Search

Current teacher attrition in Australia and globally has created an untenable situation for many schools, teachers and the profession. This paper reports on research that examined the critical issue of teacher attrition from the perspective of former classroom teachers and school leaders. Although there is extensive national and global research related to teacher shortages and intentions to leave the teaching profession, minimal research has sought insights from those who have left the profession in Australia, including ascertaining what they are doing now. Using an online survey, data were collected from 256 former teachers from all states and territories, sectors and career stages who had left the profession between 2016 and 2022. Using descriptive statistical and thematic analysis, this study highlights the potential loss to teaching and the education profession more broadly due to teacher attrition. For these participants, the reasons for leaving were often multifaceted and the process of leaving was often protracted. Many of these former teachers have maintained links to the education profession occupying various associated roles and positions. We call for a reconsideration of the ways that strategies to ameliorate teacher attrition are conceptualised and implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher recruitment is a persistent challenge, particularly in small and rural communities. This paper examines the probability that newly qualified teachers enter a teaching position in their home region and a range of individual and regional factors. Using rich longitudinal data from Norwegian administrative registers, we find that several individual and local characteristics matter for the mobility of novice teachers. On average, entering teaching positions in the home region is most common for females, individuals with low-educated parents, and individuals with relatively low grade point averages from their academic studies. Moreover, the probability of entering a teaching position in the home region is positively associated with the region’s population, but independent of whether a teacher education institution is located in the home region. Overall, the results suggest that the types of teachers that are underrepresented in schools have the lowest attachment to the teaching profession and their home region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This abstract presents an analysis of federal policies concerning rural, regional, and remote (RRR) teaching, focusing on initial teacher education and teaching quality within these areas. The study utilises Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ (WPR) approach to interrogate the framing of RRR teaching issues within policy discourse. Through a comprehensive review of two federal policies, this analysis explores how the design and implementation of teacher education programmes are placed to address the challenges in providing quality education in RRR areas. We underscore the importance of critically examining policy representations to better understand and address the complex issues surrounding RRR teachers and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insufficient supply of K-12 language – world language (WL) and English as a second language (ESL) – teachers in the United States has been a pervasive challenge for school administrators seeking to provide language learning opportunities for their students. The issue is complex – including numerous factors that adversely affect the recruitment of future educators as well as their retention once in the classroom. Almost all states report a dearth of WL and/or ESL teachers, and WL is the discipline with the highest predictive teacher turnover rate – whether by leaving the profession entirely (leavers) or opting to move to a different school (movers). In spring 2020, the global health pandemic placed additional demands on all educators, and consequently some reports predict an exodus of teachers from K-12 schools. This article presents the results of a study exploring language teachers' intention to leave the profession as a consequence of school-related responsibilities and experiences during spring 2020. Data revealed three profiles of K-12 language teachers: stayers, leavers, and conditional stayers. Implications related to influential factors in teachers' potential decisions to remain in or exit the profession are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, concerningly high levels of teacher attrition, and subsequent teacher shortages, have led to calls for improvement in the social status of teachers. In response, this study explored what draws pre-service teachers to the teaching profession in the face of research and media reports that suggest teaching is perceived as a low-status career. Using mixed methods, we surveyed 387 Australian pre-service teachers and found that their primary motivations for entering the teaching profession corresponded with the motivations attributed to social entrepreneurs who use innovation to make positive social change for their constituents. As far as the authors know, this is the first time that a close alignment between pre-service teachers' motivations for entering the teaching profession and social entrepreneurs' behaviours and intentions has been demonstrated. Thus, this study makes a unique contribution in the field of initial teacher education. We suggest that explicitly recognising teachers as social entrepreneurs with the inherent capacity to generate social innovation has the potential to raise the status of the profession. Such recognition could also positively inform pre-service teacher recruitment and teacher retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the career trajectories of two teachers in the United States and their decision to leave teaching Spanish. Data for the study emerged from the teachers' narratives about their school‐based experiences and the consequences of those experiences on their decisions to reorient their work in the educational community. We adopted the theoretical framework of history in person to analyze the interactions between the teachers' own personal histories with the histories of the institutions in which they taught. Data collection began during the two teachers' student‐teaching semester and continued for 5 years after their initial induction into the language teaching profession and included interviews and email communications. The context was North Carolina, a state experiencing a severe teacher shortage and conflicts regarding teacher compensation. Findings highlight the challenges these teachers faced and how their interactions with historically institutionalized struggles were consequential to their professional futures. Implications for research, policy, and teacher preparation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social mobility, and in particular, intergenerational mobility, can be driven by increased opportunities for extended education. Movement beyond a family's social class will often see positive changes to overall life satisfaction, however, this movement can introduce feelings of alienation. This in turn can lead to detachment either from the social group or, more likely, from the educational provision. As such, institutions are spending time and resources to investigate strategies for retention. This study looks at the impact of foundation year bridging programmes and the potential