How Predictive of Teacher Retention Are Ratings of Applicants from Professional References?

This phenomenological qualitative study investigated the challenges and intervention strategies in the retention of teachers in private schools in Iligan City, Philippines. The researchers administered interviews to select private school administrators and teachers as the second data source. Three (3) significant themes were identified in strategies for retaining professional teachers: holistic teacher development, well-being and support, and nurturing a positive environment. Three (3) significant themes were derived from challenging experiences in keeping professional teachers: retention and turnover, mindset, and compensation. Four (4) significant themes were derived from the intervention strategies to retain professional teachers in private schools: supportive environment, innovative problem solving, empowerment, and professional and spiritual growth. It is recommended to administer tailored interventions, provide consistent leadership training, foster ongoing professional development, implement continuous strategy evaluation, and empower teachers through leadership skill development and grants for further studies to improve teacher retention in private schools.

Problem definition: Though the effectiveness and efficiency of education systems depend in part on a committed teacher workforce, high rates of teacher leaving have plagued the U.S. public schools. There are many complex factors at play. A foundational one is that teachers are frustrated by the difficulty and expense of needing to procure many classroom supplies and materials on their own. This has recently become more prominent with the emergence of teacher crowdfunding platforms. With the understanding that securing resources through crowdfunding may be different and perhaps better than doing so offline, this paper investigates whether and how teacher crowdfunding affects teacher retention. Methodology/results: We integrate proprietary, identified teacher-level data from the largest teacher crowdfunding platform, DonorsChoose, with publicly available teacher workforce records from the state of Pennsylvania over a five-year period from 2013–2014 to 2018–2019 (n = 759,766). We create a set of instrumental variables to identify the effect of successful DonorsChoose resource requests (“projects”) on teacher retention and then integrate textual analyses of teacher-written project descriptions to understand which types of projects are more effective. We find that teachers funded on DonorsChoose are 1.6 percentage points less likely to leave their schools and 1.9 percentage points less likely to leave the teaching profession—a 14% and 41% reduction, respectively. The effect is larger for classroom environment (i.e., furniture) projects (4.2 and 2.8 percentage points) and for more unique projects (2.1 and 1.9 percentage points), suggesting that teachers are most impacted when they leverage the platform for resources particularly hard to get otherwise. It is not just that crowdfunding helps teachers get more or better resources; it helps teachers get resources more efficiently. Managerial implications: Improved U.S. educational supply operations are needed to remedy the persistent gap between what resources teachers want and what they have. While that gap persists, teacher crowdfunding platforms appear to be a critical tool to stem teacher turnover and attrition. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0206 .

Starting in 1999, New York State implemented class size reduction policies targeted at early elementary grades, but due to funding limitations, most schools reduced class size in some grades and not others. I use class size variation within a school induced by the policies to construct instrumental variable estimates of the effect of class size on teacher attrition. Teachers with smaller classes were not significantly less likely to leave schools in the full sample of districts but were less likely to leave a school in districts that targeted the same grade across schools. District-wide class size reduction policies were more likely to persist in the same grade in the next year, suggesting that teacher expectations of continued smaller classes played a role in their decision whether or not to leave a school. A decrease in class size from 23 to 20 students (a decrease of one standard deviation) under a district-wide policy decreases the probability that a teacher leaves a school by 4.2 percentage points.

Despite their widespread use, there is little academic evidence on whether applicant selection instruments can improve teacher hiring. We examine the relationship between two screening instruments used by Spokane Public Schools to select classroom teachers and three teacher outcomes: value added, absences, and attrition. We observe all applicants to the district (not only those who are hired), allowing us to estimate sample selection-corrected models using random tally errors and variation in the level of competition across job postings as instruments. Ratings on the screening instruments significantly predict value added in math and teacher attrition, but not absences—an increase of one standard deviation in screening scores is associated with an increase of about 0.06 standard deviations of student math achievement, and a decrease in teacher attrition of 3 percentage points. Hence the use of selection instruments appears to be a key means of improving the quality of the teacher workforce.

