Strong Supports, Stronger Schools: A Leader’s Guide to Special Ed Staff Retention
Retaining Special Education Staff: What School Leaders Can -- and Must -- Do
Special education can be viewed as one of the most challenging areas for school leaders to manage. Across the country, special education teachers and support staff are leaving the field at alarming rates. There are several reasons for this—but there are also many actionable solutions, especially at the building leadership level.
As school leaders, we must recognize that special education burnout is not just a staffing issue—it’s a student equity issue.
Understanding the Burnout
Special education staff often face:
Heavy caseloads and paperwork, with little protected time to complete it
Role isolation, feeling siloed from general education teams
Frequent student behavioral challenges, without consistent support
Limited professional development tailored to their real-world challenges
Emotional fatigue, especially when working in under-resourced; high stress environments
These conditions aren’t inevitable—they’re systemic. And systems can be redesigned.
What Leaders Can Do Right Now
Here are five ways school leaders can actively reduce burnout and increase retention among special education professionals:
1. Create Integrated, Not Isolated, Teams
Bring special education staff into the heart of your school community. Ensure they’re included in team meetings, PD, and decision-making processes. Belonging is a retention tool.
Provide opportunities for your special education staff members to connect with their teams, as well as time for general education and special education staff to connect altogether.
2. Protect Time for Collaboration and Planning
Schedule common planning time with co-teachers. Build in IEP-writing days. When educators aren’t forced to choose between teaching and paperwork, they can do both better.
Build in time for collaboration. Prioritize it; don’t just let it happen by chance in the hallway. Where and how your staff talks about students is important. Provide the time, the structure, and the support needed for the collaboration to occur. This could look like building in collaboration meetings as an extension to your school’s PLC process. It could look like utilizing subs or others to cover staff to allow time for collaboration.
3. Reinforce That Behavior Is a School-Wide Responsibility
Too often, behavior management falls unfairly on special educators. Build MTSS and PBIS systems that equip all staff to respond with consistency and care. Special educators shouldn’t be the default crisis team.
Develop student support plans together with general education and special education staff. Provide opportunities for shared ownership- of both student success and areas that need more planning, like challenging behavior.
4. Celebrate and Support Their Expertise
Special educators are instructional leaders. Invite them to lead PD, mentor new teachers, and co-design inclusive practices. Recognition matters—so does influence.
Provide opportunities for your special educators to partner with your admin team to lead some PD sessions. Help your general education staff to see the unique strengths your special education team members bring to the school.
5. Invest in Mental Health Supports—for Adults
Offer access to coaching, wellness resources, and a culture where asking for help is safe and encouraged. Staff well-being is crucial for all staff members.
When able, build a tap-out/ trade-out system to allow your special education team members (and other staff members) who deal with challenging behaviors regularly, to tap-out and take a break.
A Final Word
Retaining special education staff doesn’t just happen—it requires intention and strategic leadership moves. When school leaders build structures of support, clarity, and collaboration, we not only reduce burnout, we build schools where every student—and every educator—can thrive.