they have to increase course retention and persistence of students. A retrospective statistical analysis of seven academic years (using chi square) highlighted that completion of a foundation year bridging programme before a traditional undergraduate degree increased the likelihood of persistency and decreased the attrition rate of students from low participation neighbourhoods. These findings, when considered alongside seminal theoretical frameworks such as Spady, Pascarella, and Tinto, confirm the role which family and social background must play in a student's ability to complete an undergraduate degree. Family and other social support networks are known to play a role in the provision of a supportive environment for students and the undertaking of a bridging programme allows time for the adaptation and development of new friendship groups and increase a family's familiarity with the pressures of higher education. Higher education providers may, therefore, be able to begin to tackle attrition and improve their course retention through family education and through the encouragement of social integration via bridging programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High teacher attrition rates suggest the need for new methods of STEM teacher education to prepare teachers for fulfilling professional and personal lives. This design research study explores an approach to teacher learning within a US university-based teacher education course which centres projective agency as a key aspect of teacher learning, specifically to imagine transformative educational futures. Using thematic narrative analysis, this study presents evidence suggesting teachers can articulate their educational values by creating aligned possible futures. Drawing upon their experiences, these teachers envision futures that sometimes reimagine the constraints of the current educational system. By fostering projective agency, these envisioned pathways facilitate expansive action beyond teachers' past experiences and present circumstances, fostering sustainable flourishing for both teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educator preparation programs must prepare teachers to endure the demands of the profession. Teacher candidates can develop skills to mitigate stress and develop resilience and self-efficacy necessary for the current reality of the teaching profession. We implemented a randomized control trial to evaluate the effects of a self-care self-monitoring intervention on teacher candidates' resilience and self-efficacy. Participants assigned to the treatment group created self-care goals and monitored their weekly progress toward their goals. We found no significant effects of the self-monitoring tool on teacher candidates' resilience and self-efficacy. We contextualize our findings within the current teacher attrition and retention crisis and share implications for educator preparation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed the problem of a continuing loss of world language (WL) teachers in the United States. The author analyzed semi-structured interviews with five current and former high school WL teachers to investigate their perspectives on factors that may predict WL teacher attrition and retention. Findings identified elements related to human, social, structural, and positive psychological capital as important factors in WL teachers' decisions to remain or leave. The results of this study provide important implications for encouraging WL teachers to stay in the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seldom have studies linked the early‐career teacher attrition problem to teachers' emotion labor, especially with a longitudinal design. Grounded in the poststructural approach, we designed a longitudinal study to investigate qualitatively how a second‐year English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) teacher's emotion labor triggered by implicit feeling rules contributed to her resignation. We interviewed the novice EFL teacher about her experiences of teaching practice and emotion labor. Findings revealed that: (1) The sources of feeling rules could be complex but were mainly institutional wills, professional norms, and social expectations; (2) many factors triggering emotion labor existed in educational institutions, indicating the necessity of institutional reform; (3) the long‐term residual effects of emotion labor led to teacher attrition through the mediation of elevated burnout and decreased teacher wellbeing. Our study considers the teacher's resignation as her resistance to feeling rules and provides empirical evidence for the link between the power imbalance behind emotion labor and early‐career resignation. These findings point to a possible need for institutional support and reform as effective methods to increase teachers' wellbeing and career longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghana's schools face a severe teacher retention crisis, with only 36 percent of teachers in a district survey planning to stay in their roles. Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of 138 teachers to investigate their reasons for wanting to leave the profession. Common themes emerged, including low pay, poor working conditions, and overwhelming workloads. Additionally, concerns about teacher well-being and the declining status of the teaching profession were highlighted as significant issues. The study sought to identify strategies to keep teachers engaged, employing a theory about employee turnover to guide the analysis. Researchers carefully examined the survey responses and pinpointed key strategies to address the crisis. These included reducing teacher workloads, improving working conditions, and enhancing the prestige and status of the teaching profession. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers seeking effective solutions to Ghana's teacher retention problems. The findings underscore the urgent need to address the factors driving teachers away and implement strategies to maintain a stable, motivated, and highly skilled teaching workforce, which is crucial for advancing Ghana's educational system. Abstrak Sekolah-sekolah di Ghana sedang menghadapi krisis retensi guru yang parah, dengan hanya 36 persen guru dalam survei distrik yang berencana untuk tetap menjabat. Peneliti melakukan survei komprehensif terhadap 138 guru untuk mendalami alasan mereka ingin meninggalkan profesinya. Tema-tema umum muncul, termasuk gaji rendah, kondisi kerja yang buruk, dan beban kerja yang sangat berat. Selain itu, kekhawatiran mengenai kesejahteraan guru dan menurunnya status profesi guru juga disoroti sebagai permasalahan yang signifikan. Studi ini berusaha mengidentifikasi strategi untuk menjaga keterlibatan guru, dengan menggunakan teori tentang pergantian karyawan untuk memandu analisis. Melalui pemeriksaan yang cermat terhadap respons survei, para peneliti menunjukkan strategi utama untuk mengatasi krisis ini. Hal ini termasuk mengurangi beban kerja guru, memperbaiki kondisi kerja, dan meningkatkan prestise dan status profesi guru. Penelitian ini memberikan wawasan berharga bagi para pembuat kebijakan yang mencari solusi efektif terhadap masalah retensi guru di Ghana. Temuan-temuan ini menggarisbawahi kebutuhan mendesak untuk mengatasi faktor-faktor yang mendorong guru menjauh dan menerapkan strategi yang dapat mempertahankan tenaga pengajar yang stabil, termotivasi, dan berketerampilan tinggi, yang sangat penting bagi kemajuan sistem pendidikan Ghana. Kata Kunci: pergantian karyawan; pengurangan guru; retensi guru

