The Virginia Department of Education has received a $1 million grant from the U. S. Department of Education to expand state and local efforts to reduce turnover and promote retention of special education teachers, according to an announcement from Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane. School divisions consistently report special education as their most critical shortage area.
The funding from the federal departmentās Office of Special Education ProgramsĀ will allow VDOE to build upon efforts supporting the recruitment, development and retention of special educators initiated under previous grants.
āSpecial education has been the commonwealthās most pressing critical shortage area for 15 consecutive years,ā Lane said. āReducing turnover and retaining special educators is even more critical now as all of the commonwealthās schools prepare to reopen for in-person instruction and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, especially on students with disabilities and other vulnerable learners.ā
The grant will support efforts over the next five years in 2-3 school divisions with acute shortages to ameliorate the factors contributing to the high turnover rate among special education teachers. Grant-supported professional development will focus on creating evidence-based classroom systems, defusing disruptive behavior and data-informed decision-making practices.
āSpecial education is one of the most rewarding teaching fields but it also can be one of the most challenging,ā Lane said. āOur efforts to reduce turnover among special educators are grounded in the research that shows that when teachers are prepared to successfully manage the challenges, they are more likely to stay in the classroom.ā
VDOEās grant application was prepared in collaboration withĀ Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports Research and Implementation Center at the Virginia Commonwealth University Partnership for People with Disabilities,Ā and Old Dominion Universityās Center for Implementation and Evaluation of Education Systems.
VDOE will announce the participating divisions later this year.