Special education teachers play a crucial role in supporting the academic and social development of students with disabilities. However, many states, including Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana (the four states), have been experiencing a shortage of special education teachers in recent years, and retaining experienced teachers has become an…

The problem addressed in this study is the decline in the number of teachers in the field of education due to teacher attrition in the first five years of teaching. Teacher attrition can be caused by several factors. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions regarding overall preparedness of novice teachers in…

Retaining novice teachers in today's educational system is proving to be extremely difficult. In schools of poverty, this challenge is much more difficult. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effectiveness of a district-mandated teacher mentoring program in a Central Arkansas School District in regards to skills, dispositions,…

Research from authors Danielson (2007), Darling-Hammond (2006, 2009), and Moir (2009) found that mentoring increased the probability that a novice teacher would renew his or her teaching license and remain in the profession. Data from the Arkansas Department of Education were used to determine the impact of mentoring in Arkansas on license…

This qualitative study was designed to determine if the teaching population in the state of Arkansas had a more favorable attitude toward specific motivational theories and practices; and to determine if that attitude significantly affected the teacher retention rate and the quality of work produced. The literature reviewed included the role of…