The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how teachers perceive the influence of extrinsic/hygiene and intrinsic/motivation support strategies in improving teacher retention in rural, under-resourced schools in Arizona. Frederick Herzberg's Two Factor Theory of Motivation was the primary theory guiding the study. Data…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how rural Arizona teachers describe the influence of their school principals' transformational leadership styles on teachers' organizational commitment in rural Arizona schools. The theoretical foundation for this study was transformational leadership theory. The research questions…

Teacher retention continues to be an issue in rural school districts nationwide. The problem is teachers are leaving the profession within the first 5 years. While there is evidence to show a correlation between mentorships and teacher retention, there is a gap in the literature on effective teacher mentorship program experiences and rural teacher…

The United States currently faces a teacher shortage in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This research study focused on Arizona's STEM teacher shortage, aiming to gain a better understanding of the issue from the perspective of STEM teachers. The study explored job satisfaction and retention intention and identified strategies to…

During a time when teacher turnover is high, retention is low, and some positions go unfilled for years at a time, the conditions have never been more favorable to redesign the fundamental way we staff our nation's schools. Brent W. Maddin and Randy L. Mahlerwein describe how Arizona's Mesa Public Schools and Arizona State University are working…

Recent circumstances (e.g., COVID-19, socio-political tensions) exacerbate persistent teacher shortages, reinforcing the need to attend to factors associated with teacher retention. In this multimethod study, we explore outcomes of an online, year-long professional development focused on collaboration and autonomy -- two factors correlated with…

This research investigates whether teachers' unions influence student academic achievement in Southern states that prohibit collective bargaining. Our data are from the School and Staffing Survey and the Stanford Education Data Archive. We measure the strength of teachers' unions by union membership rate and meet-and-confer status of a district…

Psychological flexibility (PF), teaching resiliency (tRES), and sense of purpose (SOP) are characteristics that influence physical education teaching sustainability. The study's purpose was to validate an instrument measuring PF, tRES, and SOP relative to teachers' intent to remain teaching (IRT) in high poverty (>60% low-income) schools and…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if, and to what extent, the multidimensions of adult personal resilience were related to the turnover intentions of K-12 Arizona charter school teachers. The theoretical foundations used included the Adult Personal Resilience Theory, Turnover Intent Model, and Role Theory. A…

In this study, we analyzed public school teacher employment data from 2009 to 2015 to understand why teacher attrition is 54% higher in charter schools compared to traditional public schools. We investigated the factors associated with the differences in exit rates of teachers from traditional public and charter schools in Arizona which has a…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) exhibit a wide variety of difficult behavior, and the responsibility of educating them is equally difficult. Students with EBD face historically bleak outcomes. Additionally, EBD teachers have had a continual nationwide shortage. They have the highest turnover rate and have more teachers on…

Teachers have lasting influence on their students, and they are invaluable assets to their schools. However, they are leaving their schools and the profession too frequently. The problem addressed by this study was the shortage of teachers in Arizona charter elementary schools, resulting from low and declining retention rates of early career…

In the United States, beginning teacher retention rates are extraordinarily low; only 50% of teachers remain in the classroom after five years. In particular, the state of Arizona has been recruiting significant numbers of teachers from out of state and attempting to retain them with minimal success. This persistent problem has led the neediest of…

Teacher shortages in some regions, schools and content areas have caused states to consider fast-tracking teachers into the classroom through avenues that include little or no clinical preparation. Teachers who enter the profession through these pathways are less likely to be prepared, less effective and less likely to remain in the profession…

Special education is a vital and challenging area of service within American education. The services it provides and the processes which are employed are highly articulated and regulated by an extensive network of federal and state laws. Policy tends to drive decision making processes and accountability more than it guides instruction, decisions…