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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Teacher Effectiveness; Elementary School Students; Grade 5; Teacher Persistence; Faculty Mobility; Elementary School Teachers; Labor Turnover; Teacher Influence; Language Arts; Reading Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Scores; Racial Differences; Low Achievement; Grade 4; Urban Schools; At Risk Students; Minority Group Students; Observation

Abstract:
Researchers and policymakers often assume that teacher turnover harms student achievement, though recent studies suggest this may not be the case. Using a unique identification strategy that employs school-by-grade level turnover and two classes of fixed-effects models, this study estimates the effects of teacher turnover on over 850,000 New York City fourth- and fifth-grade student observations over 8 years. The results indicate that students in grade levels with higher turnover score lower in both English language arts (ELA) and math and that these effects are particularly strong in schools with more low-performing and Black students. Moreover, the results suggest that there is a disruptive effect of turnover beyond changing the distribution in teacher quality. (Contains 3 figures, 17 tables, and 16 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teacher Education; Educational Change; Service Learning; Expertise; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Persistence; Educational Quality; Beginning Teacher Induction; Standards; Role

Abstract:
Concerns around the provision and retention of quality teachers are global. Amongst these concerns are the preparedness of graduate teachers and the quality and nature of teacher education. The purpose of the article is to focus questions of teacher preparedness and education within a wider discussion around the professional life-cycle of teachers. Initial teacher education is viewed as the first phase of the professional life-cycle of a teacher; part of a professional continuum of learning and expertise, rather than a distinct preparatory phase. We do not present a detailed model for this continuum; believing there is still significant work to be done on defining and delineating the levels of expertise. Such work is beyond the scope of this paper. We do provide a starting point for further consideration. Further, we suggest a scaffolded transition, determined by the learning needs of teachers, between initial teacher education and induction, moving to in-service learning, with closer connections between providers and schools to mitigate against a disconnect between these phases of development. The potential role of professional standards in supporting teacher learning across the professional life-cycle is also discussed. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; Cooperation; Interprofessional Relationship; Social Work; Early Childhood Education; Graduate Students; Young Children; Teacher Persistence; Focus Groups; Teachers; Teacher Education Programs; Pilot Projects

Abstract:
Effective collaboration between early childhood teachers and social workers is now considered critical to providing children with adequate psycho-social supports and services in early childhood settings. In order for this interdisciplinary collaboration to be more effective, opportunities for each discipline to learn about each other's knowledge, skills, roles, and responsibilities need to occur well before these professionals enter early childhood settings. This pilot study engaged 2nd-year, preservice, graduate early childhood education and social work students in an interprofessional training and collaborative activity as part of their graduate coursework. Following this training and activity, the early childhood education graduate students and the social work graduate students were invited to participate in uni-professional focus groups as a way to explore their experiences. Findings suggest that although there is general agreement among graduate students that interdisciplinary training and learning activities during coursework provide an important foundation for collaboration, there are several challenges. These challenges include a lack of clarity around professional roles and responsibilities, differences in understandings of children's behavior, and a perception that there will be little opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration in early childhood settings. Implications are discussed for strengthening relationships between professional preparation programs as a way to improve collaborative teaming and increase early childhood teacher retention. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Educational Background; Coping; Job Satisfaction; Early Childhood Education; Job Security; Young Children; Stress Variables; Preschool Teachers; Questionnaires; Work Environment; Marital Status; Problem Solving; Intervention; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Recruitment; Teacher Persistence

Abstract:
Background: Occupational stress for early childcare educators is an area of apparent understudy in the literature. The present study attempted to address this gap and provide some updated data regarding the experiences of this occupational group. Methods: Early childhood workers across a variety of early childhood education settings (N = 69) responded to questionnaires regarding perceived stress, individual/educational background, and work setting ("Perceived Stress Scale, You Bet I Care!, and Ways of Coping Questionnaires"). Findings: Our findings suggest that early childhood educators who were married, had a stable community, and had no children of their own felt less perceived stress. Further, workers who utilized problem-solving coping, felt job security, and experienced higher job satisfaction and control, reported less perceived stress. In contrast, individuals who employed avoidant coping, worked full-time, and expressed feelings of exhaustion and/or frustration, felt greater amounts of stress. Conclusions: These findings are reviewed in the context of workplace interventions that may be considered useful toward increasing recruitment and retention of quality early childhood educators through decreased perceived stress. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Public School Teachers; Elementary School Teachers; Urban Schools; Academic Achievement; Elementary School Students; Grade 4; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Teacher Persistence; Mentors; Teacher Leadership; Teacher Salaries; Incentives; Program Effectiveness; Educational Research

