School administrators’ direct and indirect influences on middle school math teachers’ turnover

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 708-730
Author(s):  
Christopher Redding ◽  
Laura Neergaard Booker ◽  
Thomas M. Smith ◽  
Laura M. Desimone
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Teacher Quality ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Teacher Turnover ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Turn Over

Purpose Administrator support has been identified as a key factor in deterring teacher turnover. Yet, the specific ways school principals directly or indirectly influence teacher retention remain underexamined. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This study includes a survival analysis to examine when beginning mathematics teachers turned over and the extent to which teacher quality and administrative support was associated with the turnover, and an analysis of exit surveys explaining teachers’ decision to turn over. Findings New teachers with more supportive administrators are less likely to turn over. The influence of administrative support on teacher turnover does not appear to be driven by more supportive administrators improving a school’s professional community, increasing teacher autonomy, or increasing the frequency of professional development and mentoring. While both increased administrative support and teaching quality independently predict reduced turnover, the strength of the association of administrative support on turnover does not appear to be related to the level of teacher quality nor mediated through teacher quality. Practical implications Results suggest that the presence of high levels of administrative support are more influential in deterring new teacher turnover than more direct supports, such as the assignment of mentors or recommending professional development. Originality/value The use of in-depth data on beginning teachers’ induction supports and teaching quality collected over multiple years shows distinct ways administrators influence new teachers’ decision to remain in their first school.

Recent Trends in the Characteristics of New Teachers, the Schools in Which They Teach, and Their Turnover Rates

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Christopher Redding ◽  
Tuan D. Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Teacher Turnover ◽  
New Teacher ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Turn Over ◽  
Racial Ethnic ◽  
Over Time

Background Over the past couple of decades, new teachers have become a pronounced focus of policy makers. This attention is a result of demographic shifts in the teacher labor market, increased attention to the quality of teachers assigned to historically underserved student populations, and high rates of new teacher turnover. Purpose Our goal is to understand how the characteristics of new teachers and the schools in which they teach have changed over time, including changes in the characteristics of teachers in schools that enroll a majority of economically disadvantaged and minority students. We examine how these broad changes relate to new teacher turnover, as well as the induction supports that may improve retention. Research Design We draw on nationally representative data from all seven waves of the Schools and Staffing Survey from the 1987–1988 to 2011–2012 school years to better understand the extent to which the characteristics of beginning teachers, the schools in which they teach, and their turnover rates have changed over time. We draw on data regarding teachers’ demographic characteristics, education and credentials, and school characteristics and working conditions, and turnover. Data Analysis We first describe how characteristics of new teachers and the schools in which they teach have changed. We then examine how these characteristics vary systematically across schools that enroll a majority of students who identify as racial/ethnic minorities and schools with fewer racial/ethnic minorities. We examine the extent to which new teachers are more likely than more experienced teachers to turn over from underserved schools and how organizational supports such as administrative support and induction programs predict lower rates of turnover. Findings Beginning teachers are now more likely to be certified, to have earned a graduate degree, and to have graduated from a selective college. They are also much more likely to begin their careers in schools that enroll more racially diverse students than in previous decades. Teachers are more likely to turn over from schools where the majority of students identify as racial/ethnic minorities, although the presence of supportive colleagues and administrators and induction supports are associated with lower turnover rates. Conclusions That the majority of new teachers now begin their careers in schools serving a majority of economically disadvantaged and minority students has implications for the preparation and induction of new teachers. Our results point to the continued importance of the provision of supports that integrate teachers into the social and professional culture of a school.

Mentoring for all: building knowledge and community

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-255
Author(s):  
Suzanne Molitor ◽  
Lana Parker ◽  
Diane Vetter
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Teacher Induction ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Context Of Learning

