The Teacher Support Program

Several challenges characterize the special education profession. The literature is replete with reports of high levels of stress, burnout, and attrition among special educators; the lack of a sufficient number of fully qualified teachers; and dissatisfaction with the gap that exists between research-based effective practices and the daily classroom practices of teachers. In an attempt to counter these conditions, a model Teacher Support Program was developed in western North Carolina that offered several support services to teachers who participated voluntarily in the program. This article reports the elements of the program, the degree of participation by area teachers, and the impact of the program as reported by participants through interviews and written reports.