| Popis: |
Attention has been increasingly drawn to the issue of teacher shortages. Such shortages are complex, but it is clear is that they are largely driven by high rates of teacher turnover. Although a body of research has coalesced around identifying working conditions and broad dispositions that lead to high rates of turnover, this has often led to calls for policy interventions that have left building-level leaders without practical solutions. In response, we aim to give teachers a voice in recognizing specific causes of professional dissatisfaction and align potential building-level solutions. Through a mixed methods approach combining interviews with a state-representative survey of over 500 Alabama teachers, we ask (1) what most bothers teachers in their work, and (2) what would keep them satisfied in their positions? Results demonstrate that (1) teachers are most bothered by a disconnect between administrative role requirements and the personal needs of students; (2) most want to see an effort to protect their time and professional role; (3) these sentiments are generally consistent across gender, race, and locale. This paper offers school leaders an opportunity to identify high-leverage strategies to identify and redirect teacher dissatisfaction towards positive retention using relational techniques often overlooked in education research. |
