fault, something is happening for a reason. Have patience with it; give yourself a break.”

• -Dusty

Analysis• Moving positions may assist in staying in SE• Strong passion & commitment to SWD suggests staying

in SE• Even with frustration with the “system” they chose to

stay in SE.• They just don’t get our kids • Administration choose not to understand SE.• No difference in track, the SET exhibited enthusiasm,

commitment and understanding that SWD can make academic gains

• All participants’ ethical standards rose as resiliency increased

Barbie’s Confirmability

“Looks good.  Reading my own thoughts has inspired me all over again.  I bet if we could get teachers to keep journals about their day maybe they would stay in education longer.  Many teachers forget why they became a teacher.  Many forget the impact they have on kids.  When they are exhausted they could read their journal and become inspired all over again.”

Limitations

• White, female sampling• Participants from an urban school district• Not all co-researchers are currently in a

special education classroom, although they are still involved in SE as a special education teacher in some capacity 100% of the time

• More secondary than elementary

Implications

• May change pre-service, alternative certification program perceptions

• If administrators heard what these co-researchers had to say …

• Brings unique picture to SET retention

Further Research

• Explore the “calling” aspect further• Examine the frustration of veteran

SETs with the “system” and bureaucracy

• Investigate the ethical standards & resiliency when veteran SETs choose to change SE settings

ReferencesBillingsley, B. (2004b). Special education teacher retention and attrition: A

critical analysis of the research literature. The Journal of Special Education 38(1), 39-55.

Billingsley, B., Carlson, & Klein, S. (2004). The working conditions and induction support of career special educators. Council for Exceptional Children 70(3), 333-347.

Brownell, M., Smith, S., McNellis, J., & Miller, M., (1997). Attrition in special education: Why teachers leave the classroom and where do they go? Exceptionality. 7, 143-155. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from www.CEC.sped.org

Brownell, M., Rosenberg, M., Sindelar, P. & Smith, D. (2004). Teacher education toward a qualified teacher for every classroom. In A.M. Sorrells, H.J. Rieth and P.T. Sindelar (Ed). Critical Issues in Special Education Access, Diversity and Accountability. (pp. 243-257). Pearson Education Inc. Boston, MA.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2003). Keeping good teachers: why it Matters, what leaders can do [Electronic version]. Educational Leadership 60(8), 6-13. Retrieved December 5, 2006 from www.ASCD.org

ReferencesEtorre, B. (1997). How are companies keeping the employees they want?

Management Review, 86(5), 49-53.Ingersoll, R., & Smith, T. (2004). What are the effects of induction and mentoring

on beginning teachers [Electronic version]? American Educational Research Journal. 41(3), 681-714. Retrieved April 5, 2007 from http://www.ASCD.org

McLeskey, J., & Billingsley, B.S. (2008). How does the quality and stability of the teaching force influence the research-to-practice gap? A perspective on the teacher shortage in special education. Remedial and Special Education 29(5), 293-305. doi: 10.1177/0741932507312010

Morvant, M., Porter, L., Gillman, J., Keating, T., & Blake, G. (1995). Attrition/retention of urban special education teachers: Multi-faceted research and strategic planning. Final Report, Volume 1 (ERIC document Reproduction Service No. ED338154)

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Russo, A. (2005). Where high turnover meets low performance. Harvard Education Letter 21(5), 4-8.

THANK YOU

To my Co-Researchers:I cannot begin to thank you enough, without you and your willingness to

share your experiences this study would have never evolved.

MAHALO:)

Contact Information

Jennifer Leshjlesh@mail.barry.edu