UW–Madison’s Kimber Wilkerson, a professor and chair in the School of Education’s Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, participated in a video interview for SciLine that was picked up by The Conversation.
In the interview, Wilkerson discusses the growing challenges faced by special education programs, including a significant teacher shortage. She explains that more students than ever — currently around 15% — are eligible for special education services, but over half of U.S. public schools anticipate being short-staffed in this area.
Wilkerson attributes this shortage to a combination of fewer young people entering the teaching profession, high teacher turnover, and burnout.
“About 35% of all educators leave the field before their fifth year,” Wilkerson said. “That number is even higher for special educators. About half of special educators are out of the profession within five years.”
Wilkerson also highlights the impact of this shortage on students with disabilities. She stresses the importance of strategies like mentorship programs and peer-to-peer support to help recruit and retain special education teachers.
“Burnout is one of the primary reasons people leave the profession,” Wilkerson noted. Her recent study showed that new special education teachers who participated in a mentoring and community-of-practice program felt less burnout and more effective in classroom management by the end of the year.
To discover more of Wilkerson’s insights, read the full interview in The Conversation.