Exploring the Relationship Between Licensing and Special Education Teacher Turnover

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 2:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Special Education Teacher Preparation: Moving Toward a Just Future (Table 4)

Abstract

This study examines whether the licensing of special education teachers (SET) influences teacher turnover. Using data for Utah special educators, five different aspects of licensure were examined. Our analysis shows that, SETs who were teaching out-of-field were significantly more likely to turn over at nearly six times that of their SET counterparts teaching in-field. Second, provisionally licensed SETs were more likely to turnover than their professionally licensed counterparts. Other aspects of licensing (alternative vs. traditional licensure, general vs. differentiated licensure, and dual vs. single licensure) were not associated with SET turnover Our findings suggest that policymakers and teacher preparation programs should improve support for SETs with diverse licensing profiles to reduce turnover risk.

Authors

• Jaclyn Knapp, University of Utah

• Yongmei Ni, University of Utah