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TEACHER RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT.
Term Paper ID:30353
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Reviews literature on strategies for recruiting and retaining good teachers.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Reviews literature on strategies for recruiting and retaining good teachers. Need to reduce treacher attrition and meet the growing demand for more qualified teachers. Causes of teacher attrition; financial and educational costs. Problem of unqualified teachers. Discusses existing programs to retain teachers and their effectiveness. Teacher mentoring relationships and mentor programs.
Paper Introduction:
TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Introduction
In the next ten years, it is expected that American schools will be short almost 2.5 million teachers (NEA,2001), a statistic that highlights the importance of programs aimed at teacher recruitment and teacher retention. A good deal of the shortfall in American teachers is said to be due to teachers leaving the profession at alarming rates; for example, the National Education Association (2001) reports that about 20 percent of all newly hired teachers leave the profession within three years and about six percent of teachers overall leave the profession yearly.
In terms of the causes of teacher attrition, Ingersoll (1998) states that the single greatest causative factor is t
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First, many mentoring programs fail to clearly state theirpurpose as well as to provide clarity in concrete behavioral terms as towhat actions they specifically expect of their mentors, and what theyexpect novice teachers to learn as a result. R., Lal, D., & Achilles, C. Marketing materials are also adding punch to their message byformulating communications that address four of teachers' most salientconcerns: compensation, community (culture, core values), colleagues andcurriculum. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 397 6 ). Further, the state of New York pays a$1 , dollar signing bones to teachers agreeing to work in high needschools for three years. The development and refinement of more effective marketing strategiesis another way in which new teachers are being recruited into the field.In this regard, the NTRCH (2 1) states that schools are working to makerecruitment materials attractive by using appealing, high-qualitypromotional materials. It can also be concluded that there is at least a moderate degree ofsuccess for strategies, methods, and programs aimed at retaining teachersin the educational system, and/or at their particular position within agiven school. A third way in which schools/school districts are working to recruitqualified new teacher candidates is through programs that provide non-traditional teachers with access to proper training in order to become full-fledged teachers. In general, the authors call upon schools to make anextra effort to involve potential and active gang members in academic,extracurricular, and counseling programs. Ingersoll, R. (1991). (1993) that providing gang memberswith effective educational supports, such as tutoring, can reconnect themwith the rewards and value of academic achievement. In thisregard, it is recommended that a comprehensive induction program contain,at minimum, all of the four elements previously mentioned. Some of these programs are very simple. (1996). Itshould also attempt to facilitate their relationships at school, encouragethe development of the knowledge and skills needed for teaching andintegrate new teachers into the general culture of the school. Document available: www.nea.org. Easley, J. A second conclusionthat can be formulated on the basis of the reviewed material is thatattrition leads to serious consequences for schools/school districtsincluding: financial costs associated with the recruitment and hiring ofnew teachers to fill positions, schools filling up with more and more newand often unqualified teachers, a continuance of educational inequalitiesfor minorities, and failure to foster optimal learning environments andstudent performance. The new teacher in a mentoring relationship is said to assimilatefaster to the school environment, and to more quickly established his orher professional competence. It is also stated thatstaff who takes a personal interest in individual members can help loosenthe hold of the gang. Retention Strategies There are a host of ways in which schools and school districts areattempting to retain their existing pool of teachers. In general, theelement offer teachers support and assistance from more knowledgeableinstructors. To meet the foregoing needs, Ascher (1991) recommends improving themanagement of existing resources such as making sure that faculty have well-stocked classrooms, private and accessible telephones and good copyingmachines. Easley (2 ) further notes that examination of the literature onmentoring shows that it benefits all participants including the mentor, thenew teacher, and the school system. Most of the literature reviewed in terms of recruitment strategies,methods, and programs were comprehensive reviews of the general literaturein the area and most reviews reported fairly good success levels for theserecruitment strategies and programs. More research needs to be doneto determine which types of programs are maximally effective and whichparticular components of each program are the greatest contributors toprogram success. Further, it is noted by Lal et al. Discipline problems, it shouldbe noted here, can be quite severe in schools that have gang activity withthe associated violence frightening many teachers away from work in innercity schools in general and, in some cases, from the profession altogether(Ingersoll, 1998). Still other programs work attempt to expand the qualified pool ofteachers by attracting people in other professions and helping them tochange their careers to education. Moreover, it is recommendedthat schools create a support team and conduct an ongoing evaluation ofprogram operations. And the result to the schoolsystem is a reduction in teacher attrition. (2 1). According to the authors, schools can do much toremediate teachers fears regarding gang violence by working to makestudents who are gang members a part of the school community. The fourth and final minimal element that must be included in theComprehensive Induction Program, according to