1. Welcoming new staff

• Conduct preservice training related to local customs and challenges.
• Orchestrate social interactions among staff and community.
• Orient staff to school policies, procedures, and expectations.
• Address retention and support systems.

2. Collegiality

• Encourage principals to be supportive.
• Encourage principals who support educational change.
• Support teacher networks to share ideas.
• Support mentoring and partnerships.
• Support teacher assistance teams.
• Promote the school as the center of the community.
• Collaborate with university faculty.
• Share school programs with the community via the media.
• Embrace the culture of the community.

3. Work control

• Provide planning time during work day.
• Cap the case load.
• Cap the class size.
• Provide release time for testing.
• Provide job rotation options.
• Support job sharing.
• Share policy making with teachers.
• Provide paraprofessional assistance.
• Minimize paperwork.
• Include teachers on the school board.

4. Professional Development

• Provide release time for professional development.
• Provide professional development on site.
• Provide stipends for pursuing additional training/endorsements.
• Provide stipends for summer school.
• Sponsor opportunities for graduate work on site.
• Provide access to professional literature.
• Provide access to a videotape library for professional development.
• Promote teacher exchanges.
• Develop a career ladder.
• Encourage teachers to teach professional development courses.
• Encourage teachers to develop professional growth plans.
• Utilize existing outreach training programs.
• Encourage involvement in professional development training sponsored by CEC and other professional organizations.

5. Achievement and recognition

• Facilitate support for programs in the community.
• Facilitate community appreciation of teachers.
• Implement recognition of professional efforts.
• Send letters of appreciation/congratulations.
• Talk about "successes" and create a positive school climate.

6. Resources

• Provide sufficient supplies.
• Provide mini grants for special classroom projects.
• Provide day care for children.
• Provide money for staff to attend conferences.
• Inform staff of special grant moneys from CSPD.

Source: Schorr, J.M. (1994, November). Finding and keeping experienced special education teachers (pp 4-5). Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division (CEC) Conference, San Diego, CA.