Teacher workload is an important policy concern in many education systems around the world, often considered a contributory factor in teacher attrition. One aspect of workload that could be addressed is reducing the amount of written marking and feedback that teachers do. This article reports on the results of an evaluation of FLASH Marking, an intervention aimed at reducing teachers' marking workload. FLASH Marking is a code-based feedback approach involving peer- and self-assessment, reducing the need to use alphanumeric grading while promoting the use of students' metacognitive skills. The study involved a single cohort of 18,500 Key Stage 4 pupils (aged 14/15 at the start of the trial) and their English teachers (n = 990) in 103 secondary schools in England. The impact of the intervention was estimated as the difference in before and after measures of teacher workload, comparing teachers in 52 intervention schools and those in 51 control schools. The results suggest that the intervention had the effect of lessening teachers' workload by reducing their working hours (effect size 0.16), including hours spent on marking and feedback (0.17). The intervention was largely implemented as designed and teachers were generally positive about the potential impact of FLASH on pupils' learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of teaching workforce shortages, this study examined teachers’ perceptions of safety, role satisfaction, and their intent to remain in the profession, in Australia. Findings from two iterations of a survey of a total of 8293 teachers revealed that 20% to 25% of participants felt unsafe in their schools. The results also showed that those who felt unsafe were less likely to be satisfied with the role and more likely to intend to leave the profession. Sources of safety concerns included student and parent behaviors along with a lack of support from schools and systems. The findings highlight an urgent need to better understand how schools and education systems might foster safer, more inclusive and positive learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher turnover remains considerably higher at Charter Management Organizations (CMOs), despite initially high perceptions of fit at the time of hire. Grounded in an emerging branch-off of job embeddedness theory—teacher embeddedness—this multi-site case study of one urban CMO used interviews of departed teachers and principals and focus groups of new and veteran teachers to determine the predominating factors of reduced feelings of embeddedness and, ultimately, turnover. Findings indicate that teacher embeddedness is threatened by methods the CMO has proliferated as "best practice" and factors researchers have empirically correlated with turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Further Education and Training (FET) sector is being positioned as a centrepiece of the government's post-pandemic recovery. However, issues of capacity and staff churn are threatening the potential success of this strategy. Unfortunately, there has been almost no strategic analysis of teacher churn in the English FET system or of the derivative issues of recruitment and retention, both of which jeopardise the sector's capacity to deliver high-quality teaching and improve workforce skills. This paper examines these issues for policymakers and sector leaders and makes suggestions on how these can be redressed. A call for a more joined-up FET sector is presented. Design/methodology/approach: This is a follow-up paper to a report published by the Education and Training Foundation in 2022 on teacher recruitment in the English FET sector. This paper pulls together all of the most recent research on the English FET sector on teacher recruitment and retention and frames these against the DfE's Skills for Jobs policy commitments. It also analyses a number of proposed solutions, reflecting on their merits and potential consequences. Findings: An updated profile of FET institutions within the college, private training and adult subsectors is offered, showing how the FET sector in England has been in steady decline, which is juxtaposed against the rhetoric of industrial productivity and economic renewal. Four variables, namely funding, institutional numbers, staffing and learner numbers are examined to explore this disparity. A more in-depth analysis of recruitment and retention research follows, showing that pay, job insecurity and status are the factors influencing the decision to start an FET career. Strategies for remedying the "crisis" are assessed, including the role of national campaigns and professional bodies. Research limitations/implications: The first point for any research programme is to draw together the research data and themes that have been previously discussed in order to build a platform for future investigation, which is what this paper does. There are clear steers on where future research might be located: staff well-being, professional status, recruitment methods and what is meant by an FET career. These are factors that affect the desirability of FET work and the sector's ability to recruit high-quality candidates. The consequences of not doing this research is the likely continuation of the status quo, which is unsustainable for the FET sector and potentially catastrophic to UK productivity. Practical implications: Policymakers and sector leaders are presented with analysis and advice on the impact of teacher shortages and the factors that contribute to this. The evidence to support these factors is explored and solutions discussed in light of this evidence. A research agenda is suggested including an appeal for professional organisations and FET stakeholders to work together to solve the recruitment and retention crisis. The power of research to enlighten and inform is one of several conclusions proposed. Social implications: Addressing the factors that corrode staff professionalism and increase teacher attrition is an essential component of a wider discourse to improve the desirability of an FET career. Issues of status and esteem are interwoven in this analysis, as are the implications of not recruiting talented teachers and assessors. This includes staff well-being – a rare topic in FET journal papers – as well as organisational culture and importance of the FET mission, which is considered to be embedded in an ethic of public service. This mission is linked via the Augur Report to the sector's transformational properties to raise social mobility. Originality/value: There is no precedent for this paper. It is the first article that has provided a comprehensive examination of teacher recruitment and retention issues affecting the whole FET sector in England. Whilst its comparative analysis builds on the Education and Training Foundation (2022) earlier report, it uniquely draws on other contemporary research that triangulates and discusses these findings, including setting out a new agenda for change and future research. In doing so, new issues are introduced for discussion including professional status and staff well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical manuscript acknowledges the three-circle model for agricultural education as an enduring guide for student success. To complement the three-circle model, authors