Purpose After many years working with mentors for beginning teachers, both through a formal, Ministry-sponsored program, known in Ontario as the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) and through a university-based Faculty of Education practicum, the authors cultivated an understanding of the value of both mentoring and the communities that foster it. The authors observed that pre-service mentors are not offered the same level of support as their induction mentor counterparts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the aforementioned gap by bringing together a small group of pre-service mentor teachers with several highly trained induction mentors from the NTIP program in two full days of professional development: one day of learning and community building among mentors, and the second day of collaboration by pre-service mentors alongside their teacher candidates (TCs). The authors learned that pre-service mentors need and desire professional learning and community mentoring support to develop foundational understandings about the role of mentors and the skills and strategies that support an effective mentoring practice. As a result, the authors advocate for sustainable professional development that leverages existing programs and the clarification of the pre-service mentoring role through continued study and collaboration over time. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study was designed to explore, understand, and interpret pre-service mentor teachers’ experience of professional learning about mentoring and the role of the mentor, including their responses to participating in a like community of learners. This study brought together educators serving as pre-service and induction mentors to engage them in formal professional learning about mentoring, within an environment that created the conditions for collaboration and community in the context of learning about mentoring. Findings This study surfaces the insights related to the types of knowledge and skills that mentors developed in this study in addition to pointing toward the knowledge and skills they perceive to be necessary to their effective participation in their roles as mentors. The study also identifies both the value that pre-service mentors perceived as a result of being invited into a learning space and the dynamics of professional learning and dialogue in collaboration with their induction mentor counterparts and their pre-service mentees. Research limitations/implications This research study explores a research gap in the area of mentoring as it relates to pre-service mentors or cooperating teachers. Its unique feature involves bringing together two previously segmented groups of mentors: pre-service mentors supporting developing TCs and induction mentors supporting novice teachers. It describes the value and impact of mentoring as understood by pre-service mentors, in particular identifying the reciprocal benefits they experienced. The authors also investigate and shed light on the value and impact of pre-service mentor participation in a community that is intentionally created to support their professional learning about their role. It provides recommendations for practice and indicates areas of potential research. Practical implications This study surfaces the potential benefits of professional learning and community for pre-service mentors who play an integral role in supporting TCs in the completion of their education degrees. It makes practical recommendations which point to uniting pre-service and in-service mentors as participants in learning communities that build leadership capacity and advance mentoring knowledge and skills to impact the mentoring relationship. This study advocates for a restructuring existing practice in the area of pre-service mentoring to encourage professional learning and interaction that connects the work of pre-service and in-service mentors, bridging two currently separate mentoring communities. Originality/value This study offers a re-visioning of mentoring as a community endeavor. It advances the notion that, supported by a targeted program of professional development and participation in communities of inquiry, knowledge creation and mobilization, mentors can build their mentoring and leadership capacity and extend their professional impact.

scholarly journals What teachers express as professional development needs of beginning teachers: Voices from the profession

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jeff Thomas ◽  
Jennifer Hicks ◽  
Deb Vannatter
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Resource Network ◽  
Successful Model ◽  
School Year ◽  
Professional Development Needs ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Future Practice

In an effort to retain beginning teachers, the [Blind State] Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (X-STEM) Resource Network coordinated a statewide effort to identify and cultivate 59 mentor and 90 mentee (beginning) teachers. Two summer professional development workshops (summer 2016 and summer 2017) buttressed the school year (2016-17) aimed to mentor beginning teachers in teaching science and mathematics. New teachers (mentees) video recorded lessons and mentors provided feedback through a secure online platform. The area of focus for recorded videos were determined by the mentee and represent areas for desired feedback for future practice. Voices of mentor teachers were captured about the specifics of the observations and are offered as the types of professional development experiences needed by new teachers. These findings are presented based on this successful model where 89 out of 90 mentees remained in the profession.

scholarly journals An analysis of beginning mentors’ critical incidents in English post-compulsory education

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-317
Author(s):  
Rebecca Eliahoo
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Critical Incidents ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Needs

Purpose This qualitative study explores the barriers and dilemmas faced by beginning and novice mentors in post-compulsory education in the Southeast of England. It analyses critical incidents (Tripp, 2012) taken from the everyday practice of mentors who were supporting new teachers and lecturers in the Southeast of England. It categorises different types of critical incidents that mentors encountered and describes the strategies and rationales mentors used to support mentees and (indirectly) their learners and colleagues. The purpose of this paper is to explore ways in which mentors’ own values, beliefs and life experiences affected their mentoring practice. Design/methodology/approach As part of a specialist master’s-level professional development module, 21 mentors wrote about two critical incidents (Tripp, 2012) taken from their own professional experiences, which aimed to demonstrate their support for their mentee’s range of complex needs. These critical incidents were written up as short case studies, which justified the rationale for their interventions and demonstrated the mentors’ own professional development in mentoring. Critical incidents were used as units of analysis and categorised thematically by topic, sector and mentoring strategies used. Findings The research demonstrated the complex nature of decision making and the potential for professional learning within a mentoring dyad. The study of these critical incidents found that mentors most frequently cited the controversial nature of teaching observations, the mentor’s role in mediating professional relationships, the importance of inculcating professional dispositions in education and the need to support new teachers so that they can use effective behaviour management strategies. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of the central importance of mentoring for professional growth within teacher education. It identifies common dilemmas that novice mentors face in post-compulsory education, justifies the rationale for their interventions and mentoring strategies and helps to identify ways in which mentors’ professional development needs can be met. It demonstrates that mentoring is complex, non-linear and mediated by mentors’ motivation and values.

