A study was conducted by surveying 156 teachers in South Carolina after their first year of teaching special education. The beginning special education teachers reported that they needed the most assistance in (a) learning special education policies, procedures, and paperwork, (b) receiving emotional support, (c) learning system information related to the school, and (d) learning about available materials and resources. To a lesser extent they needed assistance with curriculum and instruction, discipline, management issues, and interactions with others. Beginning special education teachers perceived that they received significantly less assistance than they needed in all areas, but particularly in learning special education policies, procedures, and paperwork; materials and resources; and curriculum and instruction. They reported receiving the most assistance from other special education teachers, than from their assigned mentor and from the building administrator, and lastly from general education teachers and special education administrators. The implications of these findings for teacher educators are discussed.
Billingsley, B. S. (1993). Teacher retention and attrition in special and general education: A critical review of the literature. The Journal of Special Education, 27, 137–174.
2.
Billingsley, B. S., & Cross, L. H. (1991). Teachers' decision to transfer from special to general education. The Journal of Special Education, 24, 496–511.
3.
Billingsley, B. S., Bodkins, D., & Hendricks, M. B. (1993). Why special educators leave teaching: Implications for administrators. Case in Point, 7(2), 23–38.
4.
Billingsley, B. S., & Tomchin, E. M. (1992). Four beginning LD teachers: What their experiences suggest for trainers and employers. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 7, 104–112.
5.
Brownell, M. T, & Smith, S. W. (1992). Attrition/retention of special education teachers: Critique of current research and recommendations for retention efforts. Teacher Education and Special Education, 15, 229–248.
6.
Brownell, M. T, Yeager, E., Rennells, M. S., & Riley T. (1997). Teachers working together: What teacher educators and researchers should know. Teacher Education and Special Education, 20, 340–359.
7.
Cambone, J., Sambone, A., & Suarez, S. C. (1996, April). Are they learning as we expected them to learn? An evaluation of the preparation of special education teachers using a professional development school model. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 394 251)
8.
Cheney, C. O., Krajewski, J., & Combs, M. (1992). Understanding the first year teacher: Implications for induction programs. Teacher Education and Special Education15(1), 18–24.
9.
Cohen, M. K., Gale, M., & Meyer, J. M. (1994). Survival guide for the frst-year special education teacher (Rev. ed.). Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children.
10.
Council for Exceptional Children (2000). Bright Futures for exceptional learners: An action agenda to achieve quality conditions for teaching and learning [On-line]. Retrieved on March 14, 2003, at http://www.cec.sped.org/ spotlight/cond/bfintro.html
11.
Cross, L. H., & Billingsley, B. S. (1994). Testing a model of special educator's intent to stay in teaching. Exceptional Children, 60, 411–412.
12.
Dollase, R. H. (1992). Voices of beginning teachers: Visions and realities.New York: Teacher's College Press.
13.
Feiman-Nemser, S. (1996). Teacher mentoring: A critical review. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 397 060) Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education.
14.
Fuller, F. F., & Bown, O. H. (1975). Becoming a teacher. In K. Ryan (Ed.), Teacher education: The seventy-fourth yearbook of the national society for the study of education part II. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
15.
Gordon, S. P. (1991). How to help beginning teachers succeed.Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
16.
Greer, J. G., & Greer, B. B. (1992). Stopping burnout before it starts: Prevention measures at the preservice level. Teacher Education and Special Education, 15, 168–174.
17.
Huling-Austin, L., & Murphy, S. C. (1987, April). Assessing the impact of teacher induction programs: Implications for program development. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 283 779)
18.
Karge, B. D., & Freiberg, M. R. (April, 1992). Beginning special education teachers: At risk for attrition. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 353 235)
19.
Kilgore, K. L., & Griffin, C. C. (1998). Beginning special educators: Problems of practice and the influence of school context. Teacher education and special education, 21, 155–173.
20.
McKnab, P. (1983). Special education personnel attrition in Kansas, 1976 to 1982: A summary of attrition rates and an analysis of reasons for quitting. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Division of personnel Preparation. Washington, DC (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 238 231)
21.
Miller, M. D., Brownell, M. T., & Smith, S. W. (1999). Factors that predict teachers staying in, leaving, or transferring from the special education classroom. Exceptional Children, 65, 201–218.
22.
Odell, S. J. (1986). Induction support of new teachers: A functional approach. Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 26–29.
23.
Platt, J. M., & Olson, J. (1990). Why teachers are leaving special education: Implications for preservice and inservice educators. Teacher Education and Special Education, 13, 192–196.
24.
Sears, J. T., Marshall, J. D., & Otis-Wilborn, A. (1994). When best doesn't equal good.New York: Teacher's College Press.
25.
Shelton, C. F., & Polingue, A. B. (2000). The exceptional teacher's handbook: The first-year special education teacher's guide for success.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
26.
Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54, 143–178.
27.
Westling, D. L., & Whitten, T. M. (1996). Rural special education teachers' plans to continue or leave their teaching positions. Exceptional Children, 62, 319–335.
28.
Whitaker, S. D. (1999). Induction year special education teachers: Perceptions of mentoring and its relationship to attrition. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
29.
Whitaker, S. D. (2000a). Mentoring beginning special education teachers and the relationship to attrition. Exceptional Children, 66, 546–566.
30.
Whitaker, S. D. (2000b). What do first-year special education need?Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(1), 28-36.
31.
White, M. (1995). Factors contributing to special education teacher attrition: How a one year internship affects the attrition rates of special education teachers in Kentucky. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
32.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (2nd ed.). Moun-tainview, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.
33.
Zabel, R. H. & Zabel, M. K. (2001). Revisiting burnout among special education teachers: Do age, experience, and preparation still matter?Teacher Education and Special Education, 24, 128–139.