Abstract:
The study reviewed in this paper examined whether the Chicago Public Schools' Teacher Advancement Program (Chicago TAP), which provides mentoring, leadership opportunities, and financial incentives to teachers, improved student academic achievement and teacher retention. The study used two designs to answer distinct research questions. Under the first design, a randomized controlled trial, the authors examined the academic achievement of more than 7,600 students in grades 4-8 from 34 public schools in Chicago. In the spring of 2007 and again in the spring of 2009, groups of schools were randomly assigned either to participate in Chicago TAP during the coming school year or to serve as a comparison group for a year and participate in Chicago TAP during the following school year. The effect of Chicago TAP on academic achievement after one year of implementation was estimated by comparing the spring math, reading, and science achievement of students in Chicago TAP schools to the achievement of students in schools that had not yet implemented the program. Using the second design, a quasi-experiment, the study examined teachers' retention rates, defined as remaining in the same school from year to year. The effect of Chicago TAP on teacher retention was assessed by comparing the retention of teachers in Chicago TAP schools with the retention of a matched sample of teachers in non-TAP Chicago public schools (sample sizes varied across years). After one year of implementation, students attending Chicago TAP schools did not score significantly differently in math, reading, or science achievement, as measured by the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), than students attending comparison schools. Sixty-seven percent of teachers who were employed in schools that first implemented Chicago TAP in the fall of 2007 were still teaching in the same school in the fall of 2010. In contrast, 56% of teachers employed in non-TAP public schools were retained during the same period. This 12 percentage point difference in three-year teacher retention rates between the original cohort of Chicago TAP and non-TAP schools was statistically significant. The analysis of student academic achievement meets the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards with reservations. The analysis of teacher retention meets WWC evidence standards with reservations. Appended are: (1) Study details; (2) Outcome measures for each domain; (3) Study findings for each domain; and (4) Supplemental findings by domain. A glossary of terms is included. (Contains 3 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Improvement; Teaching (Occupation); Teacher Recruitment; Preservice Teacher Education; Teacher Placement; Teacher Persistence; Incentives; Accountability; Unions

Abstract:
This paper outlines a set of ideas for improving teacher quality in America's schools. In it, the author proposes a combination of incremental steps and ambitious ones, designed to stimulate policymakers, practitioners, and the public to accelerate efforts to develop high-quality teachers. The paper has four main sections. First, the author provides a brief assessment of the current state of teaching in America, identifying five core challenges reformers must address if they are serious about improving teacher quality. Second, the author posits a new, broader conceptualization of the teaching profession. Third, the author provides specific recommendations for how to better recruit, prepare, place, incentivize, and hold accountable the teachers America requires. Finally, having recently lived and breathed the Chicago teacher strike, the author concludes with some thoughts about the trajectory of organized labor, and what it might do to support the development of a stronger teacher workforce in America. (Contains 17 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Questionnaires; Science Teachers; Science Departments; Secondary School Science; Work Environment; Test Construction; Departments; Secondary School Teachers; Beginning Teachers; Teacher Persistence; Teacher Attitudes; Interviews; Qualitative Research

Abstract:
There has been little research into the work environments of teachers at the subject department level. Understanding and investigating the work environment at this level could provide insight into the type of work environment that might lead teachers to remain in the teaching profession. This article reports the development, validation and use of a work environment instrument at the subject department level. The department-level environment questionnaire (DLEQ) was developed using the school-level environment questionnaire as the parent instrument. Both Actual and Preferred Forms of the DLEQ were used. Early-career secondary school science teachers' perceptions of the actual and preferred science department environment in New Zealand were sought. In addition, interviews with 17 % of the participants were conducted in order to find out why the teachers answered the questionnaire in the way that they did. The findings highlight the needs of this particular group of teachers. Future research opportunities for further instrument development and use of the instrument are suggested. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Change; High Schools; Charter Schools; Secondary School Teachers; Principals; Assistant Principals; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Evaluation; Faculty Mobility; Teacher Recruitment; Teacher Persistence; Teacher Effectiveness; Academic Achievement; High School Students; Interviews; Comparative Analysis; Student Surveys

