GAO Report Finds Shortages Prevail for Special Ed Teachers

While overall teacher shortages are primarily confined to geographic areas such as the western states, rural, urban, and high poverty communities, a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that the special education teacher shortages extend through the United States. Entitled K-12 Education: Education Should Assess Its Efforts to Address Teacher Shortages, the GAO describes the prevalence of teacher shortages and identifies gaps in the U.S. Department of Education (ED) strategies for implementing its vision to address the shortages. In gathering data, the GAO conducted focus groups with current and former special education teachers to collect qualitative data and relied on statistical reports from ED to examine gaps. For instance, “the number of students receiving special education services increased by about 11 percent, from 6.5 million in school year 2009-10 to 7.2 million in school year 2020-21” while preparation of special education teachers declined during the same period. From the focus groups, decentralized licensing requirements emerged as a challenge for those entering and remaining in the profession. Special education teachers also noted safety as a concern with many reporting that they were threatened or assaulted by students and received no administrative action to support them. These incidents were further complicated by larger caseloads without a reduction in other school responsibilities- one interviewee reported an increase from 12 to 28 students within a two year period. GAO offers two general recommendations for improving ED’s strategic plan to increase teacher recruitment and retention. “Until Education collects and provides resources that address the full range of key challenges cited as contributing to teacher shortages, its efforts to help states and districts address their recruiting and retention issues will contain gaps.” This includes preparing a common repository where schools and districts can find all of the competitive grant programs that address recruitment and retainment of educators. To evaluate their vision and strategies, ED must establish time frames and measures of effectiveness.   Access the GAO report here.