adapted "donut economics" to craft the donut model for agriculture teacher success. Within the proposed model, teacher success is defined as a level of productivity which exists between teacheridentified lower bounds (i.e., levels of productivity which minimally meet their definition of "success") and upper bounds (i.e., levels of productivity exceeding limits created by other work and life responsibilities). Furthermore, teacher success includes having ample margin between lower and upper bounds, affording flexible and intentional allocation of time, energy, and emotion across work and life dimensions for the betterment of self, students, and society. Linkages between the proposed model, teacher satisfaction, teacher retention, and teacher attrition are also explored, suggesting the model may inform ongoing efforts to address the sustained agriculture teacher shortage. The manuscript concludes by exploring the practical utility of the donut model for agriculture teacher success, foregrounding how agriculture teachers can develop, evaluate, and communicate their own donut model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As well as high levels of teacher attrition, most countries around the world report some form of teacher recruitment crisis, exemplified by failed recruitment targets and high levels of demand for new teachers. These issues have reached crisis point in England. The impact of the controversial ITT Market Review, and subsequent accreditation process has left parts of the country as "cold spots" with no established providers and the formation of new national "super-providers" with no track record or experience of initial teacher education. This policy initiative is an urgent issue of spatial injustice, exacerbating teacher recruitment and supply issues in areas already suffering from educational isolation. Through the application of spatial theory, we conclude that these developments have specific spatial effects: not only on the locus of teacher education (narrowly conceived around individual classrooms and practices), and on the shifting of provision to urban centres but also on the centralisation of power and control. Such spatial effects have the capacity to exacerbate the supply and retention of teachers in hard-to-staff places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the alarming turnover rates of new teachers in the education system and the need for systemic changes to support them. Topics include the high rates of teacher attrition, the necessity of adequate compensation and resources, and the importance of mentorship and professional development for fostering a sustainable teaching environment.

Teacher turnover has become a growing concern in many countries around the world because of the associated staffing shortages and the unavoidable impact on educational quality. This study aims to better understand teachers’ motivation to leave or to stay in the profession in the context of English language teaching in the Vietnamese university sector. Data collected from 30 semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers from 14 universities in Vietnam revealed an array of factors driving attrition. Findings reveal that Vietnamese university EFL teachers’ turnover intentions included a desire to pursue a passion other than teaching, job enthusiasm erosion, job-related stress, workplace conflicts, heavy workloads, and personal-related reasons. However, not all teachers translated their leaving intentions into actual behaviours. A negotiation process involving different mediators was undertaken before teachers decided to leave or to remain in teaching. Findings also highlight the importance of intrinsic motivation in keeping teachers engaged and committed to teaching.

Disruptions to education systems (e.g., the COVID‐19 pandemic) evoke a range of responses from teachers. Teachers are required to learn new skills, attend to students' social emotional needs, modify their instructional approaches, and discover innovative ways to engage their students in science, technology, and engineering courses, all while managing their own professional and personal needs. Although teachers of all disciplines adjust their instructional and curricular approaches in response to disruptions, the impetus for this study was to explore the unique challenges of science teachers during the COVID‐19 pandemic that affected their sense of agency (sense of control). To understand how science teachers acquired, used, and invested in capital (i.e., available resources with the potential to meet identified challenges) to achieve professional agency, we studied 113 science teachers in 2020−2021 when they experienced disruptions associated with the pandemic. An analysis of open‐ended responses from 60 teachers indicates that teachers who achieved agency shared four attributes. They (i) demonstrated an awareness of needed capital, (ii) acquired capital, (iii) used capital, and (iv) dedicated effort toward capital‐building for future use. Our findings inform science teacher educators and schools that are committed to mitigating science teacher attrition by understanding how teachers respond to personal and professional stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a persistent STEM educational crisis exemplified by low student enrolments, and both high failure and attrition rates. ChatGPT is easy to use, however pedagogical quality is not necessarily assured. In one experiment the output had a high cognitive load exacerbated by cognitive gaps making the material hard to teach and learn. ChatGPT is a useful pedagogical technology but not a learning theory. Science, technology and engineering all start by quantitatively modelling systems in order to make accurate and quantitative predictions prior to construction or system modification. By contrast, the current learning theories in use today are based on qualitative soft-science principles, with subjective guidelines that are open to interpretation, which can lead to wide variations in the quality of instructional materials and learning outcomes. Cognitive Load Optimization (CLO) is a new Science of Learning (SoL) theory that quantitatively models relational knowledge as coherent, contiguous, pedagogically scalable schemas optimized for the lowest cognitive load. CLO schemas represent the easiest, fastest and most efficient learning paths and are the fundamental basis of instructional design and teaching. Because CLO schemas are pedagogically scalable it is possible to create CLO schemas that are contiguous across different educational levels (school, college and university) thereby uniquely meeting the goals of the American National Science Foundation SoL (‘optimized learning for all’) and the Australian Grattan Institute (‘optimized learning from pre-school to university’). Using CLO results in significant improvements in STEM learning outcomes but is a detailed methodology that can be time consuming to use. The relative advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT and CLO are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This small scale study looks at the challenges teachers face and their attitudes. Drawing from the literature on teacher attrition, teacher burnout, and teacher collective efficacy, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a group of five teachers selected from a convenience sample. Three themes emerged: teachers struggle with students’ apathy, they are challenged by the hierarchical nature of school decision making, and how they define their community appears to impact their attitude toward their work. Teachers who feel they have a place in the community of their school report more positive attitudes toward their work. This research adds to the knowledge base on teachers’ experiences and may help us address challenges teachers face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job crafting is the process of individuals redefining and adjusting their job in personally meaningful ways to improve their work experience. In this multiple case study, we explore how a group of kindergarten teachers conducted job crafting and examine its potential outcomes. Based on criterion sampling and purposeful selection, we recruit 28 kindergarten teachers and four principals working in Shanghai, China. Qualitative interviews and the analysis of kindergarten teachers' diaries and work documents demonstrate that kindergarten teachers are not necessarily passive recipients of job characteristics; instead, they have the potential to be proactive agents in their work. Teachers craft their jobs in four main ways: task crafting, relational crafting, cognitive crafting, and work-life crafting. In addition, they employ 12 specific crafting techniques. The interviews reveal that by aligning work with teachers' abilities, needs, and preferences, job crafting can help improve kindergarten teachers' work experience and reduce occupational dysfunction. The results call for more focus on individual teachers' discretionary and extra-role work behaviors. The findings have implications for policymakers, administrators, and principals in considering crafting a new pathway to increase staff stability, reduce teacher attrition, and improve education quality in early childhood settings. Some potential side effects of job crafting and precautionary strategies are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After being named a 2022-2023 Georgia Governor's Teaching Fellow, the author was asked to identify a course or a project that would be the focal point of his work during the year-long series of monthly symposia that constituted the program. The program enabled the author to conduct a comprehensive redesign of a relatively outdated course. The course, entitled EDEX 4334: Teachers as Leaders, was transformed into a relevant, real-world educational experience designed to address the issues of teacher attrition, retention, and burnout using activities designed to enhance the experience of undergraduate Special Education majors at Georgia College & State University. The result was a reimagined course that incorporated components addressing key issues facing new teachers such as navigating the hiring process, resume preparation, rehearsing the interview processes, handling Special Education IEPs and caseloads, managing paraprofessionals, supervisors, and colleagues, honing time management skills, and addressing self-care in order to prevent new teacher attrition and burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative research explores the resource needs, challenges, and strengths of teachers and their influence on teacher wellbeing. Adopting a descriptive design with surveys as the primary instrument, the study aims to shed light on teacher well-being from a strengths-based perspective, a departure from the prevailing focus on stress and burnout in existing literature. Teachers operate in environments characterized by high stress and potential burnout, stemming from the demanding nature of their profession and encountering stressors across interpersonal, organizational, and institutional levels. Despite these challenges, most teachers demonstrate resilience and commitment to their work. However, there is a noticeable gap in research focusing on how teachers thrive and experience positivity within their school environments. Utilizing the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical framework, this study examines the relationship between resources and teacher well-being. The findings offer valuable insights into teacher resource needs and their overall well-being, which have practical implications for teacher training, professional development programs, and policy-making. These implications are aimed at mitigating teacher attrition, stress, and burnout while fostering resilience and well-being among educators. Furthermore, the study contributes to the refinement of the JD-R model and the broader understanding of teacher well-being. By providing a deeper insight into the mechanisms underlying teacher resilience, the findings serve as a foundational basis for future research in this critical domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High school teachers face increasing job stress, leading to turnover behaviors and teacher attrition, which has a significant impact on education and teaching. To discuss the mechanism of this phenomenon, this study proposes a chain mediation model of high school teachers' turnover intention based on the Price-Mueller Turnover Model, and reveals how job stress influences turnover intention with the effect of organization-based self-esteem and resilience. A total of 378 high school teachers from China were investigated for the research hypotheses. The results showed that: (1) job stress positively predicted turnover intention, negatively predicted organization-based self-esteem and resilience. (2) The relationship between job stress and turnover intention was mediated by both organization-based self-esteem and resilience. (3) Organization-based self-esteem was positively correlated with resilience, and these two factors served as chain mediators in the relationship between job stress and turnover intention. The findings of the study have important theoretical and practical implications for reducing the propensity of high school teachers to leave their position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractOver 30 states have experienced a shortage of music teachers in the past decade. The attrition of early-career teachers is one of the largest contributing factors to the rising demand for teachers nationally, but there is a lack of rigorous empirical research examining characteristics associated with attrition of music teachers. I leveraged data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System to examine early-career music teachers’ retention and attrition patterns between 2013 and 2020 using descriptive statistics and discrete-time survival analysis (N = 6430). On average, 74% of early-career music teachers retained their current position each year, 8% moved to a different school in Maryland, and 18% of left public school music teaching in Maryland. Survival analysis indicated that half of all music teachers left public-school music teaching in Maryland within their first five years of teaching. Attrition risk was greatest in years two and three. Other factors associated with attrition risk included sex, race, ethnicity, school grade level, aspects of school culture, the student body, school and district urbanicity, and the number of teachers employed by the school district. Discussed policy recommendations include mentorship programs, teacher compensation, school resources, comprehensive family leave, and music teacher recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the issue of Chinese language teacher attrition in Myanmar, this study