If you’ve ever wondered why your child’s special education teacher seems overwhelmed—or why there’s been turnover in that position—you’re not alone. Many special educators feel isolated in their buildings, managing complex paperwork while teaching students with vastly different learning needs. Your instinct that these teachers need more support is exactly right. That’s why Pennsylvania’s new approach to keeping special education teachers in the classroom is worth watching closely.
State Creates First Statewide Special Education Support Network
Pennsylvania has launched the Attract-Prepare-Retain initiative, a comprehensive program that connects special education teachers, aides, and administrators with experienced mentors across the state. Unlike typical mentoring programs limited to individual schools or districts, this statewide network matches educators with mentors working in similar roles—even if they’re 50 miles apart.
Each participant meets virtually with their mentor for at least 90 minutes monthly to discuss challenges specific to their roles. “The research speaks really loudly that you can have a lot of trainings, you can have webinars, you can have courses—we have all of it—but the true impact to the student is what happens in that classroom,” explains Carole Clancy, Pennsylvania’s director of special education.
More than 850 teachers and support staff have been paired with specialized mentors over the past two years. The program also includes accelerated certification pathways for emergency-certified teachers, helping them earn full credentials while receiving hands-on support.
Pennsylvania shows what's possible when states invest in teacher support systems. The question is: why did this take so long, and will other states follow?
Why Special Education Faces Unique Retention Challenges
The numbers tell a sobering story: more than a third of public schools nationwide lacked enough special education staff in 2024-25, according to federal data. Special education has been the most chronically understaffed teaching specialty for at least 30 years. Research from the Special Education Research Collaborative found that early-career special education teachers leave at higher rates than their general-education peers.
What makes special education uniquely challenging? New teachers must simultaneously manage students with vastly different learning needs across multiple grades, navigate mountains of compliance paperwork, and work with parents who often know more about their child’s specific legal and educational requirements. “When we talk to our teachers, many of the reasons that they are leaving are, they don’t feel supported by their administration, their administration doesn’t understand what their job is,” says Clancy. Research confirms that effective advocacy and support systems make measurable differences in educational outcomes.
“If you have a principal that doesn’t understand special education or understand the criticalness of instruction of all students, they may not be equipped to do the job.” — Carole Clancy, Pennsylvania Director of Special Education
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
What Effective Support Means for Families
When special education teachers stay in their positions longer and feel more supported, the benefits flow directly to students and families. Teachers who aren’t burned out can focus more attention on understanding each child’s unique learning profile and providing targeted instruction. They develop deeper relationships with families and gain expertise in matching interventions to individual needs.
Michelle Haverly, a new special education director in rural Lancaster County, joined the program this year. Her mentor has helped with technical issues like Medicaid reimbursement and brainstormed ways to help students with specific challenges when common interventions don’t fit. This kind of specialized problem-solving—connecting educators with others who’ve faced similar situations—is exactly what families need their school staff to have access to. Understanding how effective partnerships between educators and families support learning can help parents advocate for these kinds of support structures.
Key takeaways
- Statewide mentoring network: Pennsylvania connects over 850 special educators with experienced mentors in similar roles for monthly 90-minute virtual support sessions, addressing isolation that drives teachers away.
- Research-backed approach: Studies confirm that early-career special education teachers leave at higher rates than general education peers, and personalized mentoring significantly improves retention and teacher effectiveness.
- Whole-school expansion: The program now includes principals, school psychologists, and paraprofessionals, recognizing that supporting students with learning differences requires trained teams.
Early Results Point Toward Broader Impact
Emerging evidence shows promise. Researchers tracking teachers in Pennsylvania’s accelerated certification program found that more than half said they would have been unlikely to pursue full special education certification without the program’s support structure. The state is now expanding the approach to include school psychologists, paraprofessionals, and principals—recognizing that supporting students with learning differences requires a team approach.
Pennsylvania’s willingness to address multiple pressure points simultaneously—mentoring, certification pathways, principal training, and curriculum accessibility—offers a model other states may follow. For families advocating for their children, it’s encouraging to see a state investing in the infrastructure that helps good teachers stay and grow. The brain’s remarkable capacity for change means that with the right support, both teachers and students can develop new capabilities throughout their careers and educational journeys.
When teachers feel supported, students thrive. Pennsylvania’s approach—connecting special educators with experienced mentors who truly understand their daily challenges—shows what happens when a state gets serious about keeping good teachers in the classroom. Because every child deserves educators who have the support they need to do their best work. Want to understand your child’s unique learning profile and advocate effectively? Start your free trial today and get a personalized Action Plan to keep forever—even if you cancel.
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