Retaining Effective Urban Teachers in the Age of Accountability

Retaining Effective Urban Teachers in the Age of Accountability PDF Author: Cove Johnstone Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Abstract: Many urban schools struggle to retain their best teachers because of challenging work environments, poor salaries, and ineffective school leadership. The additional requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation for teachers to be highly qualified and the increased academic requirements of raising students to a proficient level in reading and mathematics mean that these schools face additional challenges to retaining teachers. Little research has been done on teacher retention in relation to NCLB in urban schools, but the few studies available have suggested that NCLB has had a negative impact on teacher morale and retention in urban schools. The research project was a paired case study that examined teacher retention in four urban schools, contrasting two schools that showed improvement under NCLB in terms of student achievement with two schools that did not show improvement. This study used human resource data, teacher and principal interviews, and school improvement plans to answer the following three research questions: 1) Does the teacher retention rate remain constant as schools improve? 2) Is there a pattern of teacher retention in improving schools? 3) What do improving schools do to attract, train, and retain teachers? The results showed that all schools had increased levels of teacher retention from the beginning of the study until the end. Improving schools had slightly higher rates of teacher retention, especially among teachers who were determined to be desirable. There was some evidence that as student achievement rates rose in improving schools, so did the rate of teacher retention. Lastly, the findings suggest that schools that were improving were also schools that embodied many of the factors that teachers are looking for in a school, including strong school leadership, positive working conditions, and other supports for teachers new and experienced, such as professional development and mentoring. This study has several limitations, such as a small sample size and a limited pool of human resource data. The findings have important implications for urban school districts that are trying to retain quality teachers.

Retaining Effective Urban Teachers in the Age of Accountability

Retaining Effective Urban Teachers in the Age of Accountability PDF Author: Cove Johnstone Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Abstract: Many urban schools struggle to retain their best teachers because of challenging work environments, poor salaries, and ineffective school leadership. The additional requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation for teachers to be highly qualified and the increased academic requirements of raising students to a proficient level in reading and mathematics mean that these schools face additional challenges to retaining teachers. Little research has been done on teacher retention in relation to NCLB in urban schools, but the few studies available have suggested that NCLB has had a negative impact on teacher morale and retention in urban schools. The research project was a paired case study that examined teacher retention in four urban schools, contrasting two schools that showed improvement under NCLB in terms of student achievement with two schools that did not show improvement. This study used human resource data, teacher and principal interviews, and school improvement plans to answer the following three research questions: 1) Does the teacher retention rate remain constant as schools improve? 2) Is there a pattern of teacher retention in improving schools? 3) What do improving schools do to attract, train, and retain teachers? The results showed that all schools had increased levels of teacher retention from the beginning of the study until the end. Improving schools had slightly higher rates of teacher retention, especially among teachers who were determined to be desirable. There was some evidence that as student achievement rates rose in improving schools, so did the rate of teacher retention. Lastly, the findings suggest that schools that were improving were also schools that embodied many of the factors that teachers are looking for in a school, including strong school leadership, positive working conditions, and other supports for teachers new and experienced, such as professional development and mentoring. This study has several limitations, such as a small sample size and a limited pool of human resource data. The findings have important implications for urban school districts that are trying to retain quality teachers.

Learning To Teach in an Age of Accountability

Learning To Teach in an Age of Accountability PDF Author: Arthur T. Costigan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135619867
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
This book documents the "brave new world" of teacher, administrator, school, and student accountability that has swept across the United States in recent years. Its particular vantage point is the perspective of dozens of new teachers trying to make their way through their first months and years working in schools in the New York City metropolitan area. The issues they grapple with are not, however, unique to this context, but common problems found today in urban, suburban, and rural schools across the United States. The stories in this book offer a compelling portrait of these teachers' encounters with the new culture of accountability and the strategies they develop for coping, even succeeding, within such demanding settings. Learning to Teach in an Age of Accountability: *introduces research on teaching and engages the "big ideas" concerning teacher research, highlighting what we know and where that leads us; *offers a rich set of teacher narratives that are organized to widen the angle of vision from biography, to classrooms, schools, and society; and *includes questions and activities to encourage discussion and further research about the ideas raised; and *addresses the possibilities for best practice and curricular decision making in light of the issues and ideas presented in the book. This volume--unique in its portrayal of new teachers' encounters with issues of accountability--makes a singular contribution to the educational literature on new teachers. It is relevant to everyone interested in the contemporary world of teaching, and is particularly appropriate as a text for preservice and in-service students. All readers who believe that the key to a good school lies in attracting and keeping good teachers will find the issues presented here both personally engaging and deeply troubling.

