According to the Texas State Board of Education in 2002, 60% of teachers in Texas classrooms quit the profession after only five years in the classroom. In 1998-99, Texas filled over 63,000 teaching positions. Most vacant positions resulted from existing teachers retiring (11,000) or leaving the profession (46,600). A recent study in Texas…

This study examined the current perception of meaning and purpose in life among Texas borderland school teachers as measured by the Purpose in Life Test, noting respondents' perceived likelihood of persisting as classroom teachers beyond 5 years given their Purpose in Life Test score. Data from 146 predominantly Hispanic public elementary, middle,…

This research study involved the identification and categorization of critical incidents related to individuals who completed the teacher education program but did not teach in public school classrooms. The methodology of the study followed the guidelines put forth by John Flanagan's critical incident technique. This study was conducted during the…

The need for teacher retention has prompted numerous American states to provide programs for training mentors. The goal of mentor training is to offer a support mechanism that will retain novice teachers and assist them in developing their teaching skills. Such a program is the Texas Beginning Educator Support System (TxBESS) which has supported…

The price of teacher attrition is high, not only financially, but also in terms of human and institutional costs. The inability to retain beginning teachers contributes significantly to teacher shortages. This study investigates the effect of the preparation program on teacher attrition. Attrition rates of elementary teacher graduates from two…

The research in this article examined an often neglected, but nevertheless equally important, factor in the burnout and attrition rate of special education teachers. This factor was a lack of school supplies, materials and resources. This shortage was largely due to a constant "tug-of-war" with regular education personnel for the same…

The shortage of certified teachers in mathematics and science in Texas classrooms is a major concern and mirrors national tends. Dramatic increases in shortages of teachers have stimulated the design of new certification programs that recruit and place teachers in classrooms as quickly as possible (Texas Center for Educational Research, 1999).…

Pay for performance is a popular public education reform, and millions of dollars are currently being targeted for pay for performance programs. These reforms are popular because economic and management theories suggest that well-designed incentive pay programs could improve teacher effectiveness. There is little evidence about the characteristics…

The Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) at the University of Texas at San Antonio and San Antonio College is proposed as a comprehensive model whose overarching goals include: (1) creating a learning ecology that values diversity and prepares teacher candidates for work in diverse communities; (2) increasing the number of Latino students pursuing…

The Governor's Educator Excellence Grant (GEEG) program was federally- and state-funded and provided three-year grants to schools to design and implement performance pay plans from the 2005-06 to 2007-08 school years. GEEG was implemented in 99 high poverty, high performing Texas public schools. This report builds on the previous GEEG evaluation…

The purpose of this study had two objectives, first to determine the number of new teachers that had left the teaching profession in a five year period (2000-2005), and to learn about mentors teachers' perspectives regarding the mentor training and the program as a whole. Methodology: A questionnaire was administered to some mentor teachers, and…

A chronic shortage of special education teachers exists throughout our nation and the state of Texas. Most special education teachers leave their positions within their first five years of teaching and the problem of teacher shortages in the field of special education exists throughout South Texas. Texas A&M University-Kingsville, in…

A survey of South Texas Special Education teachers was conducted to determine how they perceived their behavior management skills in the classroom and what effect, if any, this had on their job satisfaction. The majority of teachers were confident in their ability to accomplish the management demands of the classroom. The teachers who showed the…

Surveys of Texas classroom teachers' attitudes were made in 1984, 1985, and 1986. Teachers' perceptions of competency testing, career ladders, teacher morale, teacher persistence, public support, and student achievement were requested. Results are presented. (MT)

As school districts nationwide work to implement the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, they may be inadvertently accelerating the departure of experienced teachers and failing to adequately support new teachers. The Alliance for Excellent Education believes that this problem requires a two-pronged solution: financial incentives for…