Teacher burnout and attrition are epidemic in the field of special education. Research has shown that special education teachers are leaving the field in much greater numbers than their peers in general education. Research to date has focused primarily on reasons for attrition, not on factors that influence retention. Several studies mention the role of principals in special education teachers' decisions to remain in or to leave the field. Absent are studies identifying the perceptions of administrators and experienced special education teachers regarding factors that influence retention.

The current study surveyed 40 administrators and 136 special education teachers in a K-8 school district in Tempe, Arizona. Respondents read 10 (administrators) 11 (special education teachers) statements regarding perceived factors influencing teacher retention and answered: Most of the time, Rarely, or No impact. Respondents also rank ordered ten factors in order of importance in teacher retention. Finally, 10 teachers and 10 administrators were randomly selected to participate in a follow-up one-on-one interview. The questions used in the interviews were the five factors both administrators and teachers selected as 1-5 in order of importance. The responses were analyzed and compared for similarities and differences between both groups.

The results indicated no significant differences between administrators and special education teachers with regards to collegiality, monetary compensation and the reduction of paperwork being important factors in the retention of special education teachers. However, there was a discrepancy in the number of teachers and administrators who perceived instructional assistants as an important factor in teacher retention. The most important finding was the differences of perceptions of teachers and administrators in regards to principal and district support. The findings suggest the importance of continuing the research into the importance of principal support as perceived by both administrators and special education teachers. Furthermore, identifying the factors and educating principals and school districts on ways to improve teacher retention would promote successful schools, which would cause teachers' overall satisfaction with their school climate to increase, and therefore, improve student learning.