Urban Teaching

Urban Teaching PDF Author: Lois Weiner
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 9780807746431
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
This bestselling guide to urban teaching has been updated and revised to reflect today's challenges, including testing pressures, inclusive classrooms, and helping second language learners. Lois Weiner, a highly regarded teacher with years of experience supervising new teachers in urban and suburban schools, provides invaluable "insider" recommendations for thriving in culturally diverse classrooms and coping with school realities ranging from overcrowded classes and a lack of appropriate materials to frustrating bureaucracy and school violence. This guide is an invaluable resource for teacher educators and essential reading for teachers at all grade levels.

A Qualitative Study of Urban Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions of Accountability in Their Practice

A Qualitative Study of Urban Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions of Accountability in Their Practice PDF Author: Rhiannon L. Gishey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational accountability
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
Current federal and state education mandates were developed to make schools accountable for student performance with the rationale that schools, teachers, and students will improve through the administration of high-stakes tests. Public schools are mandated to adhere to three accountability systems: national, state, and local. Additional elements include the recent implementation of the Common Core standards and newly devised state accountability systems that are granted through waivers as an alternative to the accountability mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act NCLB of 2001. Teachers' voices have been noticeably absent from the accountability debates, but as studies show, as primary recipients of accountability sanctions, many teachers withdraw, "burn out," or leave the profession altogether. The present study is based on the premise that teachers are vital to student achievement, and that their perspectives and understandings are therefore a resource for educational reform especially in light of the accountability mandates under NCLB. With that premise as a starting point, this dissertation examines practicing urban teachers' experiences of accountability in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. To fulfill these goals, this qualitative study used individual and focus group interviews and observations with veteran elementary school teachers in an urban Southwestern public school district, to ascertain practices they perceive to be effective. The study's significance lies in informing stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers of practicing teachers' input on accountability mandates in diverse urban schools.

IJER Vol 23-N3

IJER Vol 23-N3 PDF Author: International Journal of Educational Reform
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475816782
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 71

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Book Description
The mission of the International Journal of Educational Reform (IJER) is to keep readers up-to-date with worldwide developments in education reform by providing scholarly information and practical analysis from recognized international authorities. As the only peer-reviewed scholarly publication that combines authors’ voices without regard for the political affiliations perspectives, or research methodologies, IJER provides readers with a balanced view of all sides of the political and educational mainstream. To this end, IJER includes, but is not limited to, inquiry based and opinion pieces on developments in such areas as policy, administration, curriculum, instruction, law, and research. IJER should thus be of interest to professional educators with decision-making roles and policymakers at all levels turn since it provides a broad-based conversation between and among policymakers, practitioners, and academicians about reform goals, objectives, and methods for success throughout the world. Readers can call on IJER to learn from an international group of reform implementers by discovering what they can do that has actually worked. IJER can also help readers to understand the pitfalls of current reforms in order to avoid making similar mistakes. Finally, it is the mission of IJER to help readers to learn about key issues in school reform from movers and shakers who help to study and shape the power base directing educational reform in the U.S. and the world.

Urban Teaching

Urban Teaching PDF Author: Lois Weiner
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 080775689X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description
This significantly revised edition will help prospective and new city teachers navigate the realities of city teaching. Now the classic introduction to urban teaching, this book explains how global, national, state, and local reforms have impacted what teachers need to know to not only survive but to do their jobs well. The Third Edition melds new insights and perspectives from Daniel Jerome, New York City teacher, social justice activist, and parent of colour, with what Lois Weiner, a seasoned teacher educator has learned from research and decades of experience working with city teachers and students in a variety of settings. Together, the authors explore how successful teachers deal with the complexity, difficulty, and rewarding challenges of teaching in today's city schools.