Abstract:
With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CRESST researchers conducted a multi-year evaluation of a major school reform project at Alain Leroy Locke High School, historically one of California's lowest performing secondary schools. We found the one-year teacher retention rate at GDL in 2010-2011 was 79%; Green Dot Locke teachers, overall, were more highly educated than their LAUSD counterpart (including their peers at neighboring high schools) in 2010-2011; and GDL teachers were more likely to be non-White and teacher staff were more racially diverse than LAUSD teachers. Comparing the teachers who stayed (i.e., "stayers") and those who left ("movers") as of 2010-2011 school year, we did not detect any significant differences in age, gender, years of teaching at GDPS, student growth percentile scores or student course pass rates between movers and stayers. We did find a difference in the percentage of teachers meeting or exceeding the evaluation standards, in favor of stayers, and White and English teachers were more likely to be movers. Exploring the relationship between available multiple measures of teacher quality, we found small correlations, between three evaluation scores and student growth percentile (SGP) scores. We also found small to medium positive relationships between teacher evaluation scores with Tripod measures, and the majority of these were statistically significant. While these correlations are not surprising, they are also not robust. Additionally, there was considerable variation across academies on numerous measures (e.g., teacher survey results, interview accounts). While the purpose of this report was not to investigate or compare professional capacity across academies, this appears to be an important part of the Green Dot Locke story to be examined more closely in the future. Appended are: (1) Teacher Interview Protocol; (2) Principal Interview Protocol; (3) 2010-2011 End Of Year Survey Results; and (4) Interview Comments on Green Dot Core Tenets. (Contains 22 tables, 7 figures and 33 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Change; Work Environment; Human Resources; Middle School Teachers; Teacher Persistence; Faculty Mobility; Middle Schools; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Surveys; Case Studies; Prediction; Statistical Analysis; School Administration; Discipline; Principals; Educational Environment; Urban Schools

Abstract:
This paper synthesizes findings from the Research Alliance's investigation of teacher turnover in New York City's public middle schools. These years are widely recognized as a critical turning point for students, and the NYC Department of Education (DOE) is pursuing a range of middle school improvement initiatives. The stability of the middle school teaching force has the potential to facilitate or complicate these efforts, yet there have been few studies of the rates and patterns of teacher turnover in the City's middle schools. This study provides the most current, comprehensive look at middle school teacher turnover to date. Drawing on a range of data sources--including DOE human resource records from the last decade, a survey of over 4,000 full-time middle school teachers, and in-depth case studies in four middle schools--this paper examines how long middle school teachers remain in their schools, how long they intend to stay, and what predicts whether or not they leave. It also explores how various aspects of teachers' work environment may influence these decisions. Among the key findings: Among middle school teachers who entered their school during the last decade, more than half left that school within three years--significantly higher than the rates seen for elementary and high school teachers. Of the teachers who leave, most exit the NYC public school system altogether, and only about 1 in 10 transition to another grade 6-8 school. The findings point to several strategies that may be useful for increasing middle school teachers' lengths of stay. The following are appended: (1) Description of Data Sources and Samples; (2) Methods; and (3) Who Are Middle School Teachers in NYC? (Contains 4 tables, 9 figures, and 48 notes.) [This report was produced by the Research Alliance for New York City Schools.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Special Education Teachers; Public School Teachers; Teacher Supply and Demand; Economic Climate; Declining Enrollment; Special Needs Students; Disabilities; Early Intervention; Response to Intervention; Special Education; Educational Finance; Faculty Mobility; Outcomes of Education; Teacher Education; Teacher Distribution; Teacher Shortage; Teacher Persistence

Abstract:
After decades of growth, the number of special education teachers (SETs) has begun to decline. In 2009, U.S. schools employed 13% fewer SETs than in 2006. The number of annual new hires of SETs also dropped dramatically in some states. The onset of these declines predated the economic downturn of 2008 and resulted in part from a steady decline since 2005 in the number of students with disabilities (SWD) served. We consider factors that may be contributing to declining demand for SETs, among them the number of SWD, service delivery, the economic downturn, and present supporting evidence. We also consider the potential impact of reduced demand on SET supply, teacher education, equitable distribution of teachers, and, most importantly, outcomes for SWD. We call for vigilance and monitoring of SET employment data to assure that all students receive the appropriate education to which they are entitled. (Contains 4 figures, 1 table, and 6 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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