College of Education and Human Development

CEHD Faculty Receives Spencer Foundation Award in Support of Pilot Study Focusing on Special Education Teacher Workforce

Heather Walter, assistant professor of Special Education in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University, has received an award from the Spencer Foundation in support of a pilot study focused on the development of a measure to accurately assess factors that contribute to occupational burnout of special education teachers, and factors that contribute to their well-being. Funding for this two-year project will total $60,000 and is provided by the Spencer Foundation’s Small Research Grants on Education Program. As described on the Spencer Foundation website, this grant program supports “field initiated” education research projects that are relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. As Principal Investigator, Walter will lead a research team that includes Nelson Brunsting, assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of Florida, and Lionel Howard, interim dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University (effective July 1), both of whom are collaborating with Walter as consultants.

Providing an overview of the project, Walter explained that there are measures that can assess an individual’s dimensions of occupational well-being or burnout based on the emotions and feelings they are experiencing. However, these instruments are one construct in that they are designed to measure one dimension or the other, but not both. Moreover, the available measures do not address the workplace experiences of special education teachers. Rather, they focus more generally on educators as a whole. Walter suggests these limitations hinder the ability to develop a deep understanding of the types of reforms that could be implemented which would improve working conditions for special education teachers, reduce feelings of occupational burnout, and enable these educators to thrive on the job. This could help stem the exodus of special education teachers who are leaving the profession in larger numbers compared with general education teachers—as much as twofold—due to experiencing higher rates of burnout.

Elaborating on this point, Walter observed, “It is well documented that teacher burnout—or the degree to which teachers’ resources to cope with work demands and stress is overwhelmed—is a key concern for teachers, school leaders, policymakers, and families, especially with the ongoing teacher shortage. Although burnout impacts all educators, it especially impacts special education teachers because of their additional workload responsibilities such as Individualized Education Plan (IEP) paperwork, data collection, advocating for students’ needs, and supporting more complex student behavioral and academic needs. Because of these factors alone, special educators are at risk for higher burnout and their intent to leave the profession is about two times that of general educators.”

Walter explains that this is one reason her project team is seeking to develop a measure of occupational well-being which reflects the specific work experiences relevant to special education teachers. “When measures are not designed for them,” Walter stated, “we do not know what factors influence teachers to stay or leave. With new measurement development, we can reframe the research focus from one of burnout to one of burnout and well-being for special educators and this can provide a clearer understanding on how to improve teacher retention rates.”

The project will involve the recruitment of approximately 400 teachers from diverse school districts across the United States who will participate in a series of surveys and focus groups to provide their feedback and insight for use in developing the constructs of the measure. Interviews with the study volunteers will then be conducted to clarify and refine the responses gathered from the initial focus group discussions. After conducting a statistical analysis, the research team will complete the project with a mixed methods integrated analysis to validate the rigor of the pilot measures developed.

Walter’s motivation for becoming involved with this endeavor can be traced back to her experiences working as a special educator, which provided her with an insider’s view of the challenges these professionals face every day on the job. She stated, “I have been in the field of education and special education for over 15 years. I left the classroom because of workplace conditions that left me burnt out and physically sick from poor building conditions and unsupportive administrators. No employee should have to work in toxic conditions, especially when those workplaces are the ones that are also supposed to be safe and healthy for our children, especially young children with disabilities.”

She continued, “We know from extensive research that when adults (teachers) are well then children are well, as they mirror our nervous systems. When teachers are dysregulated and unwell, teacher efficacy and child outcomes suffer. Often, the educators that struggle the most are supporting children with the most significant needs. While most of my research has been around studying what educators’ experiences were during Covid, or how educators define well-being, I found that I needed to shift my thinking as the measurements were not matching what educators were telling us, and more work needs to be done to understand what questions we need to be asking.”

When asked about the key factors that contribute to the burnout of special education teachers, Walter said that it comes down to them having to meet unrealistic expectations and job demands. She stated, “Special educators must comply with special education laws, meet standards and instructional expectations, and undergo progress monitoring and assessment to serve an increasingly diverse population of children and families. They juggle their varied and demanding roles delivering services in a variety of ways including in families’ homes, in their own classrooms or in others’ classrooms, or traveling among several different settings. They often receive little to no support from school or district administrators who may not understand the needs of special education teachers or the needs of the students who depend on the services provided by those teachers. This can create an atmosphere of low morale at the school where teachers are competing for limited resources. Conditions like these can contribute to teacher burnout and attrition which can adversely impact the quality of education provided to students with disabilities or developmental delays.”

Walter noted that attrition caused by special education teacher burnout has led to a reliance on underqualified substitutes in the classroom. This, in turn, has contributed to larger class sizes and inadequate teacher support. “These factors,” Walter commented, “adversely affect the ability of students with disabilities to reach their full potential, thereby raising concerns over whether they have the same access to educational opportunities as their peers who do not have a disability.”

Walter concluded her remarks with her thoughts on what steps could be taken to enhance the well-being of special education teachers. She stated, “Special education workforce retention is vital to the stability and sustainability of a high-quality educational system. But awareness of the factors and conditions driving these teachers out of the profession is not enough. To truly make any headway in improving their occupational well-being, we need measurements that mirror their experiences. We must take a comprehensive approach in understanding the perspectives of special educators, which means seeing things through their own eyes and then providing them with the resources and support they need. This requires a significant investment in higher education, the educational system, and the community.”

The selection of Heather Walter for the Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants on Education Program award reflects the many positive contributions she has made to the study of policy and educational systems change related to improving the well-being and retention of qualified special education teachers in K-12 schools.