Perceptions of Safety and the Reality of Violence: Its Impact on Prospective Teachers’ Decisions to Teach in Newark

• In Event: Roundtable Session 70
  In Roundtable Session: Effects of School Violence Roundtable

Abstract

One main reason for the staffing challenge in urban districts is teachers' working conditions, in that it has been linked to teacher turnover, job satisfaction, and burnout. Working conditions are a critical issue that may potentially impact teacher recruitment and retention in large urban school districts in high-crime areas. However, very little is known about how prospective teachers' perceptions of safety may influence where they choose to teach, particularly in urban school districts. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate teacher candidates' perceptions of neighborhood safety as it pertains to working conditions, how it impacts their decisions to teach in Newark, within the context of neighborhood-level violence.

Authors

• Deena Khalil, Rutgers University

• Hanaa Hamdi, New Jersey Institute of Technology

• Peijia Zha, Rutgers University