This study is a longitudinal analysis of the early career decisions made by graduates of an urban-focused secondary teacher preparation program. By matching graduates' self-reported commitment to teaching in urban schools at the end of the training program to the demographic data of the schools where they subsequently teach, the authors explore…

According to the research literature, there are three reasons that draw teachers into teaching: (1) gender-related reasons, (2) altruistic reasons, and (3) monetary rewards and job flexibility. Based on data from three teacher preparation programs, this article argues that teachers who were trained at elite colleges and who chose teaching in urban…

Teacher mentoring in the era of educational reform is used to address teacher retention, teacher professionalism, and teacher leadership, particularly among teachers of color. This qualitative study examines mentoring networks of Black women teachers. Informed by a womanist framework, study findings point to culturally based orientations of…

This investigation sought to determine if there was a difference in the development of effective urban teacher characteristics after completing a traditional internship experience or a Professional Development School internship experience. The Urban Teacher Selection Interview was used to assess 10 characteristics including persistence, value of…

This study explores relationships between teachers' organizational commitment and interpersonal conflict, participation activities beyond the classroom, and innovation in schools. Potential relationships among study variables are suggested in research that views affective commitment as a proxy measure for decisions to leave the school. Increments…

This article reports on a study investigating relationships among the reasons for entry, preparation experiences, workplace conditions, and future career plans of 15 early-career teachers working in urban Los Angeles. Specifically, the authors examine why these teachers stay in, shift from, or consider leaving the urban schools in which they…

This study is based on data collected during 6 years (12 semesters) in the secondary science methods courses at an urban university in Southern California. The secondary science credential candidates were teaching on emergency permits or internship credentials in local urban secondary schools. They taught science during the day and pursued their…

Under the curricular and pedagogical impositions of scripted lessons and mandated curriculum, patterns associated nationwide with high-stakes testing, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the phenomenon known as the "narrowing of curriculum," new teachers in New York City (NYC) find their personal and professional identity thwarted,…

Analyzes why teachers leave urban schools and their subsequent employment, using the questionnaire responses of 50 of the 124 teachers who left the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) public schools in 1988. Finds that 90 percent of the "leavers" find teaching jobs in other schools. Suggests how the problems cited by the leavers could be ameliorated.…