Special Education Teacher Shortages Look Different in Every State

Schools across the country report trouble hiring and keeping special education teachers. A new study in the American Educational Research Journal shows that the problem is real but uneven. Some features of the workforce look alike from state to state. Others, including how many teachers hold full certification, differ a great deal.

Li Feng, Professor of Finance and Economics in the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University, is one of nine authors. Her co-authors are Allison F. Gilmour, Jamie Klinenberg, and Roddy Theobald of the American Institutes for Research; Brendan Bartanen and LaRon A. Scott of the University of Virginia; Elizabeth Bettini of Boston University; Loretta Mason-Williams of Binghamton University; and Christopher Redding of the University of Florida.

The study

The team examined the special education teacher workforce in seven states. They used state administrative records, which track individual teachers over time, rather than surveys. That allowed them to describe three things: composition, meaning who the teachers are; distribution, meaning where they work; and stability, meaning whether they stay in their positions from year to year.

Because the same measures were built for each state, the researchers could compare across states and also look within states at differences between districts and schools.

What the researchers found

Some patterns were shared. Trends in workforce stability over time looked similar across the seven states. That suggests common forces, such as broad labor market conditions, are at work.

Other patterns were not shared. The share of special education teachers with full certification varied considerably by state. A policy that assumes a common certification picture would fit some states and miss others.

The study also found inequity within states. In some states, stability was much lower in certain districts and schools. Novice teachers, teachers without full certification, and teachers of color were not spread evenly. They were concentrated in particular places. Students in those schools therefore face a different teacher workforce than students elsewhere in the same state.

What it means for policymakers

The authors argue that the response has to match the geography of the problem. Because staffing challenges differ by state, the policy toolkit should differ too. And because challenges are concentrated in specific districts and schools, resources should be directed there rather than spread thinly.

For state education agencies, the study makes a case for building the kind of linked administrative data used here. Without it, a state cannot see where its uncertified or inexperienced special educators are working, or where turnover is highest.

For district leaders and school boards, the results are a reminder that the schools serving students with disabilities may not have the same access to experienced, fully certified teachers. Retention incentives, mentoring, and hiring pipelines can be aimed at the schools where the data show the largest gaps.

For economists and workforce analysts, the study is an example of how administrative data can turn a vague sense of shortage into a measurable pattern with clear targets.

This summary is based on the paper’s abstract. The full article reports the data, methods, and detailed results.

What it means for managers

• Do not assume a national story. Stability trends were similar across states, but certification rates and other staffing measures differed considerably from one state to the next.
• Look inside the state. Within some states, novice teachers, teachers without full certification, and teachers of color were concentrated in particular districts and schools, producing large inequities.
• Target the response. The authors call for policies that fit each state's context and direct resources to the districts and schools most affected by staffing problems.

Gilmour, A. F., Bartanen, B., Bettini, E., Feng, L., Klinenberg, J., Mason-Williams, L., Redding, C., Scott, L. A., & Theobald, R. (2026). Composition, distribution, and stability of the special education teacher workforce in seven states. American Educational Research Journal. Advance online publication. 10.3102/00028312261468742