Teacher education qualifications give a teacher authority to teach at different education levels. Education qualifications on teacher attrition affect labour stability in educational institutions. The purpose of the paper was to assess the influence of education qualifications on teacher attrition in public secondary schools in Kilimanjaro and Manyara Regions. Specifically, the study aimed to examine the influence of teacher’s education qualification and teacher’s training entry qualification on teacher attrition. The study was based on Maslow’s and Herzberg’s two factors theory. The study was conducted in three districts of Kilimanjaro and Manyara Regions. The study adopted cross sectional research design. The sample size for the study was 140 respondents. The study adopted simple random and snowball sampling. Data collection instrument involved questionnaires administration, and telephone interview. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The study found that bachelor degree education qualification had statistically significant influence on attrition P<0.05. The influence of teacher training entry qualification found slightly statistical significant with P<0.05. The study concluded that the mean score for both categories of teachers were above 50 percent indicating that teacher education qualifications and teacher’s training entry qualification influence teacher attrition. The study recommends to the Presidents’ Office Regional Administration and Local Government to set standards on student teacher training entry qualification to all teachers training institutions and or colleges, regardless of the institution’s ownership. Educational Policy makers should assure that teaching staff that need to pursue further education must be at their working stations for a specified number of years after finishing their study. Also, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should provide guidelines for teachers who have undergone teacher’s education courses before venturing into the teaching profession. Keywords: Teachers' education qualifications, Teachers' training entry qualification, teacher attrition. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-33-08 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

The 2023 Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v President and Fellows of Harvard College ruling to restrict race-based affirmative action is a landmark decision with potentially far-reaching consequences. To examine application, acceptance, and matriculation rates into doctor of medicine (MD)-granting programs before and after the 2023 SCOTUS decision. This retrospective cross-sectional study used deidentified data from the Association of American Medical Colleges on applicants and matriculants to US MD-granting medical schools 5 years before (2019-2023) and 1 year after (2024) the SCOTUS ruling. Application, acceptance, and matriculation into MD-granting programs. The study sample included 291 764 applicants to MD programs between 2019 and 2024 (162 211 identifying as female [55.59%]; 4576 American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander [1.57%], 84 122 Asian [28.83%], 34 256 Black [11.74%], 35 707 Hispanic [12.24%], and 154 621 White [53.00%]). Compared with mean acceptance rates in 2019 to 2023, acceptance rates in 2024 were higher for White (40.37% vs 47.47%; difference, 7.10 percentage points [95% CI, 6.21 to 7.98 percentage points]; P < .001) and Asian (38.26% vs 45.19%; difference, 6.93 percentage points [95% CI, 5.78 to 8.07 percentage points]; P < .001) applicants and lower for Black applicants (36.06% vs 33.08%; difference, -2.98 percentage points [95% CI, -4.74 to -1.21 percentage points]; P < .001) and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) applicants overall (39.68% vs 38.33%; difference, -1.35 percentage points [95% CI, -2.60 to -0.09 percentage points]; P = .02). No racial or ethnic difference in acceptance rates were observed in 2019 to 2023, but in 2024, URiM applicants had significantly lower acceptance rates than White (difference, -9.14 percentage points; P < .001) and Asian (difference, -6.86 percentage points; P < .001) applicants. Comparing the mean of 18 304 matriculants in 2019 to 2023 with 19 018 matriculants in 2024, White student representation decreased from 10 132 matriculants (55.35%) to 10 158 matriculants (53.41%) for a decrease of 1.94 percentage points (95% CI, -3.31 to -0.56 percentage points; P = .009), Asian student representation increased from 5102 matriculants (27.87%) to 6288 matriculants (33.06%) for an increase of by 5.19 percentages points (95% CI, 3.49 to 6.88 percentage points; P < .001), and URiM student representation decreased from 4466 matriculants (24.39%) to 3963 matriculants (20.83%) for a decrease of 3.56 percentage points (95% CI, -5.34 to -1.77 percentage points; P < .001), equating to 503 fewer URiM matriculants in 2024. Post-SCOTUS decision declines in URiM representation were concentrated in schools located in states without prior state-level affirmative action bans (mean [SD] change, -6.14 [8.93] percentage points vs 0.10 [8.11] percentage points; P < .001). In this study, URiM student matriculation into US medical schools declined after the 2023 SCOTUS ruling, with an emergent disparity in acceptance rates of URiM applicants relative to Asian and White students. The decline in URiM student matriculation was concentrated in states without a preexisting state-level affirmative action ban, suggesting that there may be an association between the SCOTUS ruling and demographic changes in matriculation.

