Perceptions of agriculture teachers and school administrators toward compensation and extended contracts

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Recruitment and retention of agriculture teachers is a major concern in the field of school-based agricultural education (SBAE). A major reason cited for this concern is perceived shortcomings in teacher compensation. To remedy this factor, Illinois implemented an extended contract grant program to provide agriculture teachers with additional compensation for their work outside of their normal contract time, implementing the three-circle model of SBAE instruction. The purpose of our study was to investigate the perceptions and attitudes of Illinois agriculture teachers and school administrators toward the teacher Three Circle Grant program. We designed and administered electronic questionnaires to investigate how agriculture teachers are compensated for their time, perceptions of compensation of agriculture teachers receiving and not receiving the extended contract grant, and agriculture teachers’ and school administrators’ attitudes towards the Three Circle Grant program. Our findings revealed that the ThreeCircle Grant is a major factor for agriculture teachers staying in their current teaching positions, and those teachers not receiving it want it in future contracts. We further discovered significant differences between agriculture teachers receiving the grant and those that do not, in their beliefs of adequate compensation for time conducting FFA and SAE responsibilities. Additionally, 80% of administrators stated that the grant is a major factor in recruiting and retaining agriculture teachers in their school districts. While findings were not generalizable beyond the population, there are implications for agricultural teacher preparation programming across America to address the lack of compensation outside of school hours if retention is to be improved.