Partnering to Prepare Urban Teachers

Partnering to Prepare Urban Teachers PDF Author: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9781433101168
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
This book attempts to present both theoretical and practical perspectives on school and university partnerships that focus on the preparation and retention of urban teachers. In particular, the book focuses on (a) theoretical and historical underpinnings of partnering to prepare urban teachers as social activists; (b) stories from the field, explored through the voices and actions of students, families, teacher educators, and preservice and in-service teachers; and (c) a critical analysis of this work. The research presented is situated in urban settings that mirror those across the United States and represents partnerships in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Wilmington, where school, city, and teacher education communities collaborate to prepare and keep teachers in hard-to-staff, high-needs schools. Case studies included in the text explore multiple perspectives on partnering to prepare urban teachers - including those of urban schoolchildren and their teachers, teacher educators and teachers becoming teacher educators, and parents. Combined, the chapters theoretically and practically detail the layers and conundrums, tribulations and triumphs, contexts and voices of the challenges facing urban teachers, teacher educators, community members, and administrators who work collaboratively to prepare and support teachers as social activists.

Teacher Retention in an Age of Performative Accountability

Teacher Retention in an Age of Performative Accountability PDF Author: Jane Perryman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 100055547X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
In this insightful and timely volume, Jane Perryman provides a definitive analysis of the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention through a critique of the culture of performative accountability in education, bringing together theory, literature, and empirical data. Drawing on data across several long-term research projects and through a Foucauldian theoretical framework, Perryman argues that teachers’ working lives, both in the UK and internationally, are being increasingly affected by the rise in the neoliberal performativity and accountability culture in schools. Teachers’ work is increasingly directed towards assessment, exams, progress measures, and preparation for review and inspection, and drawn away from the more individualistic and creative aspects of the job. This culture of hyper accountability and super-performativity, Perryman argues, has created a ‘discourse of disappointment’ – where the hopes and aspirations of teachers are crushed beneath the performative pressures under which they work. Teacher Retention in an Age of Performative Accountability offers a convincing, compellingly written critical analysis of how the values, purposes and practices embedded in education affect the working experience of teachers over time. Perryman makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the effects of accountability and performativity mechanisms in schools and offers insight into why so many teachers leave the profession. This analysis is important to scholars, educators, and policymakers alike.

Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Teachers for Urban Schools

Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Teachers for Urban Schools PDF Author: Kenneth R. Howey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Employee retention
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
How can the "revolving door" at the nation's high-poverty schools be slowed down? How can diversity be taught in teacher preparation that relates to teaching and learning? How can teachers learn to use the diverse urban classroom as a rich asset? By focusing on reconceptualizing general education studies, addressing key urban understanding and abilities throughout the professional program, implementing multiyear induction programs, and integrating outstanding veteran urban teachers, the authors of this volume take an affirming look at preparing teachers for the complexities of urban teaching. They candidly present lessons from a variety of urban settings for attracting, preparing, and supporting teachers who are both caring and qualified. The book contains the following chapters: (1) The Urban Context and Urban Schools (Kenneth R. Howey); (2) Sociocultural Strategies for Recruiting Teachers Into Urban Classrooms (Elizabeth C. Rightmyer, Ann E. Larson); (3) Urban Immersion: A Prototypical Early Clinical Immersion Experience (Andrea J. Stairs); (4) Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Urban Teachers: One Person's View From Many Angles (Michael J. Froning; (5) UWM's Collaborative Teacher Education Program for Urban Communities and the Pursuit of Program Coherence (Marleen D. Pugach, Hope Longwell-Grice, Alison Ford); (6) Professional Development of Reading Teachers: Biography and Context (William E. Blanton, Alison Shook, Anne Hocutt, Adriana Medina, Jeanne Schumm; (7) Growing Teacher Leadership in the Urban Context: The Power of Partnerships (Elizabeth MacDonald, Dennis Shirley); (8) Voices From the City: The Patrick Henrey High School Residency Program (Sharon Cormany Ornelas, Particia Thornton); and (9) Retaining Highly Effective Teachers in an Urban School District: Challenges and Opportunities (Vivian Gunn Morris, Allan D. Sterbinsky).

Facing Challenges and Complexities in Retention of Novice Teachers

Facing Challenges and Complexities in Retention of Novice Teachers PDF Author: Denise McDonald
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1641133015
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
The chapters in the book present in-depth examination of novice teachers’ experiences in Houston area schools during their first-through-third year of teaching. Their professional challenges and the unique conditions in which they must navigate their developing and sometimes fragile teacher identity are comprehensively explored.