Schools experience difficulty retaining special educators to serve students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings, as they have higher rates of burnout and attrition than other educators. Administrators could prevent these outcomes by improving working conditions, but research provides limited insights into which…

Teacher stress and burnout have a detrimental effect on the stability of the teaching workforce. However, the possible consequences of teacher burnout on teaching quality and on student learning outcomes are less clear, especially in special education settings. We applied Maslach and Leiter's (1999) model to understand the direct effects of…

The article uses learned helplessness as a model for better understanding burnout experienced by teachers of exceptional children. Comparisons are made between the treatment for learned helplessness and parallel strategies for preventing burnout, including helping educators to set realistic goals and recognize the control which they do have.…

Analysis of 601 special education teachers' responses to questionnaires about burnout included that teachers at the junior high level were at greatest risk for burnout; that teachers of emotionally disturbed children reported greatest occupational stress; and that support ratings from administrators, fellow teachers, and parents were significantly…

Special educator stressors within the realm of administrative remedication are identified and organized under the topics of roles, resources, and relationships. Problems such as lack of role clarity, lack of time, lack of material resources, and insufficient recognition and reinforcement are examined. (Author)

A study involving 887 urban special educators investigated factors that lead to attrition and retention and found several critical factors to consider to increase retention and commitment. A leading negative factor was stress due to job design. Perceived support by principals or other teachers helped alleviate this stress. (Contains references.)…

The relationship between supervisory behavior and staff burnout was tested in two schools for severely retarded children. In the lower burnout school, the principal spent less time in classroom observations, more time planning and coordinating activities, interacted more with her own superior, and discussed work-related problems more than…

The article compares the burnout process among helping professionals and teachers of exceptional children. Literature relating to burnout among the helping professions is reviewed. Causes and symptoms of burnout are applied to the field of special education. (Author/PHR)

Survival analysis was used to examine and follow the career paths of 6,642 special education teachers hired in Michigan and North Carolina between 1972 and 1983. Educators most likely to leave teaching included those serving students with speech, hearing, or vision disabilities; teachers with high test scores; and teachers paid comparatively low…

A survey of 1,576 Florida special-education teachers examined factors that contribute to their propensity to leave or stay in the special education classroom or transfer to a new school. Teachers left special education teaching primarily due to insufficient certification, perceptions of high stress, and perceptions of poor school climate.…

This study of 92 special educators and related service providers evaluated two interventions (a series of stress management workshops and a peer-collaboration program) on factors correlated with turnover (burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment). The interventions showed promise as a means of providing on-the-job support for…

This article considers links between instructional group size and student engagement, caseload and academic achievement, and caseload and special educator attrition. Findings indicate larger caseload and group sizes negatively affect math and reading achievement, student engagement increases when group sizes decrease, and high teacher attrition…

The authors focus on the need for administrators to deal with the problem of teacher burnout as it relates to the implementation of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act). (Author)