Date of Award

3-20-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Tonya Thompson

Second Advisor

Robyne Elder

Third Advisor

Sherrie Wisdom

Abstract

The scholar-practitioner used a mixed-methods design-based study to address the problem of increased teacher attrition in the field of special education. The problem was an urgent issue within the schools the scholar-practitioner supervised as the special education coordinator. The symptoms the scholar-practitioner observed within the problem of practice were a lack of collegiality among staff. The behaviors observed demonstrated that special education teachers were visibly stressed. Due to the critical importance of quality teaching on student success, the scholar-practitioner believed the problem of increased attrition among special educators was urgent. The study took place in St. Louis County, Missouri, where the scholar-practitioner worked as a special education coordinator to support early childhood special education programming. The current research and professional experience of the scholar-practitioner guided the belief that if special education administrators learn empathetic skills and apply the skills to support collaboration and increase feelings of trust among special educators through professional development and modeling, then special educators will experience increased job satisfaction and choose to remain in the field of special education. After data was collected and analyzed following each phase of the design thinking process, the creative solution was designed. The prototype was an in-person interactive professional development session teaching skills and practices to build trust among a team of special educators. The session was named BRAVING Trust in reference to Brené Brown’s acronym used to define trust BRAVING: boundaries, reliability, accountability, vault, integrity, nonjudgment, and generosity (2018). The study findings reinforced the current literature. Outside of food, water, and shelter, connection was one of the greatest human needs (Seppala, 2019). Educational leaders should dedicate time and resources to building connections with staff. When teachers felt connected through relationships with colleagues, administrators, parents, and students, teachers were more likely to persevere through challenges and remain in the field of education (Sanfelippo, 2022). The proposed intervention was closely aligned with the Leadership EdD conceptual framework through the human-centric design. The scholar-practitioner engaged stakeholders when seeking a solution to the problem of decreased job satisfaction. The scholar-practitioner encouraged stakeholders to provide feedback, which led to improved leadership practices and satisfied early childhood special education teachers. Organizational change was also exemplified by the intervention; the scholar-practitioner utilized transformational leadership principles to inspire and motivate staff while clearly communicating the vision for change.

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