Wanted: More special education teachers in Iowa

CLARIFICATION: As of Wednesday Aug. 17, 18 open positions were posted for special education teachers in addition to 35 special education paraeducator positions in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, according to Teach Iowa.

When Jade Rowell first began teaching special education, she didn’t think she would like it very much.

But Rowell, who teaches at Starry Elementary School in Marion, quickly fell in love with the job.

Rowell, who has taught special education for five years, has many of the same students in her classroom during their three years at Starry Elementary, a school for kindergarten to second-graders.

“You get to know your students on a different level and build rapport with them and their families,” she said.

With a new school year starting Tuesday for many Eastern Iowa students, school districts are facing some of their largest staffing challenges in special education.

As of July 28, the Cedar Rapids Community School District had 30 teaching positions open, Linda Noggle, executive director of talent management, said in an email to The Gazette.

As of Wednesday, 18 of those open positions were for special education teachers in addition to 35 special education paraeducator positions, according to Teach Iowa.

What to do?

The number of paras needed is determined by Individualized Education Plans — a legal document developed for public school students who need special education. The plans are created with the child’s parent or guardian, teacher and other district personnel. Paraeducators assist in classrooms or work one-on-one with students.

“There is a nationwide staff shortage within just about every school district,” Noggle said.

As the second-largest school district in Iowa, Cedar Rapids “is also facing challenging staff shortages …. In these challenging times, our building administrators and teachers step up to determine how to best serve our students and community,” she said.

The district is implementing several short- and long-term strategies to address the staffing shortage, Noggle said.

These include recruiting, offering extra incentives, building substitute pools, asking retired teachers to return and combining classes, if needed.

The long-term strategy include helping current employees become certified teachers.

Turnover

Research shows only 69 percent of special education teachers remain in the profession after five years, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

“This is especially significant for students with (Individualized Education Plans) who are served by a special-education teacher that may be new each year or who may have very little experience in meeting the needs of all students on their rosters,” said John Speer, chief administrator at Grant Wood Area Education Agency, which provides educational resources to many Eastern Iowa schools.

The AEA has helped increase special education teacher retention to 82 percent after five years.

The agency, recognizing the additional challenges special education teachers face, work with special education directors to identify how to best meet student needs, and it builds confidence and competence of new special education teachers so they stay in the profession.

However, only 54 percent of those stay long-term in special education classrooms, with most moving to general education classrooms, Speer said in an email to The Gazette.

Marion

Marion Independent School District Assistant Superintendent Gretchen Kriegel said the district is “really fortunate” to have only one open position of the 24 special education teachers in the district.

While the district’s need for paraeducators is greater, Kriegel said, she feels “pretty fortunate there, too.”

One challenge for special education teachers is the larger amount of paperwork, partially because teachers have to write Individualized Education Plans. The teachers also have more meetings to arrange and conduct with their students’ parents, guardians and other service providers, making it “a little more challenging,” Kriegel said.

Inadequately staffing special education departments can “definitely impact the services you can provide students,” said Kriegel, who was a special-education teacher for many years.

“I wish teachers were more interested in going in to special education. It is a very rewarding profession.”

General downturn

Shawn Datchuk, associate professor at the University of Iowa’s College of Education, said special education is facing the largest number of staff shortages in Iowa schools.

“There’s been a downturn in people pursuing education jobs in general,” Datchuk said. “I think that has to do with the amount of hours and pay provided for those hours. It’s a tough sell.”

Without adequate staffing, students who qualify for special education services may not be able to meet the goals stated in their Individualized Education Plans and make less progress academically, falling behind their peers even further, Datchuk said.

One way to attract more teachers to special education — it requires an additional endorsement or master’s degree in Iowa — could be to better advertise federal programs and grant opportunities for those who choose to pursue it, Datchuk said.

The federal government supports a number of grants for undergraduate students who pursue a special education teaching license. For example, the Federal TEACH Grant provides financial aid to students pursuing a career in teaching, with emphasis given to applicants specializing in high need fields such as special education.

State programs also help students pursue careers as special education teachers. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is working on a K-12 special education general endorsement, which could help more teachers move from one program to another.

A proposal will be brought to the state education board this fall, said Heather Doe, Iowa Department of Education communication director.

Connections

Kristina Simmons, behavior focused special education teacher at Starry Elementary, went in to special education because of her brother, who experienced “significant behavior” in school and “never had a teacher he connected with,” Simmons said.

“I want to be that teacher for my students, someone they can connect with,” Simmons said.

A shortage of paraeducators means Simmons may not be able to do her job as effectively as she tries to teach more students with less support, she said.

Some of the students Simmons works with can create “safety concerns” in the classroom for themselves or other students. Simmons said she helps them find ways to regulate their emotions instead of “hitting and kicking,” she said.

“When you start to see that progress, it’s life-changing,” she said.

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