the NTRCH (2 1), is anassessment component. The courage to teach: Exploring the innerlandscape of a teacher's life. Palmer, P. Teacher mentoring: A critical review. Recruitment strategies, methods, and programs are one means that arebeing used to remediate the problem of teacher attrition. In addition, thedevelopment of a simple program for recognizing and rewarding teachers can,according to Ascher (1991), lead to higher levels of teacher satisfactionand, therefore, retention. While the foregoing is a very specific program aimed at oneparticular variable involved in teacher attribution, there are a number ofbroader and more general programs that are also being used to retainteachers in the educational field as well as in their specific positionswith a given school. A good deal of the shortfall in American teachers is said to bedue to teachers leaving the profession at alarming rates; for example, theNational Education Association (2 1) reports that about 2 percent of allnewly hired teachers leave the profession within three years and about sixpercent of teachers overall leave the profession yearly. J. One of the most effective means of retaining teachers, according toEasley (2 ) is through the use of mentoring programs. This in turn will drastically reduce these students'propensity toward violence and this reduction should do much to reduceteachers' fears making them more likely to stay in their positions. One frequently utilized strategy is the useof signing bonuses. The literaturerevealed that several different types of programs were being used. Teacher shortage: Fact sheet. Document available: www.recruitingteachers.org. As with recruitment strategies, it should not be thought thatexisting retention programs are complete. Further, financially, teacher attritionburdens schools and school districts with additional hiring and recruitingcosts. Theyinclude schools attempting to function with more new and unqualifiedteachers than is desirable for maximal learning (Ascher, 1991); acontinuance of educational inequalities for minority students (Palmer,1997), and failure to provide the kinds of intrinsic and extrinsic rewardsthat foster a maximal learning environment and strong levels of studentperformance (Palmer, 1997). Further, most important in terms of retentionpurposes, the new teacher is provided with an introduction to teaching as acontinually developing, lifelong career. Precollegiate programs are also beingused to nurture the interest of middle and high school students in majoringin education once they enter college. Moreover, the costs to education of teacher attrition are high. For example, the state of Massachusetts created a$2 , dollar signing bonus program for college graduates and mid-careerprofessionals who were willing to spend at least four years teaching in thestate. Also, it is recommended that schools work to downsize theirclasses as the literature indicates that doing so increases teachers'levels of involvement, commitment and satisfaction with their jobs.Moreover, it is said that this one simple reduction can drastically reduceteachers' likelihood of experiencing teacher burnout. National Education Association. And of course, many states are offeringhigher starting salaries to their teachers. ERIC/CUEDigest, 77. For example, in an extensive review of the literature on strategiesto retain qualified teachers, Ascher (1991) reported that simply improvingteachers' working conditions can produce better teacher performance andattendance, more effort, higher morale, and a greater sense of teacherefficacy in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on strategiesfor recruiting and retaining teachers in order to reduce attrition and tomeet the growing demand for more teachers expected over the next decade.The review ends with a summary of the findings and the formulation ofconclusions regarding the reviewed strategies. In this regard, mentors are said togain the satisfaction of being able to pass on their professional skillsand on-the-job knowledge. It is therefore concluded that stepscurrently being taken to recruit new teachers are helping to remediate theproblem. Easley definesmentoring as the development of a personal relationships between anexperienced and a novice teacher for the purpose of professionalinstruction and guidance. Handbook on gangs inschools: Strategies to reduce gang-related activities. M. Recruitment Strategies The National Teachers Recruitment Clearing House (NTRCH, 2 1) hasdiscussed several strategies and programs currently being used to recruitnew teachers into the field. With respect tot he foregoing, Lal, Lal and Achilles (1993) recommendthat schools/school districts establish a philosophy and action plan forworking with students who are gang members. (1998). Summary and Conclusions Noting that teacher attrition is a growing problem in the UnitedStates, this paper reviewed the literature on strategies, programs, andmethods used to recruit and retain teachers in their current positionsand/or in the profession. Support, the third element of the Comprehensive Induction Programcommonly consists of some form of mentoring program. Theseincluded incentive programs, marketing strategies, and programs aimed atgenerally expanding the qualified pool from which teachers are drawn. Inthis regard, the NTRCH points out that many programs that have beendeveloped fall short, limiting the program to a short orientation seminar.Instead what is needed is a long-term (at least one year) program that notonly orients but also mentors, supports staff development with courses andworkshops, and continually monitors success levels of the program. ED 446 54). How to find andkeep teachers. For example, the NTRCH (2 1) reports that many schoolsare using para-educator to teacher programs allowing teachers' aids toobtain the education and training they need to become licensed teachers. Ingeneral, they consist of strategies aimed at orienting, supporting,assisting, training and assessing new teachers during their first threeyears of work. By meeting informally with members and arranging forpositive experiences that are probably otherwise lacking in their lives,staff and faculty can provide students with some of the affirmation thatgangs offer. