OARacle Newsletter

The United States is facing a supply-demand problem, as noted by Education Next in a 2024 article. In May 2024, the Report on the Condition of Education found that a record number of students with disabilities were enrolled in an educational institution. The number of U.S. students ages 3 to 21 served under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) increased from 6.4 million in 2012–13 to 7.5 million in 2022–23, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Taken as a percentage of total public school enrollment, this equates to an increase from 13 to 15% of students, a result of early identification, reauthorizations of federal policies such as IDEA, and an ever-growing wealth of knowledge on how best to support disabled students, as noted in the Education Next article. 

Unfortunately, this is coinciding with a growing trend of teachers leaving the special education field over concerns of higher workloads, burnout, and a lack of education, resources, and support to do their jobs effectively. A 2021-22 National Center for Education Statistics survey found that, when compared to general education public school teachers, special education teachers were 1% more likely to change schools and 0.5% more likely to leave the profession entirely. Education Next reported that public schools employed 541,000 special education teachers across elementary and secondary schools in 2020–21. The following year, almost 8.5% percent left teaching and 9.2% changed schools, creating the need for public schools to replace roughly 960,000 special education teachers. 

With such shortages, some students are unable to have their legally binding individualized education plans (IEPs) fulfilled, as they sometimes require a special education professional to support them. The teacher shortage has created additional challenges that have led to situations in which kids were locked up in small rooms, teachers had to physically hold down students, and children disrupted classes. 

Although the future seems uncertain, some states like Indiana are actively taking steps to address and tackle the shortage. After seeking feedback from stakeholders from within the education community, Indiana created a new pathway to special education licensure, which streamlines the required coursework for teachers to earn special education licensure while also providing financial assistance and scholarships to educators as they complete these requirements. Additionally, Indiana’s Aspiring Statewide Special Education Teacher program allows licensed educators to obtain additional special education certifications. 

A few other potential solutions noted by Chalkbeat include the federal government covering a greater amount of special education, offering higher wages plus bonuses to special education teachers, easing licensing rules, and expanding private school vouchers to give families more options.

In November, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights began investigating the issue and the impact it has on the educational experiences of students with disabilities. The commission plans report their findings and recommended solutions to the president in 2025.

Ben VanHook is an AuDHD (autistic and ADHD) master’s student at George Mason University studying public policy and is currently employed at OAR as the community support coordinator.