"Been in the Trenches: Empowering Special Education Teachers to Remain in the Teaching Field and Reducing the Teacher Turnover Rate" will address six proven strategies for school systems to implement to ensure special education teachers are valued in public education. Retaining qualified special education teachers is a nationwide concern and deserves attention of all school districts. The six proven strategies to be applied in the K-12 sector includes: the benefits of effective inclusive work schedules, meaningful professional development based on specific faculty needs, administrator involvement and teacher support regarding classroom business, manageable special education caseloads, access to content materials and supplemental resources, and mentoring opportunities.
Dr. Erica Sheffield is an Associate Professor in the area of Special Education. Sheffield has worked at the collegiate level for close to two decades. She worked with PowerSchool as an educational consultant for close to a decade. Dr. Sheffield worked in Mobile County for close to a decade as the Special Education Chairperson, Local Education Agency (LEA) representative, Inclusion teacher, and Department Scheduler for teachers and students at one of the largest middle schools within the district. The six proven strategies to be applied in the K-12 sector includes: the benefits of effective inclusive work schedules, meaningful professional development based on specific faculty needs, administrator involvement and teacher support regarding classroom business, manageable special education caseloads, access to content materials and supplemental resources, and mentoring opportunities. These strategies were practiced by Dr. Sheffield, the special education department, and the administrative personnel.