Emerging research from across the nation demonstrates that school working conditions--time, teacher empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and facilities and resources--are critical to increasing student achievement and retaining teachers. The existing national data regarding working conditions impact on student achievement and…

Analyzes a national survey of former and current teachers on why teachers leave the profession. Discusses what career change has meant to former teachers; why they left; how they do in their new jobs; signs of teachers most likely to leave; and what must be done to attract and keep new teachers. (KH)

This paper examines how the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future will address the high teacher attrition rates. Sections discuss: "The Conventional Wisdom is Wrong" (it is important to focus on how to keep the good teachers who have been recruited, trained, and hired rather than ask how to find and prepare more teachers); "A Closer…

This study explored teachers' reasons for teaching in Catholic secondary schools and examined why they stayed in Catholic secondary schools. Data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with four teachers representing different ethnicities, religions, and genders indicated that respondents considered the environment in Catholic schools to be…

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether a similar a line of reasoning holds true for special educators. Though critical teacher shortages in the area of special education remain an ongoing problem in the United States (Billingsley & McLeskey, 2004; McLeskey, Tyler & Saunders Flippin, 2004), little work has been done on the teaching…

In several problematic college composition teaching scenarios, loss of faith in possibility is best described through the concept of disappointment. By articulating the nature of disappointments, instructors might develop an understanding of the collectivity of their experiences which would thus help to change such scenarios. The context of…

Teacher conduct is a loaded concept. Teachers in New Jersey are cautioned to study their life styles and the existing teacher conduct regulations to avoid conflict and possible loss of jobs. (DS)

A study involving 887 urban special educators investigated factors that lead to attrition and retention and found several critical factors to consider to increase retention and commitment. A leading negative factor was stress due to job design. Perceived support by principals or other teachers helped alleviate this stress. (Contains references.)…

Beginning teachers are often given teaching assignments that would challenge even the most skillful veteran teachers. Such assignments can take several forms: teaching in a subject area for which the teacher is not certified; having too many class preparations; "floating" from classroom to classroom; working with low-ability, unmotivated, or…

A common but largely unacknowledged problem in public education in the US is the practice of hazing beginning teachers that leads to low retention rates. Factors that contribute to new teachers leaving high schools and often the teaching profession are presented and how these can and should be mitigated is discussed.

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…

Compassion fatigue is a theoretical framework researchers have applied to helping professions other than teaching. The purpose of this report is to propose the use of this theory to better understand the prevalent rates of special education teachers' exit from the profession often labeled as burnout. A qualitative study with six middle school…

Research supports teacher preparation programs to recognize stress factors and to assist students and new teachers with effective coping mechanisms. Twenty-five to fifty percent of beginning teachers resign during their first three years of teaching (Fleener, 2001; Roulston, Legette, & Womack, 2005). Among all the causes, stress from teaching is…

New demands and high attrition levels of special education teachers have created a crisis for education and extensive additional stress for special education directors and principals. The critical shortage of highly qualified special education teachers has significantly increased the pressure to hire and retain them. This article discusses factors…

This study investigated the relationship between the profiles of the current west central Florida classroom teacher and the "Likely Leaver" candidate in order to make recommendations addressing the combination of factors which lead to teacher attrition. Data were gathered from a random survey of Florida elementary, middle, and secondary…