aimed to examine the professional commitment of these teachers, with a focus on how their commitment is constructed and shaped within the local context. The study adopted a theoretical lens of positive psychology and utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Data was collected through semi‐structured interviews in which 10 participants shared their life stories. Thematic analysis was then conducted to identify key themes. The study proposed a positive‐psychology‐informed model with motivation, meaning, and perseverance as the three key components that interact with each other to jointly shape teachers' professional commitment. In particular, motivation to teach is a precondition, the meaning‐making process functions as reinforcement, and perseverance in coping with adverse situations is the ultimate embodiment of teachers' professional commitment. A common feature underlying this model has been traces of the teachers' positive emotions, attitudes, and values. Furthermore, the study approached Chinese language teachers' professional commitment in the situated context at cultural, societal, and institutional levels. The study yields theoretical implications for understanding teacher commitment and offers practical insights for addressing the issue of attrition among Chinese language teachers in Myanmar and similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, special education teacher shortages have worsened, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 63% of schools nationwide reporting being understaffed in special education. Multiple variables including declining enrollments in traditional teacher preparation programs and teacher attrition have caused the shortage. Addressing special educator shortages will require a multifaceted approach across federal, state, regional, and local levels. We provide specific solutions from research and practice for how educational leaders can ameliorate shortages in their local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the issue of teacher attrition and the need for systemic change to address the challenges faced by teachers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the lack of diversity in the teacher workforce and the inequities in working conditions that contribute to high turnover rates. The article emphasizes the importance of reprofessionalizing and rehumanizing teaching to make it a more sustainable profession. It discusses the disrespect and challenges faced by educators, including their mental and physical health, and the lack of support from administrators. The article also addresses the low pay, stress, and lack of recognition that teachers experience, and calls for listening to teachers and elevating their voices in research and policy discussions. It suggests that teacher educators can help prepare teachers for the realities of the field and support them in navigating institutional challenges, and calls for educational leaders to implement systemic solutions that value and support both students and educators. [Extracted from the article]

The burnout and attrition of teachers is a critical issue both in the United States and internationally. However, there is insufficient empirical research addressing these concerns among world language teachers. This paper reports the results of surveying high school world language teachers across all regions of the United States (N= 313) to investigate the relationship between three constructs: burnout, intent to quit, and teacher empowerment. The results of descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis suggest that teacher empowerment significantly impacts levels of burnout and intent to quit. More specifically, higher levels of professional growth, self-efficacy, and autonomy may predict lower levels of burnout and intent to quit in high school world language teachers. The findings of this study suggest that interventions that focus on increasing teacher empowerment may be effective in reducing burnout and intent to quit in high school world language teachers. Potential interventions focusing on these factors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined factors that lead to the attrition and retention of special education teachers (SETs) based on gender, race, and geographical location. Factors leading to SETs intent to stay or leave teaching is commonly overlooked in research, particularly when controlling for gender and race. Thus, we reviewed survey data of 778 SETs, controlling for gender and race in different settings (urban, suburban, and rural). We found differences between men and women SETs, including significant differences in supports for men and women identifying within the same race/ethnicity demographics in urban settings. We propose research and practice directions for attracting, supporting, and retaining SETs across multiply marginalized groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher turnover negatively impacts educational quality. This study investigates whether schools' socioeconomic composition (SES), teachers' teachability perceptions, emotional exhaustion and teacher efficacy impact teachers' intention to quit and transfer schools. Through multilevel analysis on data of 1247 teachers in 59 Flemish schools, our results indicate that teachers are more emotionally exhausted in low-SES schools, resulting in stronger intentions to transfer schools. This association is explained through the lower teachability levels that teachers ascribe to students in low-SES schools. Intentions to quit teaching do not vary across schools. Efficacious teachers show less intent to quit teaching partly due to less emotional exhaustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools across the nation are impacted by the influx of teachers leaving the profession. Record-high teacher shortages devastate public schools as classrooms remain unstaffed, and students miss quality instruction. The current study examined the experiences of former teachers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic that led to their exit from the profession. The overall research question was, "What experiences led teachers to exit the profession before and during the COVID-19 pandemic?" Using Maslach's Burnout Theory as a guiding framework, qualitative data were collected during 10 in-depth interviews with former educators. Ten participants were selected using purposive sampling for interviews. The following criteria were utilized to select participants for interviews: taught in a South Carolina public school for at least eight years, taught during the pandemic, and quit or retired early. Potential limitations that were identified for the study included a limited number of participants, the emotional distress of reliving leaving the teaching profession, and the utilization of a virtual platform to conduct interviews. Data analyses resulted in the following themes contributing to teacher attrition: Lack of support from the administration, lack of professional autonomy, and increased stress. These were the most consistent themes noted before and during the pandemic. This research study provides educational leaders and policy makers with the voices of teachers who have left the profession, thus providing valuable data to make informed decisions in an effort to reverse the current teacher attrition trend. The determinants of teacher shortage identified in the data analysis of this phenomenological