Abstract
Special education teacher attrition remains a pervasive challenge in K-12 education, with teachers leaving the field at rates nearly double those of their general education counterparts (Billingsley & Bettini, 2019; Mitchell & Arnold, 2004). Existing literature identifies working conditions, specifically the quality of administrative support, as a primary driver of retention, yet there is a need to operationalize specific leadership practices that mitigate turnover (Redding et al., 2019; Thomas et al., 2019). This study addresses the problem of special education teacher shortages by investigating why some special education teachers choose to remain in their roles beyond three years and identifying the specific school-based leadership practices that support this decision. Utilizing Job Design Theory (JDT) as a conceptual framework, this study posits that administrator actions regarding social support, autonomy, feedback, task significance, and task interdependence directly influence teacher motivation and retention (Bettini et al., 2015; Hackman & Oldham, 1980). This qualitative case study examined a positive deviant suburban school district, Salazar ISD, selected for its high retention rates using a purposeful sampling method (Maxwell, 2009). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six special education teachers and two school-based administrators to identify the structural and relational supports that contribute to longevity in the field. The findings reveal that retention is influenced by a complex system of support where administrators intentionally cultivate peer-to-peer collaboration and provide direct advocacy during high-stakes situations. Teachers reported that leadership practices which fostered professional autonomy, facilitated task interdependence through strategic scheduling, and balanced compliance-based feedback with growth-oriented coaching were pivotal to their decision to stay. The implications of this study suggest that school leaders can actively increase retention by utilizing the master schedule as a retention tool to protect collaborative time for special education teachers to collaborate with both special education teachers and their general education counterparts. School leaders can adopt a coaching mindset that validates the professional identity and task significance of special education teachers. This study also identifies that while administrators can create conditions that increase social support for teachers, administrators provide an additional layer of social support for special educators which impacts their decision to stay in the role and increases retention.
