Elizabeth Bettini

Affiliated faculty
Written by Matt Lehrich

Associate Professor, Boston University

Headshot of Elizabeth Bettini
 

Dr. Elizabeth Bettini is an associate professor in the Special Education program at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Dr. Bettini’s research examines factors shaping the special education teacher workforce, particularly how working conditions contribute to the shortage of special education teachers and to inequities in access to skilled, committed special education teachers, based on students’ disability, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Her current work is focused on identifying potential interventions to improve working conditions, to eliminate these inequities. She previously taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained and inclusive settings in Arizona and Connecticut.

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Examining the Supply of New Special Educators
K-12, Special education, Educator workforce, Teacher shortages
Examining the Supply of New Special Educators
K-12, Special education, Educator workforce, Teacher shortages

Special education teacher shortages have been a consistent problem around the U.S. for decades and have only grown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, reports of declining interest in special education among prospective teachers are especially concerning. The authors of this study examined the supply of new special education teachers into the workforce and the institutions that are supplying them, shedding light on the increasingly prominent role of for-profit alternative certification programs in the preparation of special education teachers.

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K-12, Special education, Educator workforce, Teacher shortages
Comparing Turnover Intentions and Actual Turnover in the Public Sector Workforce
K-12, Educator workforce, Recruitment & retention
Comparing Turnover Intentions and Actual Turnover in the Public Sector Workforce
K-12, Educator workforce, Recruitment & retention

When teachers choose to leave their jobs, it can be disruptive and costly for their school and district, affecting everything from student learning to the experiences of other teachers and staff. For this reason, policymakers have been worried by indications that many teachers are thinking about leaving the profession. But just how reliable are these warning signs that teachers are thinking of leaving? In this study, a group of researchers aimed to understand the relationship between teachers’ self-reported intentions to leave the profession or transfer schools and their actual turnover.

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K-12, Educator workforce, Recruitment & retention

Related research

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Special education teachers share the myths and realities of their job
Special education teachers share the myths and realities of their job

Elizabeth Bettini, a professor at Boston University, has her research on special education teachers mentioned here.

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'Really hitting our schools hard': Special education teachers are leaving the classroom in droves. Why?
'Really hitting our schools hard': Special education teachers are leaving the classroom in droves. Why?

Elizabeth Bettini, a professor at Boston University, has her research mentioned here.

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States face different special education staffing challenges that require targeted responses
States face different special education staffing challenges that require targeted responses

Elizabeth Bettini, a professor at Boston University, has published her research here.

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Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools
Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools

Elizabeth Bettini, a professor at Boston University, writes about her research on special education teachers.

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Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools
Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools

Elizabeth Bettini, a professor at Boston University, has her research on special education teachers mentioned here.

Read more →
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Promises and limitations of financial incentives to address special education staffing challenges
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Promises and limitations of financial incentives to address special education staffing challenges

Elizabeth Bettini discusses in a Brookings Institution article the challenges school districts face when hiring and retaining special education teachers and possible solutions to address the issue. 

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