study can be addressed immediately within individual schools to help resolve the teacher shortage. Recommendations for future practice include administrators developing trusting relationships with teachers as well as educational leaders providing educators with a voice in decisions that affect their classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This article looks at organizational resilience (OR) through the analysis of a sub-set of data gained from an independent and embedded mixed methods implementation and process evaluation (IPE) of the Schools Partnership Program (SPP) implemented over 3 years (2018-2021) and funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in England. We describe ways in which SPP 'learning map' addresses the (i) anticipation, (ii) coping and (iii) adaptation stages and the extent to which SPP helped building organizational resilience. Taking this theoretical framework as a foundation is a novelty, as despite OR has become prominent in the academic literature apart from a few exceptions there is a dearth of international research examining OR within the school sector. Methods: A sample of 422 primary schools that took part in SPP (treatment schools) and their comparisons are analyzed applying the organizational capability-based framework. Drawing on SPP empirical data from numerous data collection strategies (interviews, surveys, shadowing school reviews and improvement workshops), the extent to which schools' resilience capacities were improved is analyzed. Results: Our findings suggest that SPP supported the development of OR in SPP primary schools. Despite facing several challenging external factors (student deprivation, the COVID disruption, changes to the external accountability framework and competing demands of other partner organizations) and internal factors (teacher attrition, need to developing leaders, upgrade pedagogical skills and encourage student subgroups who were underperforming) SPP schools exert (1) knowledge building through training, the review process, professional dialogue, learning from each other, as well as receiving and giving feedback. Regarding (2) resource availability, schools used SPP as a scaffold to build improvised strategies to access and mobilize shared human and physical resources; (3) social resources were built in the SPP through social capital, sharing of knowledge, enhancing a shared vision and trust. Finally, (4) SPP promoted lateral power dynamics driven by professional learning and accountability. Discussion: Overall, the paper extends the understanding of school peer review approaches for school improvement and adds to the OR international literature by presenting features that extend it toward building system resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose: The present study aimed to understand in depth the experience of identity formation of beginning teachers (BTs), members of Gen Y in their first year at elementary school, and teaching students of Gen Alpha from the perspective of BTs and their teacher mentors (TMs). Background: The purpose of the study was to compare the aspects described by BTs and their mentor teachers of the initial experience of teaching and of shaping the professional identity of BTs, members of Gen Y, in elementary schools, from the perspective of BTs and teacher mentors (TMs). Methodology: This was a qualitative study. Two groups participated in the study: (a) 75 BTs, members of Gen Y, and (b) 40 mentors of beginning teachers. Contribution: The findings of this study indicate that the creation of an emotionally and professionally supportive community led to a fruitful discussion on issues related to the process of absorption and integration of BTs in the school. This process advanced their professional development, expanding knowledge, abilities, strategies, innovative pedagogical practices for classroom management, and meaningful teaching and learning in the classroom. The supportive community provided an emotional, professional, social-organizational, and evaluative-reflective response to the needs of BTs, facilitating meaningful interactions between the BTs and their students. It created a space for students to practice emotional training, organize and manage behavior, regulate emotions and behavior, reduce feelings of anger, and arouse a feeling of optimism. Findings: The findings show that there was a conflict between the BTs' and TMs' perceptions of school reality. The mentors expected the BTs to adapt to the existing system, whereas the BTs perceived the process as one of formation of their identity as teachers. It turned out that parameters important to Gen Y teachers, such as knowing the school organization and being an influential factor that brings about change, were less important to their mentors. The findings of the present study reinforce those of previous studies that investigated the employment characteristics of Gen Y. Recommendations for Practitioners: A supportive community at school is likely to increase the level of mental wellbeing of Gen Y teachers. To this end, support communities of teachers should be created by form and discipline of study. In the community, emphasis should be placed on reflection and mental resilience in all situations and challenging events that happen to the BTs to help them cope with the accumulated stress. Recommendations for Researchers: Students need a sensitive environment that is appropriate for Gen Alpha children. This environment must allow for emotional training and regulation, behavior organization, and management to arouse a feeling of optimism and reduce anger. Teachers must teach with love, sensitivity, affectivity, and empathy to develop students' emotional, social, and cognitive abilities. Impact on Society: To retain BTs and prevent them from quitting their career, schools must ensure that members of Gen Y understand the school organization and are satisfied with the way the organization is managed. They must have a sense of being significant partners in the life of the school. Under optimal working conditions, Gen Y teachers may greatly contribute to the values of education and equal opportunity, maximizing the personal potential of each student and the classroom as a whole and making the school relevant. Future Research: Future studies should examine the characteristics of students belonging to Gen Alpha. One of the difficulties mentioned by BTs was a misunderstanding of the characteristics of Gen Alpha, which created problems in the interactions within the teaching staff and between the teachers and the students and prevented gaining authority with other teachers and with students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have sought to understand the factors associated with teachers’ decisions to leave or stay in the teaching profession, highlighting the interconnected and complex nature of this educational issue. Factors such as teacher autonomy, work environment and conditions, and workload appear to shape teacher attrition and rotation. However, little is known about this phenomenon in intercultural school settings. Employing a critical narrative approach, this study addresses this issue through the voices and experiences of two teachers embarking on their professional careers in indigenous school contexts in La Araucanía, region of Chile. The findings reveal that racial violence, coupled with stress and the working environment, impact the mental health