Recruitment and Retention: Perspectives of Black Special Educators

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research in Progress Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Perspectives on the Experiences of Black Teachers (Table 3)

Abstract

School districts struggle to find qualified special education teachers, especially qualified teachers of color. Though K-12 students are increasingly more diverse, the teacher workforce is not. There has always been an under-representation of culturally and linguistically diverse teachers, and the need to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds continues to remain one of the critical issues in the field of education. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and feelings that Black special educators have towards recruitment and retention within an urban school district. Specifically, I am interested in how current Black special educators view current recruitment and retention practices for this very subgroup of teachers. The common themes that have emerged from pilot studies include financial incentives, administrative support, testing support, school/university partnerships, and culturally relevant programs. These concepts are all necessary to improve teacher preparation programs for preservice teachers of color. These five themes have important implications for recruitment and retention strategies in education policy and teacher preparation.

Author

• Alexandra V Richmond, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author