Mentorship & Retention in Special Education

Inspired by Catherine Burkhard, Jedervine Fils, Amanda Freese & Katherine Hover | CEC 2025

When I started out as a special education teacher, I didn’t have a mentor. I asked my general education colleagues for help, but they didn’t really understand the nuances of my role—and there was no formal structure in place to support me. Like so many new inclusive education teachers, I had to figure everything out on my own.

Now that I’m a mentor teacher myself, I want to make sure our induction programs actually reflect the reality of inclusive education. Supporting new teachers in our field isn’t the same as onboarding a general education teacher. The stakes are different, the legal obligations are higher, and the emotional weight is heavier. That’s why I attended the Mentorship & Retention in Special Ed session at CEC—and I left with a heart full of hope and a mind full of strategies.

What Good Mentorship Really Looks Like

One of the most surprising takeaways came from a rural district in Nevada that hosts a dinner at the superintendent’s house for all new teachers. From day one, they’re building a community of support. That kind of intentional relationship-building is rare—but it works.

The presenters emphasized that emotional support matters most for new special education teachers, and that’s something we don’t talk about enough. The best mentorship programs they shared weren’t just about compliance or instruction—they were about connection, reflection, and being seen.

My Favorite Tool: The Mentor Reflection Sheet

I’m excited to try out the Mentor Reflection Tool for New Inclusive Education Teachers next year. It gives mentors and mentees a framework for real conversations—about IEPs, co-teaching, classroom routines, burnout, and boundaries. We shouldn’t expect people to just "figure it out." This tool helps ensure no teacher feels alone in the process.

The Barriers We Still Face

At my school, most of our new special education teachers are interns or part of Teach for America. Many don’t fully know what they’re walking into, and they’re working while going to grad school. It’s a lot. We only have one fully certified IE teacher right now, and while our retention is relatively strong, the lack of time can be the biggest barrier to meaningful mentorship.

We need systems that don’t just assign a mentor and move on, but carve out space for authentic, ongoing support. No one can grow without feedback, trust, and room to ask questions.

Why It Matters

Mentorship is more than onboarding, it’s resilience training. It gives teachers the tools and relationships they need to survive and thrive. It helps them handle IEP season, tough co-teaching dynamics, student behaviors, and the emotional toll of our work. Strong support early on prevents burnout and isolation before they begin.

If you’re a school leader wondering how to retain more special educators, the advice is simple: connect. Build structures for human connection and mentorship. Make it non-evaluative. Let it be real.