Taking What They Can Get: Job Search and School Selection Among Beginning Math and Science Teachers

• In Event: 41.040 - Addressing the Need for STEM Teachers From and for Diverse Communities

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of 30 math and science teachers from their pre-service program into their teaching positions to understand the conditions that attract and retain them in high-need schools. It examines the influence of the job search process and school selection on teacher retention. Findings indicate that beginning math and science teachers are choosing their first teaching positions with limited information about the school as a workplace. In particular, this paper demonstrates significant retention differences between teachers who choose their schools with robust information and those with very limited information. It finds that how and why teachers choose schools has profound consequences for their professional success, their persistence in high-need schools, and their retention in the profession.

Authors

• Alisun Thompson, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Lora Bartlett, University of California - Santa Cruz