Addressing Teacher Shortages and Retention Through Community Schools: Power of In-service Mentorship and Peer Supports

• In Event: Preparing Educators to Foster Strong Family-School-Community Partnerships in Community Schools

Abstract

Nationally, teacher shortages and retention remain a challenge (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Ingersoll et al, 2018). The pandemic exacerbated this issue; a recent national survey found that 55% of teachers planned to exit earlier than anticipated, up from 37% in 2021, with numbers highest among Black (62%) and Latino (59%) educators (NEA, 2022). Alongside pressures of test-based accountability, lack of administrative support, low salaries, and poor teaching conditions, a lack of adequate preparation and mentoring contribute to this exodus (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017).
Community schooling can serve as a strategy that encourages teachers to stay in the profession (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). Community schools not only offer a promising strategy to serving the whole child; they also redefine the roles of teachers, encouraging them to be activists and leaders within the school (Daniel et al., 2019). Community school teachers, often from diverse backgrounds, leverage their contextualized knowledge of culture, community, and identity to engage with students and families (Murrell, 2000). For BIPOC teachers, this connection helps alleviate issues of isolation, frustration, and lack of influence, which can affect their decision to stay in the profession (Carver-Thomas, 2018; Ingersoll et al., 2017). Further, community schools strive to develop pedagogical alignment, allowing educators to experience the same learning methods they use with students, emphasizing sustained, collaborative efforts that enable educators to learn and practice new skills and strategies. Providing professional learning opportunities, training and mentorship contributes to a greater sense of efficacy and well-being, strengthening their knowledge and skills for teaching, influencing retention (Chester & Beudin, 1996).
While research suggests that community schools can influence a sense of efficacy and retain BIPOC teachers effectively, there is little research that explores their experiences in community schools, particularly at the teacher and school level. To address these knowledge gaps, in collaboration with a large urban district, we designed and implemented a mixed-methods study that explored the experiences of BIPOC teachers in community schools, and schools’ teacher retention and satisfaction rates to understand how community schools can effectively address issues influencing attrition. Using human resources data, we analyzed retention rates in the district’s first cohort of its Community Schools Initiative, implemented in 2019. We found that, on average, over 90% of community teachers stay within their schools each year. Interviews conducted with cohort 1 BIPOC teachers provided insights into their experiences and offered a more nuanced interpretation of quantitative trends. Based on findings, this paper identifies the in-service experiences that influence teachers’ decision to stay and challenges they experience. In particular, we found that teachers identify colleagueship, collaboration, peer-to-peer learning, and mentorship as critical to their work as community teachers. As exemplified by this quote–“If there's one thing that has kept me in education this long, it's having a support system through peers…”–community schools can create the workplace conditions that influence retention. With growing investments in community schools nationwide, our findings are significant and inspire further investigation to deepen our understanding of community schooling and retention.

Authors

• Marisa Saunders, University of California - Los Angeles

• Jeffrey Yo, Curriculum Associates/University of California - Los Angeles