of the participants and influence their decisions to leave the teaching profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerations around teacher attrition, supply and demand, and retention are incomplete without including teacher mobility. The problem, as it currently stands, finds SBAE ill-equipped, at the professional level, to support mobile teachers. Providing support, however, starts with understanding the population; in this case, mobile teachers. The purpose of our study was to quantitatively describe teacher mobility in Minnesota over the last 20 years (1999-2021). To describe SBAE teacher mobility in our state, we utilized teacher retention data compiled from state teacher directories over the last 20 years (1999-2021). We corroborated previous findings noting heightened attrition after year one in a new school, and school retention of mobile teachers to average about three years. These findings bear implications for our pre-service preparation, induction level support, and mid-career advice and support relative to the suggested reduction of frequency in mobility with additional teaching experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To meet the needs of under-resourced, rural schools where teacher attrition is high, this case study examined how a school–university partnership strengthened teacher and leader abilities to support deeper learning for students. Design/methodology/approach: This research focused on a 17-year collaborative partnership between one rural school district and a university research and outreach organization to develop deeper learning experiences for students through shared and supportive leadership and learning of teachers and leaders. The researchers utilized documents, field notes and interviews with administrators to validate the data. Findings: The study's findings suggest that participation in authentic, researched-based professional development through the partnership improved the skills of leaders and teachers to support deeper learning for students. This partnership heightened teacher and leader capacity to promote and support continued change and sustainability. Originality/value: This case study explored how one university center collaboratively engaged with a district by sharing research and strategies to support the development of leaders and teachers to create deeper learning for students. Through these experiences, the district evolved its deeper learning system and improved its organizational effectiveness, leadership development and learning for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues of Early Childhood Teacher (ECT) shortages, recruitment, and retention are of concern in many nations, with ECT attrition being a contributing factor. Simultaneously, scholars argue that neoliberal influences are restricting the agency of ECTs. This article explores the relationship between ECT attrition and agency by re-examining narratives shared by four individuals who chose to leave early childhood teaching in Victoria, Australia. Through an analytical framework grounded in ecological systems, I delve into how agency was experienced in relation to the incidents that led participants to leave the profession at the individual, micro-, meso-, exo-, macro-, and chrono-systems. The findings suggest that upon entering the profession, participants had anticipated and found the need to advocate for their professional aspirations. Notably, their relationships with colleagues, particularly management and leadership, either afforded or constrained their agency. Other system factors influencing their agency, and reasons for leaving the profession, include the everyday busyness of teaching, educator-child ratios, and working conditions as defined by their employment entitlements. I argue that early childhood managers and leaders act as agency gatekeepers and concur with scholars who suggest a need to reimagine early childhood education and care as a public good, and to reconsider current hierarchical structures. This article aims to initiate further research concerned with the agency of ECTs and how they are or can be supported to not only remain but thrive within in the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We contextualize the magnitude of teacher attrition during the pandemic, including from the 2020–2021 school year to the 2021–2022 school year, using longitudinal data on teachers in Washington since the 1984–1985 school year. The teacher attrition rate after the 2020–2021 school year (7.3%) increased by almost one percentage point from the attrition rate after the 2019–2020 school year (6.4%), but these rates are well within the range of turnover rates observed during pre-pandemic years. The increase in turnover during the pandemic was also smaller than pre-pandemic differences in turnover between high- and low-poverty classrooms in the state, and these inequities in turnover between high- and low-poverty classrooms decreased during the pandemic relative to pre-pandemic years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author draws attention to the problem of attrition among teachers and the impact of teacher shortages on students, particularly those with significant support needs. Noting the importance of inclusive education for such students, she argues that collaboration is a critical working condition for teachers who must meet the needs of all students, because planning and implementing instruction together can help alleviate educators' workloads and create a more supportive working environment. She further argues that prioritizing time for collaboration for general and special education educators would improve their working conditions and be one way to help curb the rate of teacher attrition. Although the author focuses on data from the State of Texas regarding attrition and its causes, her argument has relevance for all educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the experiences Black teachers who participated in the Black Teacher Project's design lab. Topics include the importance of Black teachers in education, challenges leading to Black teacher attrition, and the implementation of liberatory design principles to create healing spaces in the English language arts classroom.

Since the mid-1970s, researchers have provided theoretical frameworks that continue to be used today to explain persistence and attrition of nontraditional undergraduate students in higher education. Previous frameworks emphasized specific skills nontraditional undergraduate students need upon admission into an online program to support their persistence. Recent research has confirmed the importance of these skills to student persistence in an online program. While these frameworks remain relevant, none reflect advancements and developments that have shaped today's online learning environment. The characteristics of nontraditional undergraduate online students and programs have evolved over the years. Hence, this article introduces a modified Contemporary Persistence Model, predicated on existing frameworks, and informed by the results of recent research into nontraditional undergraduate online students. The projected growth in online learning, coupled with the increased interest among nontraditional undergraduate students to enroll in online programs, necessitates a persistence model that is aligned with the contemporary needs of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]