This study examined the relationship between professional development programs and teacher retention among 116 Grade 8 teachers in the Division of Davao del Norte. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, validated survey instruments were administered, and data were analyzed using weighted mean, Pearson product-moment correlation, and regression analysis. The results revealed that the extent of both professional development programs and teacher retention was at an extensive level. All domains of professional development, including thematic knowledge, learning environment, cooperation, educational technology, research-based practices, educational planning, evaluation, and development of human resources, were significantly related to teacher retention. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that these domains significantly influenced retention, with the learning environment having the strongest predictive value. The findings confirmed that well-designed, relevant, and supportive professional development programs enhance teacher engagement and commitment, thus improving retention. The results align with social learning theory, experiential learning theory, and andragogy, which collectively emphasize learning through interaction, reflection, and practical application. The study concludes that comprehensive and continuous professional development is vital in maintaining a stable and high-performing teaching workforce. Recommendations were made for DepEd officials, school administrators, teachers, and future researchers to enhance professional development structures as a strategic approach to improving teacher retention. Keywords: Professional Development, Teacher Retention, Education, Davao Del Norte, Professional Growth, Learning Environment, Mentorship

Context In 2005-06, Denver became one of the first U.S. districts to implement a pay-for-performance (PFP) compensation system, and Denver's ProComp is now the longest-running PFP policy in the country. The national proliferation of PFP systems in education has been controversial, with mixed evidence and competing narratives about its impacts. During Denver's 2019 strike, disagreements arose about whether 13 years of ProComp have helped or harmed efforts to retain effective teachers to improve student outcomes. This article addresses this policy debate. Research Questions We use a 16-year panel to analyze the effects of ProComp on both student and teacher outcomes. We focus on the onset of the second version of the policy, ProComp 2.0, in 2008. Intervention The ProComp policy is a pay-for-performance teacher compensation system, which includes ten distinct financial incentives, some of which are awarded schoolwide. Annual payouts represented 12% of base-pay, on average, among full-time teachers. Research Design We use comparative interrupted time series (CITS) to examine pre/post ProComp trends in outcomes in DPS relative to similar districts across the same period. When CITS is not possible, we conduct interrupted time series (ITS) analysis in DPS using a panel up to five years pre-PC1 and up to ten years post-onset. Results ProComp may have had a positive effect on ELA, math, and writing achievement that was not evident in comparable districts with similar achievement trends prior to 2005-06. We also find descriptive evidence that more effective teachers were recruited to DPS once ProComp began and that the overall decline in teacher retention across districts in this time period was less precipitous among DPS’ highly effective teachers during ProComp. Conclusions Our results can help reflect on which of the hypothesized mechanisms undergirding PFP policies find empirical support in the field. The onset of ProComp shifted the composition of the DPS teacher workforce through recruitment and retention of certain kinds of teachers. These results at first appear to contradict teacher perceptions that the program coincided with a dramatic decline in teacher retention and was thus ineffective. However, retention did, in fact, decline throughout the period. Yet DPS retention patterns were not that different from other comparable Colorado districts during this period. Thus, while teachers’ perceptions of reduced teacher retention were accurate, it would be very difficult to see from within DPS that retention rates were not necessarily distinct from secular trends outside DPS.

