Supports, Challenges, and Opportunities: Examining Teachers’ and Administrators’ Experiences in High-Poverty Urban Schools

Session Submission Type: Symposium

Abstract

Research shows clearly that teachers are the most important school-level factor in students’ achievement. However, low-income schools often find it difficult to retain effective teachers. Some researchers conclude that this pattern results from teachers’ desire to work with whiter, wealthier students. Others contend that dysfunctional school environments explain teachers’ exodus. In this session, researchers present findings from two studies: a quantitative analysis of teachers’ work environments, and a follow-up, interview study with 95 teachers working in six high-poverty schools. The survey analysis reveals the importance of social working conditions, while the interview study explains how these conditions influence teachers’ satisfaction and work in high-poverty schools. Notably, findings from both studies reveal that school organization and leadership substantially influence teacher retention.

Sub Unit

• Division A - Administration / Section 2: School Organization and Effects

Chair

• Susan M. Johnson, Harvard University

Papers

• How Context Matters in High-Need Schools: The Effects of Teachers’ Working Conditions on Their Professional Satisfaction and Their Students’ Achievement - Matthew A. Kraft, Harvard University

• To Share or Control: Administrative Leadership in High-Poverty Schools and its Relationship to Teachers’ Efficacy and Retention - Susan M. Johnson, Harvard University

• Often Effective, Always Vital: Experiences of Teacher Teams in High-Poverty, Urban Schools - Megin Charner-Laird, Salem State University

• We’re All in This Together: Teachers’ Commitment to Their Students in High-Poverty, Urban Schools - Monica Ng, Harvard University

Discussants

• Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Brandeis University

• Brad Jupp, U.S. Department of Education