Correlation analysis was used to analyze what experiences before and during teacher preparation for 72 graduates of an urban teacher education program were associated with urban commitment, first job location, and retention in urban schools for 3 or more years. Binary logistic regression was then used to analyze whether urban K-12 schooling,…

In practice, teacher turnover appears to have negative effects on school quality as measured by student performance. However, some simulations suggest that turnover can instead have large positive effects under a policy regime in which low-performing teachers can be accurately identified and replaced with more effective teachers. This study…

The statistics are familiar: almost 50% of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years in the classroom. The challenge of recruiting and retaining teachers carries high costs for today's schools and students. This book uncovers some of the reasons behind the elevated attrition rates in the field of education through a long-term…

Very little is known about the role of person-level qualities, or personality, in the teacher labor market. This study explores the role of "perfectionism" in teacher occupational commitment and retention. One hundred eighteen graduates of a competitive teacher preparation program with widely varying levels of total years commitment to…

Statistics indicate that students who reside in "forgotten places" do not engage in science-related careers. This is problematic because we are not tapping into diverse talent that could very well make scientific strides and because there is a moral obligation for equity as discussed in "Science for all" (AAAS, 1989). Research…

This dissertation examines whether the mode of entry into K-12 public school teaching has any implications on teacher retention. Teacher retention is important because it is an important precursor to teacher quality, which has been shown to positively impact student performance. However, teacher turnover can seriously threaten teacher retention.…

This narrative inquiry examines why a well-respected English as a Second Language teacher quit teaching in an urban middle school in advance of her retirement. The work provides interpretive accounts of what attracted the teacher to start teaching ESL, what caused her to stay in the profession and the circumstances that drove her to quit. In the…

This research investigated the experiences of new teachers employed in urban school districts and how these novice teachers' perceived school district and school administrators' support required to retain them as well as teacher's perceptions of their pre-service experiences and/or induction programs necessary to prepare them for an urban…

This case study examines how an experienced teacher's practice and pedagogy differs across two high-accountability urban charter schools in the United States of America (USA). Drawing on semi-structured interviews and participant observations, the findings describe variances in Rebecca's planning, use of classroom time, and curriculum flexibility,…

In urban school systems, the percentage of teachers that leave the profession is disproportionally high. Part of the driving force for this high rate of teacher turnover are alternative certification programmes, like Teach For America (TFA) which recruits teachers only for a short-term teaching commitment. This study contributes a novel…

This study aims to investigate the levels of job satisfaction of educators in the inner-city independent schools of Johannesburg and their motivation for leaving their jobs. A quantitative method was used for the study. A questionnaire was distributed to 100 educators from five schools that were randomly selected from a sample of twenty inner-city…

There is a developing body of research suggesting low job satisfaction among teachers can lead to potential consequences for educators, students, and school districts (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Ladebo, 2005; Sarnek, Musser, Caskey, Olsen & Green, 2006; Wu & Short, 1996). There is also a growing concern about the number of teachers who are…

In 2002 the Council of the Great City Schools and its members set out to develop performance measures that could be used to improve business operations in urban public school districts. The Council launched the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project to achieve these objectives. The purposes of the project were to: (1) Establish a common…

Recruiting and retaining quality teachers in urban schools remains a significant challenge (Freedman & Appleman, 2008, 2009; Lee, Eckrich, Lackey, & Showalter, 2010). With a quarter of the teaching force leaving their classrooms after one year and almost half leaving within five years, teachers in high poverty, urban schools are even more…

This mixed-methods study analyzes the induction programs for alternate route beginning teachers in low socioeconomic, urban schools. The researcher surveyed 53 teachers at the end of their first year and conducted six in-depth follow-up interviews. The study found that half the teachers did not receive an induction program congruent with state…