Equal Educational Opportunity and Teacher Retention

• In Event: 66.058 - Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 66.058-14 - Lives of Teachers: The Challenges of Teachers Who Leave and Those That Stay

Abstract

One critical challenge for the future our country is equal access to quality education for rural and Indigenous students. This includes a stable and qualified teacher workforce and academic curricula that promote Indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of thinking and behaving. Using survey data and archival data sets, we document the complexity, and interaction of multiple factors influencing teacher retention and confirm that solutions are not simple. Teacher retention, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement are multilayered and complex issues shaped by the socio-cultural context of the schools, state policies, labor marked forces, and individual connections with students and community. To develop and retain effective teachers a collaborative and multifaceted support structure reflecting the local context is needed.

Authors

• Ute Kaden, The University of Alaska - Fairbanks

• Joanne Healy, The University of Alaska - Fairbanks