Are Special Educators' Career Paths Special? Results from a 13-Year Longitudinal Study

A statistical methodology relatively new to education—survival analysis—is used to describe the career paths of over 6,600 special education teachers newly hired in Michigan and North Carolina between 1972 and 1983, following them for up to 13 years, or until they stopped teaching in the state. Beginning special educators in both states continue to teach for an average of 7 years. They are most likely to leave teaching during the first few years after hire; those who survive this initial “hazardous” period typically teach for many years to come. Young women are particularly likely to leave, as are those special educators who provide support services or teach students with speech, hearing, or vision disabilities. Teachers with high test scores are at greater risk of leaving as are teachers paid comparatively low salaries.