Connecting Teacher and Student Retention to Fight Pushout Culture

• In Event: 15.027 - Equity and Inclusion Issues in Teacher Recruitment and Retention Research

Abstract

This paper argues that teacher retention and student retention are correlated and that approaching them as interconnected can help teachers and teacher educators fight pushout culture and create more affirming school communities. Drawing from a two-year qualitative study and a follow-up study of four new, equity-oriented public high school teachers and 125 students across four schools, the paper demonstrates a positive relationship among teacher retention, student retention, and teacher/student interactions that reflect teachers’ commitments to equity. Although interactions involving students who went on to pass the class and graduate were supportive and encouraging, those involving students who went on to fail—50% of whom did not graduate—involved rules, commands, or reprimands. Implications for teachers and teacher educators are emphasized.

Author

• Deborah Bieler, University of Delaware