Exploring Career Longevity in Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments

Abstract

A prevalent problem in the American education system is that schools are facing extreme shortages of qualified special education teachers, specifically teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs). TVIs are leaving their jobs for a multitude of reasons, including large caseloads, burnout, and attrition. As TVIs are leaving, there are fewer qualified teachers to provide students with visual impairments the support they need to be successful academically. This study analyzes the results of nationally distributed survey to TVIs that obtained a TVI role and credentials from the years 2000-2021. The data used for this paper was extracted from the final dataset from this survey and only focuses on participants who obtained TVI credentials between the years 2011- 2021. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models conducted were created to identify if any variables correlated to how many years respondents spent as a TVI. A correlation matrix demonstrates that there were no correlations between TVI years with level of preparation and program format. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between age and program format. Further implications and next steps for research are addressed based on the key findings from the analysis.