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. The mentoring relationship is said to be one ofencouragement in which mentors help the new teacher to set and attain bothshort- and long-term goals, to limit them from making major mistakes, andto just generally act as an effective role model. (ERICDocument Reproduction Service No. In terms of the causes of teacher attrition, Ingersoll (1998) statesthat the single greatest causative factor is teacher dissatisfactionassociated with such variables as severe staffing inadequacies in manyschools, low salaries, rampant student discipline problems, and littlefaculty input into school decision-making. Newbury Park, CA:Corwin Press. Regarding the element of orientation, the NTRCH (2 1) states thatthis component of the Comprehensive Induction Program should attempt tofamiliarize teachers with the basics such as paperwork and procedures. Feiman-Nemser, S. The strategies, methods, and programs most often used inthis regard include: programs to reduce teachers fear of gang violence byassisting gang members to become more a part of the school community;programs aimed at improving teachers' working conditions; downsizing ofclasses; programs allowing teachers greater influence over schooldecisions; programs fostering staff collegiality; programs affordingteachers more control over curriculum and instruction; programs aimed atmore effective management of school resources; mentoring programs, andcomprehensive induction programs. (1997). Still another method that has been found to have good success withrespect to teacher retention is the Comprehensive Inductive Program.According to the NTRCH (2 1), Comprehensive Induction Programs operate toinitiate novice teachers into the profession once they are hired. Another innovative use of incentive strategies is to help teacherswith certain Real Estate costs. (2 1). Italso measures their performance against district and school standards. In terms of the kind of improvements needed,Ascher states that teachers are most in need of: strong, supportiveprincipal leadership; good physical working conditions; high levels ofstaff collegiality; high levels of teacher influence on school decisions;and high levels of teacher control over curriculum and instruction. The key to their effectiveness is said to be comprehensiveness. The second element of the Comprehensive Induction Program is trainingand here the NTRCH (2 1) reports that successful programs utilize thiscomponent to assist teachers with instructional methods, curricularrequirements, classroom management, and with the assessment of students. If this is notpossible, then the program should be developed in a kind of collaborativecontext where mentors and novices can explore new approaches together. This component tracks new teachers' performance. Further, more and more school districts are using the internetfor marketing such as developing their own Web sites in which they listjobs for qualified new teachers. Also, Texas offers teachers signing bonuses (up to $2, dollars) ifthey fulfill certain specific hiring criteria such as the criterion ofbeing a secondary level math teacher. Second, some research is saidto show that mentors can promote conventional norms and practices which canoperate to limit any reforms the school or the school district is currentlyimplementing. However, this does not mean that existing programs do not need tobe refined and more programs developed through ongoing research intoprogram effectiveness. National Teachers Recruitment Clearing House. For example, the NTRCH (2 1) reports thatin Baltimore, teachers can receive up to $5, toward their closing costson a home in the city proper. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. While there is substantial research supporting the efficacy ofmentoring, Feiman-Nemser (1996) reports that there are a number of problemsand pitfalls that can plague mentoring programs and lessen theireffectiveness. TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction In the next ten years, it is expected that American schools will beshort almost 2.5 million teachers (NEA,2 1), a statistic that highlightsthe importance of programs aimed at teacher recruitment and teacherretention. In particular, the literature showed that mentoring programs, whileassociated with several benefits to mentors, new teachers, and even theschool, are complex programs which can fail if there is not a good deal ofattention to details during program development and implementation. Still another problem noted by Feiman-Nemser (1996) regardingmentoring programs as a means of retaining teachers in their positions isthat very few mentors practice conceptually-oriented, learner-centeredinstruction that is so much a part of ongoing reforms in today's education.Thus, Feiman-Nemser states that when developing mentoring programs,schools/school districts must make special efforts to make sure that thementors selected are already reformers in their schools. In many cases, school districts are also adding apersonal touch by including some real-life stories as to why teachers cameto their district. References Ascher, C. Thus,ongoing research on mentoring programs would greatly assist in the generaleffort to develop this retention strategy so as to make sure that suchprograms exert optimal impact. Teacher attrition and staff development forretention. Teacher recruiting efforts will fail.Document available:http:// debate.uvm.edu/eesample / 5 .html. One of the mostinteresting of these has been discussed by Lal, Lal, and Achilles (1993);and is related to attrition of teachers associated with fear of gangviolence in schools. (2 ). (1993). In this regard, the NTRCHreports that Nevada's average starting salary now exceeds all adjacentstates and the national average; and New Jersey has so raised its averagesalaries for teachers, in order to compete more effectively with careersoutside of teaching, that it now ranks as the state with the highestaverage teacher's salary in the nation. ED 341 762. The review listed the major causes of attrition;and in this regard, the first conclusion of this study is that asubstantial proportion of teacher attrition in the United States is due toteacher dissatisfaction associated with staffing inadequacies, lowsalaries, discipline problems (e.g., gang violence perpetrated on teachersand students), and little input into school decisions. R. Retaining good teachers in urban schools. Inthis way, not only can teachers' general ability be assessed but also thesuccess of the program can be determined. Many of these are said to be incentiveprograms aimed at attracting qualified teacher candidates and some of thestrategies are quite creative. Lal, S.
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