Abstract
In 2024, the Pew Research Center released findings from its survey of K–12 educators from across the United States. A number of concerning issues were identified. Perhaps the most alarming among them was that 77% of educators reported that their job is frequently stressful. Sixty-eight percent of educator respondents indicated their jobs were overwhelming them, making it difficult for them to achieve work-life balance. As a result of these and a number of other contributing factors such as increased levels of behavioral challenges, approximately 3 in 10 teachers said they may look for a new job during the current school year (Pew Research Center, 2024). To help address the current climate within the field of education and high turnover rates among teachers, especially special education teachers (SETs), Dr. Justin Garwood has organized a collection of articles for a special series in Beyond Behavior designed to help present and future educators alleviate many of the stressors and challenges SETs face each day to promote teacher well-being and reduce burnout.
The first three articles of this special series address the important role school principals have in reducing levels of teacher burnout, especially among SETs. In the first article, Nelson Brunsting and colleagues discuss how schools can make workloads more manageable and reduce burnout among SETs who work with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The authors provide a range of short- and long-term research-based supports, as well as recommended alterations of responsibilities to help make SETs’ workloads more manageable. Brunsting and co-authors provide examples and recommendations for administrators to proactively ensure supports are available and for SETs to effectively share needs and advocate for them.
The second article, by Lynn Holdheide and Lindsey Hayes, addresses the principal’s role in reducing special educator attrition. Drawing from the Lead IDEA and Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center’s Principal Navigator: Special Educator Retention, the article offers practical strategies and real-world examples to help school leaders improve working conditions, boost teacher retention, and help students with EBD thrive. In the third article, LaRon Scott and colleagues provide recommendations for administrators on how to better support SETs of color who serve students with EBD. The authors note that such support is critical to the education profession given that SETs of color are underrepresented and face higher burnout and attrition than their peers. The authors argue that principals play a key role in disrupting these problems. They describe a mentoring program designed to support the personal and professional needs of SETs of color.
The fourth article, by Kristabel Stark and Melissa Stoffers, highlights the important role of teachers’ own emotions in shaping their responses to challenging behaviors. The authors explore how teachers’ beliefs, emotions, and behaviors intersect. They assert that educators’ own emotional regulation strategies play a crucial role in both educator and student success and provide ideas for how educators can foster their own emotional regulation.
The last two articles of the special series address SET preparation and the importance of properly preparing teacher education candidates prior. In the fifth article, Brian Jones and Justin Garwood present a vision for reconceptualizing preservice SET training to prioritize relationship-centered, process-oriented teaching, drawing on Torey Hayden’s autobiographical narratives along with related research. The final article, by Colby Kervick and colleagues, discusses how faculty can embed high-impact practices, developing autonomy and relatedness to inoculate teacher education candidates against early burnout. The authors highlight protective measures and offer resources for higher education faculty and preservice teachers to prevent burnout along the preparation pathway.