Reflective Practice in Advising: Introduction to the Column

Relay Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 293-295
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Global Community ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Community Of Learning ◽  
Reflection On Action

Welcome to the second reflective practice column where we are pleased to share another series of active advisors’ voices with our professional community. The first column of Reflective Practice in Advising in Volume 1(1) became a prelude for creating a global community of learning advisors with the aim of building a platform to share our professional development experiences and further seek opportunities for growth. As in Issue 1, in this issue of Relay Journal, all the contributors are engaged in a different advising context with various sociocultural backgrounds, but each of the case studies illustrates how their reflective practice enables learning advisors to continue exploring potential growth at any point in their career. In other words, the journey of becoming a learning advisor is ever-lasting, as long as the learning advisor is willingly seeking an opportunity for transformative learning. The post-publication reflective dialogues in Issue 1, although experimental, were a great success. They triggered active discussions among learning advisors, which lead to further reflection-on-action and reflection-for-action (Farrell, 2015) among the contributors. These open and collaborative dialogues across the sociocultural boundaries exemplify professional development for learning advisors.

Changing the Composition of Beginning Teachers: The Role of State Alternative Certification Policies

2021 ◽  
pp. 089590482110156
Author(s):  
Christopher Redding
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Alternative Certification ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
State Level ◽  
Schools And Staffing Survey ◽  
Selective Colleges ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Alternate Routes ◽  
The Relationship

Drawing on nationally representative data from six cohorts of beginning teachers from the Schools and Staffing Survey and the National Teacher and Principal Survey, this study applies a difference-in-differences research design to examine the relationship between changes to state-level alternative certification policies and the characteristics of new teachers. The introduction of alternate routes into teaching is associated with an increase in the fraction of new teachers of color in a state and the new teachers who graduated from selective colleges. No evidence was found of a relationship with the relative share of male teachers or teachers of in-demand subjects.

scholarly journals Internationalizing teacher education curricula: opportunities for academic staff development

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-169
Author(s):  
Mónica Lourenço
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Staff Development ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of a collaborative workshop, aimed to support teacher educators in embedding a “global outlook” in the curriculum on their perceived professional development. Design/methodology/approach The workshop included working sessions, during a period of 13 months, and was structured as participatory action research, according to which volunteer academics designed, developed and evaluated global education projects in their course units. Data were gathered through a focus group session, conducted with the teacher educators at a final stage of the workshop, and analyzed according to the principles of thematic analysis. Findings Results of the analysis suggest that the workshop presented a meaningful opportunity for teacher educators to reconstruct their knowledge and teaching practice to (re)discover the importance of collaborative work and to assume new commitments to themselves and to others. Originality/value The study addresses a gap in the existing literature on academic staff development in internationalization of the curriculum, focusing on the perceptions of teacher educators’, whose voices have been largely silent in research in the field. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for a professional development program in internationalization of the curriculum.

Career development and individuals with physical disabilities

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes Villanueva-Flores ◽  
Ramón Valle-Cabrera ◽  
Mar Bornay-Barrachina
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Career Development ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Physical Disabilities ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Job Dissatisfaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceptions Of Inequality ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – Few studies have focussed on the situation of employees with physical disabilities from the perspective of human resources management – in particular on the career development expectations of this group. The purpose of this paper is to meet this need by focussing on individuals with physical disabilities in Andalusia (Spain). It analyzes three key aspects: whether the perception of discrimination is related to the perception of inequity due to their disabilities, with this relationship being moderated by gender; whether these perceptions of inequality and discrimination lead to feelings of dissatisfaction with the employing organization; and whether the perception of discrimination mediates the relationship between perceived inequity and job dissatisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Using the theoretical framework of organizational justice, regression analysis is applied to test the hypotheses in a population of 459 employed people with physical disabilities. Findings – The results show that perceived discrimination is due to perceived inequity when peers who do not have a disability are used as comparative reference; however, this relationship is not moderated by gender. These perceptions of inequity and discrimination cause individuals to feel dissatisfaction in organizations, and a mediating effect is found for the perception of discrimination in professional development opportunities. The control variables considered, age and education, are not significant in the relationships studied. Originality/value – An original and valued model is proposed to explain job dissatisfaction among employees with physical disabilities and the possibility of perceiving a dual disadvantage, in their possibilities for professional development. The model links together three variables that have not previously been linked all together in the literature – perceived inequity, perceived discrimination on the grounds of disability, and dissatisfaction – highlighting that perceived discrimination on the grounds of disability mediates the relationship between perceived inequity and dissatisfaction. This model can also examine whether a dual disadvantage is perceived owing to an individual's being a woman and having a disability, considering gender as a variable that moderates the relationship between perceived inequity and perceived discrimination on the grounds of disability.

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