The critical shortage of speech-language pathologists in the public school setting: features of the work environment that affect recruitment and retention.

Purpose: The primary focus of this study was to elicit the perspectives of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding features of the work environment that contribute to and/or hinder recruitment and retention in the public school setting.

Method: A questionnaire was distributed to SLPs employed in 10 school districts in Central Florida representing small, medium, and large school districts. The primary goal of the questionnaire was to elicit the perspectives of school-based SLPs regarding (a) factors in the work environment that contribute to retention, (b) factors in the work environment that hinder retention, and (c) issues that may contribute to the recruitment and retention of SLPs in the school setting.