Why special-ed teachers quit: High stress, high risk, low pay

A demanding workload and endless paperwork are stressing special education teachers and causing high turnover, concludes a report by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. That makes it harder for students with disabilities to get the help they need.

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School districts that can't find enough special-ed teachers can lower the required qualifications, offer higher wages or improve working conditions, writes Gail Heriot, a member of the commission.

If there's a federal role, it centers on withdrawing Obama-Biden school discipline policies that increased disorder and made teachers' jobs much more difficult, she argues. The Trump administration's actions will lower teacher stress and reduce attrition.

Half of teachers cite "student behavior" as their primary reason for quitting in a recent study, while only one fifth cited insufficient pay, Heriot notes. In another study, 8 percent of teachers said they'd been physically assaulted by their students or their students’ parents in the last year. The rise in assaults on teachers "is directly related to a deeply misguided (but unfortunately trendy) school discipline policy that holds that disruptive students should be allowed to remain in the classroom and that disciplining such students is both racist and ableist."

Poor preparation, low pay and difficult working conditions are fueling burnout and driving potential teachers away, according to Building a Strong Teacher Workforce for Students with Disabilities and English Learners by the the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).

"Only one state — Hawaii — pays special education teachers enough to make a meaningful difference in attracting new hires," the report states. NCTQ recommends paying at least $5,000 more per year to teachers specializing in students with disabilities and English Learners.

Only 17 states require special-ed teacher candidates to show they can teach reading, even though many special-needs students reading challenges.