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ERIC Number: EJ1401768
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Dec
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-5984
EISSN: EISSN-1554-8279
Subject-Area Specialization and Teacher Retention: An Elementary School Story
Bastian, Kevin C.; Fortner, C. Kevin; Caton, Kate
Elementary School Journal, v124 n2 p343-366 Dec 2023
School leaders need effective, affordable approaches to retain their teacher workforce. We investigated a promising, low-cost option for school leaders to encourage teacher retention: subject-area specialization in elementary grades (K-5). Using data on North Carolina elementary grades teachers and schools in the 2011-2012 through 2015-2016 academic years, we track the incidence of subject-area specialization, assess whether teaching in a specialist role promotes retention, and examine whether subject-area specialization is an effective retention strategy for certain schools and teachers. Descriptive analyses show specialization is common in upper elementary grades and has become a more widely used assignment strategy over time. Retention analyses indicate that elementary grades teachers are more likely to return to the same school after becoming a specialist. These results vary by school and teacher characteristics, suggesting that specialization may be a more effective retention strategy in urban schools, in non-high-need schools, and for Black teachers.
University of Chicago Press. Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 877-705-1878; Tel: 773-753-3347; Fax: 877-705-1879; Fax: 773-753-0811; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: http://www.press.uchicago.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A