Teacher Retention
Research Question: What role does teacher recruitment and retention play in creating student achievement in urban schools?
What keeps teachers in the classroom, while others flee to “greener pastures?” What can we do to increase the holding power of the educational arena? The answers to these questions are unclear and multi-faceted. Creating a stable teaching force in the American public school systems is urgent and requires immediate attention. High turnover rates create instability in the American school system. An unstable workforce affects a schools ability to create coherent and progressive instruction across grade levels and make it difficult for schools to implement new, innovative, and lasting reform initiatives that produce achievement. “The current teacher shortage represents arguably the most imminent threat to the nation’s schools. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 2.2 million teachers will be needed over the next decade-an average of more than 200,000 new teachers annually,” (Howard, 2003, p.1). In order to decrease this astounding attrition rate we must address a variety of issues. Research shows that teachers are leaving the profession for a variety of reasons: poor working conditions, lack of administrative support, low salary scales, and insufficient teacher preparation programs. Effective teacher retention and recruitment is an important factor in determining a schools learning environment. “Substantial research evidence suggests that well-prepared capable teachers have the largest impact on student learning,” (Darling-Hammond, 2003, p.7). High teacher turnover, inconsistent teacher retention, and the quality of available personnel to recruit negatively affect the stability of the educational process. Experienced teachers provide students with a wealth of knowledge, better instructional practices, motivation, and dedication. Experienced teachers have a profound impact on a students’ achievement level.
What keeps teachers in the classroom, while others flee to “greener pastures?” What can we do to increase the holding power of the educational arena? The answers to these questions are unclear and multi-faceted. Creating a stable teaching force in the American public school systems is urgent and requires immediate attention. High turnover rates create instability in the American school system. An unstable workforce affects a schools ability to create coherent and progressive instruction across grade levels and make it difficult for schools to implement new, innovative, and lasting reform initiatives that produce achievement. “The current teacher shortage represents arguably the most imminent threat to the nation’s schools. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 2.2 million teachers will be needed over the next decade-an average of more than 200,000 new teachers annually,” (Howard, 2003, p.1). In order to decrease this astounding attrition rate we must address a variety of issues. Research shows that teachers are leaving the profession for a variety of reasons: poor working conditions, lack of administrative support, low salary scales, and insufficient teacher preparation programs. Effective teacher retention and recruitment is an important factor in determining a schools learning environment. “Substantial research evidence suggests that well-prepared capable teachers have the largest impact on student learning,” (Darling-Hammond, 2003, p.7). High teacher turnover, inconsistent teacher retention, and the quality of available personnel to recruit negatively affect the stability of the educational process. Experienced teachers provide students with a wealth of knowledge, better instructional practices, motivation, and dedication. Experienced teachers have a profound impact on a students’ achievement level.
References: Titles of books and journals have to be written in italics Danielson, C., (1996) Darling-Hammond, L., (2003, May). Keeping good teachers: Why it matters, what leaders can do. Educational Leadership, 60(8), 7-13. Griener, C.S. & Smith, B. (2006). Determining the effect of selected variables on teacher retention. Education, 126, 653-659. Heller, D Johnson, S. M., Kardos S. M. (2002, March). Keeping new teachers in mind. EducationalLeadership, 59(6), 12-16. Mihans, R. (2008). Can teachers lead teachers? Phi Delta Kappan, 18, 762-765. Patterson, J. L. (1993). Leadership for tomorrow’s schools. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. This reference in not in the text Shakrani, S., (2008)