The rate at which teacher turnover is taking place in Hawai'i is a concern for many administrators and staff members in K-12 schools because of the negative impact it is having throughout the schools. Hawai'i ranks first in the country for teacher turnover rate. According to the Learning Policy Institute, 4.9% of teachers in Hawai'i are…

This qualitative narrative study explored the teacher induction experiences of new teachers, who have only taught between one to five years, in a complex area in the Hawai'i Department of Education (HIDOE). Past research has shown that teacher induction programs can play an important role in retaining and supporting new teachers in staying in the…

Background: School systems have struggled to staff special education positions for decades (Billingsley, 1993; Cowan et al., 2016; Mason-Williams et al., 2020), but recent data suggest special education staffing challenges are now a crisis. As of October 2023, 21% of schools, and 30% of high-poverty schools, reported at least one special educator…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences of novice teachers in K12 Hawaii schools implementing professional learning communities (PLCs) and what, if any, influence their experiences have on their resilience and retention. The research questions that guided this study: What are the lived…

To better support and help new teachers to quickly become effective as experienced teachers, the Hawaii State Department of Education implemented a statewide induction and mentoring program. However, literature or reports regarding the effectiveness of Hawaii's induction and mentoring program are scarce. School administrators and mentors are…

Teacher retention in Hawai'i is a challenge, particularly in high needs Title I schools. This qualitative case study explores the question "What factors influence teacher retention in Title I schools in Hawai'i?" The participants were 10 early career and veteran teachers from three Title I schools within one O'ahu public school complex.…

Background: Teacher turnover is a national problem and has been investigated on the national level since the 1920's. This study compares the reasons teachers give for leaving teaching positions from data collected nationwide with local data. Purpose: To examine whether the same problems that arise on the local level have been identified in the…

This qualitative case study explored how three expert secondary special education teachers in Hawaii constructed their perceived roles and successfully negotiated their job demands. There is a strong connection between role problems and special education teachers leaving the profession. The special education teacher shortage has a direct impact on…

Over the past decade, national initiatives have shifted States' attention to the challenge of turning around low-performing schools. The lack of consistent, dramatic improvements in the lowest-performing schools reflects the severity of the school turnaround challenge, but also suggests the need to continuously evaluate and refine turnaround…

This monograph offers an in-depth look at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) efforts, an investment of more than $140 million to reform mathematics and science programs in rural K-12 public education and tribal education. The authors seek to promote a foundation of contextual understanding for improving public…

The objective of this study of teachers located in the Northwestern United States was to examine their reasons for considering leaving the teaching ranks. The research analyzed teacher perceptions in order to achieve a clearer understanding of the realities of the work place and how they affect a teacher's decision to leave. The findings reported…