Transcript

(upbeat music) - To fully realize the promise of IDEA, we need to invest in what matters the most, and that's our educators. - The number of students identified with disabilities are identified with individual education needs is increasing, and so we have to adapt to that and make sure that our workforce is ready. - There are key reasons that special educators leave from high workloads that leave to burnout, to feeling isolated and disconnected from their colleagues, and also to feeling underappreciated for the unique skill sets that they bring to the table. - We have an extreme shortage across the nation. The shortage has been in existence for a long time, but it's growing and getting worse, and it's severely impacting our ability to provide services for students with disabilities. We already know what works. Mentoring, teacher residencies, school leadership support and improve working conditions. It truly needs to be a building-wide effort where general ed teachers, special ed teachers, and related service providers are working together to ensure that students are getting the supports that they need to thrive. - Really, school leaders set the tone here when they recognize and value the unique expertise of special educators, others in the school community will do the same. (gentle music)