Teacher retention rates are currently at an all-time low, posing significant challenges to the stability and effectiveness of educational institutions. This paper aimed to address this pressing issue by identifying methods to enhance teacher job satisfaction specifically within the context of Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of special education teachers to reveal the factors that lead to special education teacher retention. Special education continues to be a critical shortage area in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and there is a lack of current literature that considers…

A significant teacher shortage exists across the United States due to factors ranging from accountability policies for the performance growth of students, the overwhelming workload due to teacher shortages, and the lack of competitive salaries that other professions offer. Consequently, state officials have introduced and implemented changes to…

School districts consider many qualifications when deciding whether to hire an individual to teach its students. One qualification is the type of license the applicant holds. The strictness of the eligibility requirements vary across the license types (e.g., level of educational attainment, whether a student teaching experience was completed).…

This qualitative case study examined the perspectives of Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers in a Virginia Region III Head Start agency, focusing on factors influencing their intentions to stay and ways to improve retention rates. The study addressed workforce challenges by identifying specific retention factors and exploring solutions. The…

Although Virginia teachers earn thousands more annually than their counterparts in states such as Mississippi and Arkansas, data show that the Virginia teacher retention percentage is among the lowest in the U.S. (North, 2021). Comparing teacher salaries to those of other occupations, the Commonwealth ranks 50th in the nation, just ahead of the…

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study research project was to explore the structures of different beginning teacher mentoring models and their effectiveness at retaining new teachers into the next school year. The focus is on the perspective of the program administrators, not on the perspectives of the teachers involved. The cases…

Teacher retention continues to be a challenge across the United States. This study investigated the practices and perception of elementary school principals in Virginia on new teacher retention. In this qualitative study, a sample of elementary school principals from around the state of Virginia participated in focus groups and individual…

This qualitative, phenomenological study looks into strategies to increase career educators' retention for the coming school year. To comprehend the elements most influencing education at this time, a thorough analysis of the state of public schools now and subjects relating to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is presented.…

This research investigates whether teachers' unions influence student academic achievement in Southern states that prohibit collective bargaining. Our data are from the School and Staffing Survey and the Stanford Education Data Archive. We measure the strength of teachers' unions by union membership rate and meet-and-confer status of a district…

This study analyzed the perceptions of teachers, school administrators, and division administrators pertaining to leadership and teacher participation in the instructional decision-making process. Prior to this study, how these perceptions could affect teachers' overall desire to continue to teach and perform their duties at a level evaluated as…

We used 14 years of state licensure and classroom data from Virginia to follow 19,878 special education teachers (SETs) who completed either the alternative route (AR) internship or traditional programs. Findings reveal that a greater percentage of SETs of color participated in AR programs compared to traditional licensure programs, while a…

Even though most of the students in United States public schools are students of color, the demographics of the teacher workforce do not mirror that of students. In the Northern Virginia region, there seems to be a greater deficit of Black teachers than in other areas of the US, even though this area is known for its diversity, resources, and high…

One feared consequence of how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted public education is its potential negative impacts on teacher retention and mobility. Each spring, teachers decide whether and where to teach the following school year. Following the abrupt end to the 2019-20 school year in March 2020, there were increased concerns that teachers would…

Unlike the ineffective generic approach often used for teacher professional development, NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) Digital Badging offers access to a highly organized system of knowledge and personalized, online professional development (PD) through digital badging. This qualitative case study provided an…