Special education teacher retention: An examination of selected veteran teachers

Special Education Teacher Retention: An Examination of Selected Veteran Teachers is a qualitative study that examined what prompted veteran special education teachers to continue in the critical shortage fields even though they contend with challenging situations that have been a deterrent for others to remain in the classroom (e.g. Nelson, 2001). This study investigated if there was a relationship between professional and personal experiences and the longevity of veteran special education teachers, it investigated if there was a relationship between the effects of the quality education provisions of NCLB for special education student and teacher retention, and it investigated if there was a relationship between characteristics of support offered by school administration and veteran special education teachers' perceptions of the value of administration support in increasing teacher retention. The results revealed that the professional and personal experiences and the longevity of veteran special education teachers did not link. There was no connection to the effects of the quality education provisions of NCLB for special education students with longevity in this field. The results did not reveal a relationship between the characteristics of support offered by school administration and veteran special education teachers' perceptions of the value of administration support in increasing teacher retention. However, the benefit of this study is that novice special education teachers can learn from these experiences and prepare themselves to manage the same challenges effectively.