Kaitlyn Aiono

EDU 1400
Candida Darling, LCSW
12 April 2016
Project 5: Civic Engagement

According to the National Coalition for Personnel Shortages in Special Education and
Related Services, for the 2013-2014 school year, 49 out of 50 states reported a shortage of
special education professionals. Upon closer look, 51% of all school districts in the United
States, reported difficulty recruiting qualified special educators, and that number is even higher,
at 90%, for high poverty and at-risk school districts. Within the first five years of teaching,
12.3% of special educators will leave the field nearly double the rate of general education
teachers. Recently, sources such as USA Today and National Public Radio have called the
shortages of special educators a National Crisis, as such shortages impede the ability and
opportunity of students with disabilities to reach their full academic potential.
During the 2012-2013 school year, an estimated 6.4 million students received special
education services, and that number is increasing. The shortage of special education
professionals is a result of challenges within recruiting and retaining special educators. Among
the challenges contributing to the shortages are poor working conditions and a lack of available
professionals willing to work in at-risk populations, inadequate support from local and federal
governments, insufficient teacher preparation and alignment with standards, and a lack of
funding and/or incentives, to name a few. As a result of being unable to fill special education
vacancies, school districts are often forced to hire teachers who are under-qualified and
unprepared. Unfortunately, the victim who suffers most is the student.

As I prepare to enter the field of Special Education, this is especially important to me. I
believe that everyone is entitled to a safe, responsible, proficient, and productive learning
environment, and providing that for students with disabilities requires not only highly qualified
professionals, but also professionals who are passionate and committed to effectively facilitating
learning based on the individual needs of each student. I am a fierce advocate of progress and
equality within society, and I believe that education is the greatest tool available to us to ensure
the forward progression and well-being of our future, which is why I feel strongly that its
imperative this shortage, and the need for educational reform, are promptly addressed.
I believe that our local, state, and federal policymakers must improve the ability of local
and state educational agencies to better identify the needs of teachers and students, and advocate
for necessary resources and system changes. Some of these needs include, increasing recruitment
strategies and incentives for future special educators, improving teacher preparation programs
and aligning licensure and accreditation with professional standards, increasing funding to
provide more efficient support, and expanding and encouraging opportunities for inclusion and
collaboration between special and general educations, just to name a few.