MADISON, Wis. — School districts across the country are struggling to hire and retain enough special education teachers to meet the growing need for them.
According to Education Next, about 46,000 special education teachers leave public schools every year.
A new partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is working to bridge the gap.
John Sanger and Brianna Kendrick are among the first class of participants in the Special Education Teacher Residency Program, where no teaching experience is required.
“I grew up in special ed myself, so one of my biggest influences was my high school special ed teacher,” Sanger said. “I wanted to follow in her footsteps, and I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
Kendrick decided to apply after having worked at HeadStart programs for several years.
“I was working with children with disabilities for like the past four years,” she said. “It’s a passion of mine, and I feel like I wanted to do more within that field.”
The program allows anyone with a bachelor’s degree to earn their master’s degree in special education at no cost to them if they commit to working in special education for MPS for at least three years after completing the program.
Students in the program spend the first year in a MPS special education classroom, shadowing an experienced teacher, who serves as a mentor.
“I don’t have to worry about ‘what am I going to do?’,” Sanger said. “‘What is my industry going to do tomorrow?’ Because they’re preparing me for it today, here.”
UW-Madison Special Education Professor Kimber Wilkerson said they make sure graduates continue receiving mentorship and guidance even after they finish the one-year program.
“Giving teachers support as they are in their first year and their second year actually helps them to build their confidence and not get as overwhelmed,” Wilkerson said. “Hopefully that will encourage more retention over time and reduce the number of people who leave the field quickly.”
Kendrick said she’s witnessed the need for more teachers for children with disabilities, and she wants to help fill it.
“My goal in the future is to be the teacher that every child deserves,” she said.