Poster Presentation: Changing the Narrative Around Special Education in Hawai'i

Breakout Presentation: SPEDucator Project: SPED Recruitment & Retention in the Pandemic Era 

Although Hawaii suffers from a severe special education teacher shortage similar to the rest of the country, having a single unified school district provides a unique opportunity to change the public narrative around special education statewide. This poster session provides an exemplar showcasing a collaborative initiative between the state educational agency (SEA) and the largest state Institution of Higher Education (IHE) to publicly elevate the special education teacher profession using a marketing campaign called "Someone Special for Students."

The SPEDucator Project is an innovative personnel development initiative designed to increase the recruitment and retention of quality special education teachers in the state of Hawaii. The project is empowering a community of teacher-leaders to develop media marketing campaigns based on the authentic experiences and needs of current "SPEDucators." This breakout session will describe the design and implementation of the project, as well as the implications of developing special education practitioner community, capacity, and self-determination in the face of the current pandemic.