A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of chemical (50 articles) and microbial (21 articles) additives on hay preservation during storage. Multilevel linear mixed-effects models were fit with response variables calculated as predicted differences (Δ) between treated and untreated samples. Chemical preservatives were classified into five groups such as propionic acid (PropA), buffered organic acids (BOA), other organic acids (OOA), urea, and anhydrous ammonia (AA). Moderators of the models included preservative class (PC), forage type (FT; grass, legumes, and mixed hay), moisture concentration (MC), and application rate (AR). Dry matter (DM) loss during storage was affected by PC × FT (P = 0.045), PC × AR (P < 0.001), and PC × MC (P = 0.009), relative to the overall effect of preservatives (-0.37%). DM loss in PropA-treated hay was numerically reduced to a greater extent in grasses (-16.2), followed by mixed hay (-1.76), but it increased (+2.2%) in legume hay. Increasing AR of PropA resulted in decrease in DM loss (slope = -1.34). Application of BOA, OOA, PropA, and AA decreased visual relative moldiness by -22.1, -29.4, -45.5, and -12.2 percentage points, respectively (PC; P < 0.001). Sugars were higher in treated grass hay (+1.9) and lower in treated legume hay (-0.8% of DM) relative to their untreated counterparts (P < 0.001). The application of all preservatives resulted in higher crude protein (CP) than untreated hay, particularly urea (+7.92) and AA (+5.66% of DM), but PropA, OOA, and BOA also increased CP by 2.37, 2.04, and 0.73 percentage points, respectively. Additionally, preservative application overall resulted in higher in vitro DM digestibility (+1.9% of DM) relative to the untreated hay (x¯=58.3%), which increased with higher AR (slope = 1.64) and decreased with higher MC (slope = -0.27). Microbial inoculants had small effects on hay spoilage because the overall DM loss effect size was -0.21%. Relative to untreated (x¯=4.63% DM), grass hay preserved more sugars (+1.47) than legumes (+0.33) when an inoculant was applied. In conclusion, organic acid-based preservatives prevent spoilage of hay during storage, but their effectiveness is affected by FT, MC, and AR. Microbial inoculants had minor effects on preservation that were impaired by increased MC. Moreover, legume hay was less responsive to the effects of preservatives than grass hay.

While the practice of collecting information from applicants’ professional references is widespread, there is a paucity of research linking references’ assessments of applicants to subsequent performance. In this paper, we examine the predictive validity of a specific type of reference-provided information: categorical ratings of teacher applicants collected from their professional references—a potentially low-cost means of enhancing the applicant information available during the hiring process. We find an overall significant relationship between reference ratings and teacher performance as measured by observational evaluation ratings and teacher value added in math, but that this relationship is moderated by two factors. First, while references’ ratings of applicants with prior teaching experience are predictive of performance, those of novice applicants are not. Second, the predictive validity of reference ratings varies according to rater type: Ratings from references identified as the applicants’ Principal/Other Supervisor, Instructional Coach/Department Chair, or Colleague are significantly predictive of performance, whereas those from other types of raters are not. Overall, our findings show that meaningful information can be solicited from applicants’ references in the form of categorical ratings but also demonstrate some limitations in the potential for this type of information to inform hiring decisions.

Online courses have become an increasingly attractive format for delivering teacher training. However, the low retention rates are a critical and still unsolved issue. This paper presents the results of a randomized controlled trial aimed at testing the impact of a personalized support model on teachers’ retention in online training courses. The support consisted of a package of nine messages triggered by teachers’ characteristics and their specific (in)actions on the course platform. The study involved 3,777 lower-secondary education professional and student teachers from nine European Union Member States and Turkey, who were invited to participate in four new online courses in school year 2018/2019. The experimental estimates show that the offered support increased course completion by 10 percentage points among professional teachers in EU Member States, while it had no effects among student teachers nor in Turkey. Implications for online teacher training providers—such as the importance of reaching out to participants with poor online training experience and who do not start the courses in time—are discussed.

