In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
According to a July analysis by the Learning Policy Institute, 45 states reported teacher shortages in special education during the 2024-25 school year.
In September, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released the findings of its yearlong investigation into the national special educator shortage. The federal civil rights panel found that the widespread shortage is leading to a lack of supports and services that are needed to help the growing population of students with disabilities thrive in schools.
The findings were released just a couple of months before the 50th anniversary of the landmark federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The historic legislation, signed into law on Nov. 29, 1975, guaranteed that students with disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate public education nationwide.
Reflecting on IDEA’s big anniversary, educators and researchers said they’re still hopeful about several evolving and innovative approaches to recruiting and retaining more special education teachers. Those solutions include:At the same time, teacher preparation experts have expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s goal to downsize and eventually eliminate the U.S. Department of Education — especially when it comes to ongoing special educator shortages.
- Paying special educators more than general education teachers.
- Offering targeted training and professional development for paraprofessionals, school administrators and prospective special educators.
- Developing special education teacher pipelines through grow-your-own programs.
President Donald Trump, for instance, proposed in his fiscal year 2026 budget that IDEA Part D personnel development grants be zeroed out and that newly allocated funds go to IDEA Part B programs through a single state block grant program.
Trump’s attempt to drastically reduce the number of staff in the Education Department’s Office of Special Education Programs during the recent federal government shutdown also raised red flags among advocates. Their chief concern: that it would become very difficult to administer and oversee federal grants like IDEA Part D that help address special educator shortages.
The state block grant consolidation proposal, though unpopular among Congressional lawmakers, would particularly harm the ability of teacher prep programs to train high-quality special education teachers, said advocates and experts.
