Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Amy G. Gaskins
Abstract
The research problem was teacher turnover from low-income K–12 schools to higher-income K–12 schools. This problem is important because of the negative effects on student learning and the high cost of replacing departed teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to describe how low-income schools can implement interventions that will positively address the challenges teachers face that lead to teacher attrition through the support of administration, parental support, coworker relationships, and safety as perceived by teachers who formerly taught in low-income schools. The conceptual framework for this study was human capital theory. The participants were 56 K–12 teachers who formerly taught in a low-income K-12 school but currently teach in a higher-income K–12 school. Of the 56 participants, 48 completed an online survey and 8 participants completed an interview. Themes from the study for the interventions that would help low-income schools increase teacher retention were increasing parental involvement and support by building relationships, administration listening to teachers, administrative consistency with discipline, salary, and administrative transparency. The teachers in the study felt that administrators need to learn to better communicate with teachers, especially regarding student discipline. Another recommendation is to allow teachers greater input in developing school policies and procedures to promote ownership within the school. The implications for positive social change are that low-income districts with high rates of teacher turnover can implement the interventions from this study that will help increase teacher retention in low-income schools.
Recommended Citation
Darnell, Kenneth Bradley, "Interventions to Address Teacher Attrition from Low-Income Schools" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 8375.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/8375