THE NUMBERS are in, and they are not rosy. According to the Schools and Staffing Survey, 64,954 public schools reported vacancies during the 2003-04 school year. (1) Even more alarming is the fact that projections suggest teacher attrition rates will continue to soar, while student enrollments climb, well into the 21st century. (2) American schools have an urgent challenge: the retention of teachers. (3) Although the forecast seems bleak, teachers can do something to help retain our colleagues. First, teachers must become aware of research that has examined dissatisfactions with the teaching profession. Second, they must use these findings to form policy and influence change. Only then can we say we are truly addressing the teacher retention crisis. In this article, I will address the five most commonly cited issues in teacher retention and offer four specific recommendations for how teachers can become leaders who can influence those factors. TEACHER PAY When we hear discussions of dissatisfaction among teachers, pay is usually the first topic that surfaces. Indeed, if we are serious about the retention of high-quality talent, then wages must be increased to compete with those offered by other professions in the job market, for salaries are positively associated with retention. (4) When compared to other college graduates with the same levels of experience, beginning teachers earn about 12% less per week than their peers in the private sector. (5) According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly salary for all teachers in the U.S. is $36.47, which results in average weekly earnings of $1,458 or approximately $53,000 per year. (6) An individual with similar credentials in another profession could earn roughly $175 more in one week, for an annual total of approximately $59,000. The difference between the two annual salaries, in spite of the employees' similar credentials, could make remaining in the teaching profession undesirable. Similar credentials aside, studies have cited that an even greater difference exists--with more dismal implications--for graduates who majored in mathematics or the science fields. Candidates for whom non-teaching jobs are more plentiful and attractive, such as individuals with training in mathematics and science, are less likely to choose teaching when wage differentials ... compare unfavorably. (7) Athletes, entertainers, and CEOs are paid enormous sums. Should we not reconsider our values and provide worthy salaries for the teachers who helped them achieve their success? Increasing salaries would help make teaching a more competitive and more desirable occupation, one that could attract the best and brightest students. I predict that we will see highly qualified, bright individuals choosing to remain in the teaching profession once salaries are in line with those of other career options. MENTORING We must create and support mentoring programs for teachers at all career levels. Research has indicated that meaningful mentoring is vital to and necessary for increased teacher retention, (8) especially among beginning teachers, who are particularly in need of meaningful help during their early years in the classroom. Meaningful mentoring, which must come from a credible source, is informative, nonpunitive, and helpful. Teaching is the only profession that requires the same responsibilities of its beginning practitioners as it does of its masters. In both medicine and law, novices are expected to work closely with more experienced colleagues until they are able to confidently stand on their own two feet. The teaching profession should be no different. Meaningful mentoring programs must be implemented quickly if we are going to retain our newest teachers. Although mentoring programs are critical for beginning teachers, experienced teachers can also benefit. (9) Seasoned teachers often express the need and desire to mentor novice teachers. …

This chapter intends to discuss and unpack teaching and learning resources in rural schools based on the following aspects: recruitment, retention and development of teachers, post-provisioning norms (PPN), infrastructure and financial management. National guidelines for the rationalisation of small and non-viable schools and multi-grade classes will also be identified and thoroughly discussed. The issues of democratic South Africa will also be looked at and discussed to identify equality among schools and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, including the Bill of Rights that enshrines the rights of all people in South Africa and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. The primary role of the teachers teaching multi-grade classes will be addressed. Additionally, a lack of resources would highly focus on the strategies and relevant teaching aids to facilitate the teaching and learning process. The educational policies of South Africa would be reviewed, and the issue of humanising pedagogy and Fourth Industrial Revolution technology concerning resources in all schools and identifying the distributions to all and the capacity and the time frame.

This study investigates the implications of the prevalence of fully online teacher preparation programs (TPPs) for student achievement and teacher attrition in Texas, a state where deregulation has led to the rapid expansion of online pathways into the teaching profession. Using statewide data from 2014 to 2023, we estimate the effects of teacher preparation pathway—capturing both training and selection mechanisms—on reading and math student achievement and teacher attrition. We find that students taught by teachers prepared via online TPPs exhibit lower achievement and that these teachers are more likely to exit the profession. Our findings raise concerns about the quality and stability of the teacher workforce and highlight the need for attention to the rapid expansion of online TPPs.

This study explored the factors contributing to teacher attrition in public senior high schools in the Tano South and North Municipalities in the Ahafo Region, Ghana. The concurrent mixed method research design was adopted for the study. Four schools were selected for the study using purposive sampling method. The teacher population of the schools was 300. Stratified and simple random sampling methods were also employed to select the sample of 120 teachers for the quantitative study and 12 headmasters were purposely selected to collect the qualitative data for the study. That meant that the instrument used for the study were questionnaire and unstructured interview guide. Means and standard deviations were used to analyse the quantitative data while verbatim responses of the interviews were used to analyse the qualitative data. The major external factors that contributed to teacher attrition were low salary, inadequate support from administration and high workloads. Again, job dissatisfaction, pursuit of alternative careers and family issues were the internal factors that contributed to teacher attrition. The study also revealed that, teacher attrition affects the quality of education delivery: negative impact on students’ performance, loss of instructional time and difficulty in finding experienced and qualified teachers. The researchers therefore recommend that salaries of teachers should be improved to retain them in the teaching profession. Again, heads of Senior High Schools should make sure they provide teaching and learning materials and textbooks to teachers for them to enjoy their lessons in the classroom.