This paper presents 1989 National Center for Education Statistics data on public school special education and general education teacher retention, transfer, and attrition. The study examined teachers in 1987-1988 who, in the next year, either remained as teachers in the same school, transferred to a different public school, or left public school teaching. Data came from national probability samples of the 1987-1988 Schools and Staffing Survey and its longitudinal component, the Teacher Followup Survey of 1988-1989. Results indicated only a modest potential to reduce the attrition of special education teachers in efforts to improve retention of teachers at the school level. However, the study found that teacher retention could be improved by reduction in the rate of transfer of teachers to other schools. No single predictor variable alone showed the potential to improve teacher retention dramatically, but in combination, they showed significant potential. A combination of teacher characteristic variables relevant to hiring decisions and a combination of school variables relevant to employment conditions were found to improve teacher retention. The two appendixes present (1) a technical supplement with data sources, teacher definitions, and analysis procedures and (2) a table of results. (Contains 14 references.) (SM)