Making Sense of the Rural Special Education Teacher Shortage.

This article examines the rural special education teacher shortage through a qualitative multiple case study of educators and administrators in three rural Wisconsin school districts. It highlights how local economic factors, including low salaries, limited housing and job opportunities, and community poverty, intersect with state policies—such as Wisconsin's 2011 Act 10, which eliminated collective bargaining rights—to create significant challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified special education teachers. Despite these economic and policy-related barriers, participants emphasized that a positive, tight-knit school climate and strong collegial relationships serve as important protective factors supporting teacher retention. The study suggests that effective solutions require multipronged approaches addressing economic, community, and policy dimensions simultaneously, tailored to the specific contexts of rural districts.