Retaining Teachers in Challenging Schools Article
You can access the article by clicking on the above link.
Q1: Are the research questions clearly stated?
Q2:Who were the participates in the study? Do you think that this is a big enough sample size?
Q3: Did the findings answer the research question?
Q4: How do you personally feel about the subject and the findings given?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1. I believe that the research questions in this article were, “Are there differences in what teachers say they need to stay in these schools based on the teachers' route to certification?” and “What are the professional conditions and Florida Principal Leadership indicators most likely to influence teachers to consider working in challenging schools?” However, I felt this article focused on many topics and addressed many questions, so I could very well be completely and totally wrong!
ReplyDelete2. The participants in the study were a voluntary group of elementary, middle, and high school teachers who were enrolled in the educational leadership program at USF. Of these 97 respondents, 77 were female and 20 were male, all having their Bachelors or Masters Degrees. 79 of these 97 teachers were white. Compared to other studies we have examined, 97 seems to be a much larger sample size.
3. The participants in the study were given a survey which obtained data on teachers’ perceptions. The findings from this survey concluded that many teachers would choose to teach in a school with a high number of disadvantaged students if they have more autonomy and resources to create strong curriculum innovations (22%), opportunities for significant professional development (12%), and more authority in school-based decisions(9%). The survey also found that teachers indicated that salary enhancements were important.
4. I found this article rather hard to follow. Not only could I not figure out how to print it off, but I also felt it jumped around a lot. I did however, find the topic interesting as I myself could very well be put in this position some day. One quote from the article that I found to affect me most was, “…principals must be able to create work environments where teachers can thrive” (p.6). All too often teachers have great ideas, lessons, strategies, etc. but can not use them because they violate what the principal has previously instated. I feel this could also be a reason why many teachers leave districts.
1) The research questions were clearly stated on the bottom of page 2. There were 2 of them and Ashley stated what they were.
ReplyDelete2) The participants were 97 teachers from various schools, race and age. Both male and female, but more female than male. Most particiants where white.
***participants
ReplyDeleteMore for 2) Yes I think the sample size is fine, especially when comparing that to some of the studies we have read with just 10 or even under.
ReplyDelete3) I believe that yes the research questions were answered. I found on page 9 a quote that sums up what was found "The findings from this study show that financial incentives, working conditions, and principal behaviors all play an important role in recruiting and retaining teachers in challenging schools. Incentives identified by respondents differed widely whether among teacher certification routes and school context."
4)I found this article tricky to read as well. The answers to the research questions did not at all surprise me, but it just proves to principles and other staff what teachers are often looking for at their job locations.
Q1: Yes they are clearly stated.
ReplyDeleteQ2:97 male/females from various schools. I think this was a good sample size because it gave a variety of people and from different schools.
Q3: yes they answered the research questions.
Q4: Like both Ashley and Laurin said, this article was all over the place. I also agree with what Ashley said about why teachers leave districts. Schools are so different, some being too strict and some not being strict at all on what the teacher can do, if you dont agree with what your principal says then it is going to be a hard place to work in.
Q1: Are the research questions clearly stated?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley on the research questions. They were clearly stated on page 2.
Q2:Who were the participates in the study? Do you think that this is a big enough sample size?
The Participants in this study were 97 teachers from Florida. There were 77 female and 20 male teachers. I think this was a large enough sample size for this study.
Q3: Did the findings answer the research question?
I do feel that the research questions were answered. Basically, different teachers expected different things from their administration in order to stay in a high needs school. The main things teachers said would entice them to stay would be higher pay, more freedom in curriculum and materials to support curriculum, and principal attitude/respect for staff and their ideas.
Q4: How do you personally feel about the subject and the findings given?
I found it very interesting that the researchers compared teacher opinions based on their teacher preparation program. It was interesting how the opinions of teachers from traditional teacher prep programs differed from those who took part in alternative programs to become certified. I personally think this is an important issue because as Ashley said, any of us could be in a position to teach in a high needs to school. I think, for me, a strong administrator who backs their teachers and wants what is best for the students, not the school or its standing, would be what I think would be most important. This is because I think that in high needs schools NCLB is constantly pushing mandate after mandate that teachers are required to do in order to make all students successful at their grade level. The problem is, these mandates, in my opinion, are not a one size fits all mold and they can be draining and discouraging to teachers. Therefore, I think a strong, positive administrator would entice teachers to stay. (and thats all for my rambling soapbox today :) )
I agree, the mandates are not one size fits all. All teachers and students are different as well as the school and the resources. I think that we can all agree the NCLB has a great impact on the low income schools, which in turn doesn't really encourage teachers to want to teach in these schools that already have problems. There has got to be more to do for these schools that are already underfunded then taking away their funds when they dont score well on test.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1:
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that the research questions are clearly stated (meaning that there is so definite heading that says research questions), however I do think that they are pretty easy to pick out of the article. These questions include: Are there differences in what teachers say they need to stay in these schools based on the teachers' route to certification? What are the professional conditions and Florida Principal Leadership indicators most likely to influence teachers to consider working in challenging schools?
