What Special Educators Say about Their Social Contexts: Implications for Sustaining Teachers in Schools

Positive social contexts are important to special education teachers' (SETs) sense of relatedness in schools and their collaborative work with others as they plan, deliver, and assess their students' learning. Quantitative research results suggest a strong relationship between SETs' social supports and their job satisfaction and retention; however, far less attention has been focused on what is meant by social support in SETs' day-to-day work. In this chapter, we reviewed 26 qualitative research studies over a 20-year period to better understand SETs' positive and problematic experiences with leaders, colleagues, and paraprofessionals (paras), using their own words when available. We drew from the new SET literature, the attrition/retention literature, and literature focused on SETs of color, as they are underrepresented in schools and important to the achievement of students. We focused on both the source of support and non-support (e.g., principals, colleagues), and the type or content of support or non-support, identifying both problematic and supportive experiences from SETs' perspectives. We conclude this chapter with directions for future research and implications for teacher and leadership preparation and practice.