Influence of Teacher Recruitment, Retention, Training, Working Conditions, and Improvement of District Support of 21st-Century Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Teacher recruitment and retention problems hinder large urban school districts from assigning the equitable number of quality teachers, thus further adding to the existing high-caliber teacher shortage at historically underserved schools. In some school districts, policies on seniority and transfer combined with inadequate administrator support, limited professional development, and poor working conditions further intensify recruitment and retention challenges.

Successful efforts to increase teaching quality and student achievement require that teachers teach in the fields for which they are prepared, have sufficient time to collaborate with colleagues on instruction, receive adequate resources, are provided with meaningful professional development, and receive concise feedback from their administrators and peers on their teaching. This study analyzed the perceptions of teachers and administrators on strategies that school districts can utilize to increase their capacity to recruit and retain quality teachers during and beyond the first 5 years. In addition, the study investigated the influence of professional devel-opment on teachers during the first 5 years and beyond. Three members of the Superintendents’ Cohort at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Escalante, were the researchers of this study. The researchers utilized a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach in the study, and three forms of data were triangulated to provide a comprehensive analysis of the research problem. The results of this study should contribute to the existing literature on successful recruitment, retention, and professional development policies and strategies in school districts. Finally, this study should inform school boards and superintendents on the value of making financial investments in recruitment, retention, professional development, and working conditions.