This qualitative descriptive case study focused on elementary school teachers' perspectives on their principals' demonstrated leadership behaviors and how these behaviors affect their teacher self-efficacy. Limited studies revealed a relationship between teacher efficacy and principal leadership behavior when examining each factor separately.…

This non-experimental study examines the relationship between teachers' perceptions of their principals' use of transformational leadership styles and teachers' commitments and turnover intentions. The convenience sample consisted of participants from elementary teachers in Texas public school districts, as well as teachers from the researcher's…

Teacher turnover jeopardizes school effectiveness and contributes to teacher shortages directly impacting student learning. The problem addressed by this study was the negative impact of turnover in Texas Fast Growth School Coalition Districts' newly hired teachers. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study aimed to analyze the…

Educator shortages have become a reality in public education, and, while research has documented reasons teachers leave the profession, there has been limited research into why teachers choose to stay. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that keep teachers who serve in Title I schools in the profession to their mid-career (10-15…

Teacher preparation in Texas has seen significant shifts in recent years, driven by increasing reliance on uncertified teachers, the expansion of Grow Your Own models, and the development of residency-based programs. The author of this policy brief has authored three studies that collectively highlight the impact of educator preparation programs…

Quality bilingual teachers are needed to close achievement gaps for students who are English Learners (ELs). The problem addressed in this study focused on finding strategies through teachers' experiences for effectively recruiting and retaining elementary bilingual teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study with a phenomenological research…

The purpose of this embedded descriptive case study was to describe job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction factors that influence urban teacher retention, along with looking at the influence and role of principal leadership through looking at the State of Texas Attrition Report, interviewing an elementary principal, and surveying the teachers at…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how elementary and secondary teachers with fewer than three years of experience describe how administrative support and professional development influences their decision to remain in the teaching profession at elementary and secondary schools in a Texas school district. There were…

There are nearly 250 teachers hired each school year due to attrition in Smith Independent School District (SISD). Attrition is a repetitive obstacle to finding qualified teachers for open positions. From the 2015-2016 to 2018-2019 school years, there were1,000 teachers hired across SISD due to attrition, representing a 24% teacher attrition rate.…

Strengthening teacher supply is a key policy objective for K-12 public education, but understanding of the early teacher pipeline remains limited. In this descriptive analysis, we leverage the universe of applications to a large public university in Texas from 2009 to 2020 to examine the pipeline into teacher education and employment as a K-12…

Strengthening teacher supply is a key policy objective for K-12 public education, but understanding of the early teacher pipeline remains limited. We leverage the universe of applications to a large public university in Texas from 2009-2020 to examine the pipeline into teacher education and employment as a K-12 public school teacher. A unique…

The shortage of secondary STEM teachers has led to periodic calls over the past four decades for federal intervention. For more than 15 years, the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program has constituted the most important response at the national level to these calls. The main activity is direct support to…

The School Improvement Division of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) identifies, monitors, and supports low-performing schools. To identify low-performing schools, TEA assigns annual academic accountability ratings to its districts and schools, but these ratings are provided only once per year and are vulnerable to disruptions in the assessment…

The School Improvement Division of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) identifies, monitors, and supports low-performing schools. To identify low-performing schools, TEA assigns annual academic accountability ratings to its districts and schools, but these ratings are provided only once per year and are vulnerable to disruptions in the assessment…

Little is known about differences between traditional, university-based certification programs and alternative certification programs in terms of outcomes for students and teachers. Across all preparation pathways, however, too many early career teachers leave the field (over 40% within first five years). This attrition problem is likely to grow…