Question 2:
According to the articles the participants were teachers enrolled in the educational leadership program at the University of South Florida. Participation was voluntary and the sample remains anonymous. There were 97 respondents within the age of 21 to 30. There were also breakdowns of whether the participants were elementary, middle, and high school teachers as well as a breakdown the different ethnic groups. I think that the study included a comprehensive sampling of participants of the study. I think that the way the participants were broken down helped illustrate that there was diversity (different levels of school, age, and ethnicity) among the sampling which demonstrates to me that there was a big enough sample size for the study.
Question 3:
Yes, I think that the findings do in fact answer the research questions. The findings that teachers would choose to teach in a school with high numbers of disadvantaged students if they had: more autonomy and resources to create strong curriculum innovations, opportunities for significant professional development, and more authority in school-based decisions answered the first research question. In addition, monetary incentives (enhanced retirement benefits, salary bonus, and tuition reimbursement) were also included in the findings that would answer the first research question. Lastly, the part of the findings that explained the principal behaviors such as: creating work environments where teachers can thrive (positive school culture), establishing conditions that enhance staffs’ desire and willingness to focus energy on achieving educational excellence, demonstrating well-reasoned educational beliefs based on an understanding of teaching and learning, and providing opportunities for teachers to think, plan, and work together answers the other research question.
1. The questions are clearly stated in the article.
ReplyDelete2. The participants in the study are elementary, middle and high school teachers. 77 of the teachers were women and 20 were men. 79 of the 97 teachers were white.
3. The findings did support the research questions.
4. I agree with many others that the article was very hard to follow. It seems very unorganized. Although the setup of the article wasn’t that great I loved the topic. As a first year teacher I am learning a lot from the dynamic of the school that I am in. I also compare my new school to the others schools I have taught it. There are many similarities and many differences. I have learned that it may not just be the student population and socio-economic standing that affects the learning environment. The principal’s personal ideas and views greatly affect how the school is run and what goes on in the classroom!
The questions were stated but they were for the most part on page 2. They are: Are there differences in what teachers say they need to stay in these schools based on the teachers' route to certification? and What are the professional conditions and Florida Pricipal Leadership indicatiors most likely to influence teachers to consider working in challenging schools? I would also consider one of the bold headings to be a question for this study as well and that is What do school leaders need to know about retaining good teachers in challenging schools? This might not be one of the research questions but it is in the article and it is a main theme that is talked about through this article.
ReplyDeleteThe participants were teachers enrolled in the educational leadership program at the University of South Florida. All teachers were ivited to fill out an online survey and to extend the research students were asked to invite other teachers. It was all a voluntary survey. From this 97 teachers responded.
This was a large sample size so I was happy with it. The results for this study showed what is to be expected. In my eyes a student is a student it does not matter if they are disavantaged or not. But it is a definate that the teacher has to be able to afford to live and make some money and if that is not going to happen they will look for a school where it will happen. Same with the principle situation. If you don't like the pricipal that you work under you will never be happy and you put your career on the line. You want the principal to stand behind you and back you up when something happens and if you don't have good relationship or good work mentality with your principal you will be so stressed you would probably pay the school to quit.
Nice article but it is a little predictable for what the outcome would be. Good job.
1) I don't feel the questions were clearly stated but, like Meaghan said, they were easy to pick out.
ReplyDelete2) There were 97 voluntary participants who enrolled in a course at the University of South Florida. There was a mixture of elementary, middle and high school teachers. A variety of ages and races were represented but the majority were young, white females.
I do believe this was a large enough sample.
3) I do believe the questions were answered.
4) I found the article interesting, with applicable results but the article itself was all over and I found it hard to stay focused to finish the article. Like Coleen said, we all could be faced with a job in a high needs school district so the results (which were not surprising) are applicable and good to know.