March 2026

AERA’s newest volume, Transforming the Special Education Workforce: Research and Complex Systems Perspectives, is the first work to unify special education workforce recruitment, preparation, retention, and leadership within a whole-systems thinking framework, an approach that encourages stakeholders to think holistically, examining how the different elements of the workforce system interconnect and collectively shape outcomes for students with disabilities.

Edited by Marcia L. Rock (University of North Carolina Greensboro), Bonnie Billingsley (Virginia Polytechnic Institute), Lisa A. Dieker (University of Kansas), and Melinda Leko (University of Florida), the volume makes the case that the long-standing crisis in special education—marked by failures to strengthen recruitment, improve teacher preparation and retention, build a stronger workforce pipeline, and generate the research needed to improve learning and life outcomes—has not been, and cannot be, solved by disconnected strategies, offering an unprecedented analysis of the crisis and a framework for fixing it.

The volume grew out of a 2019 AERA research mini-conference that brought together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to generate new ways of thinking about and improving the special education workforce crisis. The central argument is that existing interventions have been ineffective because they treat these workforce challenges in isolation rather than as parts of a complex system. To address this, the editors advocate for pairing whole-systems thinking with two forms of change science, implementation science and improvement science, which are both necessary to effectively unpack dynamic systems.

The volume is organized into four sections, each addressing a distinct dimension of special education workforce development:

• Section 1 lays the groundwork for change in the special education workforce by looking at systems thinking, the implementation and improvement sciences, workforce modeling, and strategic recruitment.
• Section 2 focuses on cultivating a capable and diverse workforce by providing evidence-based ways to improve its preparation.
• Section 3 addresses retention: examining working conditions, mentoring, professional development, and compensation.
• Section 4 is more expansive and future-focused, covering workforce data systems, global special education workforce challenges, disability studies in personnel preparation, and evolving educator roles.

Throughout the volume, a unifying focus remains on children and youth with disabilities—especially those in rural and urban settings—who are most affected when the special education workforce falls short through educator shortages, inadequate preparation, and high turnover rates.

The volume will be featured in a session at the AERA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles:

Transforming the Special Education Workforce: Research and Complex Systems Perspectives: An AERA Publication
Thursday, April 9, 9:45 am to 11:15 am, Los Angeles Convention Center / Room 403B
Chair: Erica McCray (University of Florida); Editors: Marcia L. Rock (University of North Carolina - Greensboro), and Lisa Dieker (University of Kansas); Discussants: Roddy Theobald (American Institutes for Research) and Jason C. Chow (Vanderbilt University)

The volume is available for purchase on the AERA website, and the full table of contents can be viewed here. 

About the Editors

	Marcia L. Rock is a professor in the Department of Specialized Education Services in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Her current research spans five areas: (a) technology-enabled coaching in special education teacher preparation and professional development; (b) social, emotional, and behavioral supports; (c) effective instruction; (d) systems thinking and the special education workforce; and (e) research–practice partnerships. Widely published in leading journals—including Teacher Education and Special Education, Review of Educational Research, Journal of Special Education Technology, Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions, Preventing School Failure, and Teaching Exceptional Children—her work appears in numerous articles, books, and chapters. In 2019, she authored a foundational book on technology-enabled coaching for in-service special and general education teachers. She has held national leadership roles, including associate editor of Preventing School Failure and president and political action representative for the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children.
	Bonnie Billingsley is a professor in the School of Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A former special education teacher and administrator, she has prepared teachers and leaders at the graduate level. She has authored numerous articles, book chapters, and books on principal leadership for inclusive schools, as well as teacher shortages, retention, and induction. Her research has been published in journals such as Exceptional Children, Journal of Special Education, and Remedial and Special Education. She has also collaborated extensively with universities, state departments of education, and research centers to advance efforts to recruit and sustain special education teachers.
	Melinda Leko is a professor and director of the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on (a) educator preparation to support effective practices for students with disabilities; (b) reading instruction for adolescents with disabilities; and (c) educators’ implementation of evidence-based and high-leverage practices. She also serves as co-director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)-funded Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR Center).
	Lisa A. Dieker is Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas and director of FLITE (Flexible Learning through Innovations in Technology and Education). Her research examines inclusive education, teacher preparation, and the use of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) and mixed-reality simulation, to support students with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She co-founded the TeachLivE™ simulator and holds six patents in education and technology. She has authored seven books and over 100 scholarly publications and has served as editor for four academic journals.