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1. The Retention of Novice Science Teachers in U.S. School Districts: Findings from A Cross-Case Analysis

   Larkin, D B; Poole_Patzelt, S; Muñoz, M; Hussein, M (March 2024, https://www.montclair.edu/imprest/)

   This research reports on the results of a 5-year study undertaken in the United States to better understand the reasons for novice science teacher retention in school districts and other local educational agencies that have demonstrably high rates of such retention. The primary question investigated in this study was, “In districts that have demonstrated comparatively more successful novice secondary science teacher retention, what are the factors that relate to such retention?” Analysis of state-level school staffing data between 2007-2018 from four U.S. states was used to identify districts with exemplary novice science teacher retention, and focus districts (n=13) were selected for qualitative site visits and case study construction. The proposed paper presents the findings of this cross-case analysis of the 13 cases. Our analysis, informed by the framework of teacher embeddedness, yielded 10 distinct categories of factors that influenced teacher retention across the case study districts, including support from departmental colleagues, school/district-level systems and culture of support, compensation, teacher autonomy and agency, specialness of place, and five other factors. Implications of specific aspects of the findings related to the retention of teachers of color and the role of mentoring and induction are discussed. 

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2. Retention of Novice Science Teachers in U.S. School Districts: Findings from A Cross- Case Analysis

   Larkin, D B; Poole_Patzelt, S; Muñoz, M; Carletta, L; Ahmed, K; Hussein, M (April 2024, https://www.montclair.edu/imprest/)

   This research reports on the results of a 5-year study undertaken in the United States to better understand the reasons for novice science teacher retention in school districts and other local educational agencies that have demonstrably high rates of such retention. The primary question investigated in this study was, “In districts that have demonstrated comparatively more successful novice science teacher retention, what are the factors that relate to such retention?” Two additional aims were to report on factors that were specific to schools or districts that were identified as “high-need” by the U.S. Department of Education. The second was to focus on the unique factors reported as relevant to the retention of novice science teachers of color. Analysis of state-level school staffing data between 2007-2018 from four U.S. states was used to identify districts with exemplary novice science teacher retention, and focus districts (n=13) were selected for qualitative site visits and case study construction. The proposed paper presents the findings of this cross-case analysis of the 13 cases. Our analysis, informed by the framework of teacher embeddedness, yielded 10 distinct categories of factors that influenced teacher retention across the case study districts: 1) support from departmental colleagues, 2) school/district-level systems and culture of support, 3) compensation, 4) teacher autonomy and agency, 5) specialness of place, 6) resources for teaching, 7) opportunity and agency for professional growth, 8) district and school-level race-consciousness, 9) affordances related to school size, and 10) personal satisfaction & rewards. Implications of specific aspects of the findings related to the retention of teachers of color and the role of mentoring and induction are discussed. 

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3. Portraying secondary science teacher retention with the person‐position framework: An analysis of a state cohort of first‐year science teachers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21757  

   Larkin, Douglas B.; Patzelt, Suzanne Poole; Ahmed, Khadija M.; Carletta, Liz; Gaynor, Catherine R. (February 2022, Journal of Research in Science Teaching)

   Abstract This study uses state‐level staffing data to analyze the five‐year career trajectories of all 231 first‐year secondary science teachers in New Jersey who began teaching during the 2010‐2011 school year. The person‐position framework for studying teacher retention is introduced in this analysis, and the authors present a case for the importance of specifying both location and duration in empirical reporting on teacher retention, as well as distinguishing between the employers’ and individual teachers’ perspectives on retention. In the cohort studied here, the 5‐year retention‐by‐employer rate was 38%, but the retention‐in‐profession rate for those actively teaching was 65%. An additional 24% of science teachers changed districts during or immediately after their first year, and were retained in their second districts for four or more years. 16% of the science teachers in the cohort identified as non‐White or Hispanic and these teachers were retained at similar rates to their White/non‐Hispanic counterparts. Alternate route preparation programs attracted many more secondary science teachers who identified as non‐White or Hispanic, but teachers from these programs had a far lower 5‐year retained‐in‐profession rate (45%) than non‐White or Hispanic traditional route teachers (75%). It was more common for science teachers in higher SES districts to transfer to lower SES districts than the reverse. The position turnover rate for science teachers was slightly lower in higher SES districts. As a category, charter schools had the lowest 5‐year science teacher retention rate (13%). There was no identifiable relationship between the age, sex, subject area certification, or starting salary of science teachers and the measures of retention used in this study. The authors discuss the characterization of retention itself in research, including the use of descriptors related to retention. Implications relating to science teacher education policy are discussed, as is the future use of state‐level data systems in retention research. 

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4. A descriptive analysis comparison of retained vs. non-retained novice secondary science teachers in four U.S. states from 2007-2018.

   Larkin, D B; Ahmed, K; Poole_Patzelt, S; Muñoz, M (March 2024, https://www.montclair.edu/imprest/)

   The issue of science teacher retention, with specific emphasis on the problem of retaining novice science teachers has a unique presentation in the United States, where conditions of employment vary widely across the over 18,000 local education agencies, and teachers enter the classroom through an assorted array of pathways that may or may not include teacher preparation programs. The question investigated in this study is: Across different U.S. states, are there categorical differences between teachers who are identified as being retained (i.e. stayed with an employer at least 4 out of first 5 years) and those who were not? Using state-level staffing data sets in four U.S. states, this study presents a descriptive analysis of the differences between teachers who were retained and those who were not, both in terms of characteristics and contexts. Findings include large differences between states, but very few within states, including starting salary. Wisconsin had a far higher rate of teacher retention than other states in the study. There was a higher rate of retention in districts that had a science department size of between 25-50 people as compared with smaller or larger departments. 

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5. Stanford’s Summer Research Program for Teachers Long-Term Outcomes Study

   Storm, Kaye; Lichtenstein, Gary (January 2019, Journal of STEM outreach)

   Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs have been placing K-12 teachers in university research labs for almost three decades (Pop et al., 2010). However, the long-term impacts are rarely explored. This paper summarizes data from a survey study of 135/158 teachers (88% response rate) who participated in Stanford University’s RET programs between 2005 and 2017. The purpose of the study was to gauge the lasting impact of RET, if any, on teacher retention and classroom and professional practices. The data strongly suggest that participants gain long-lasting personal and professional benefits from participation--value that seems to be especially magnified for mid- to late-career teachers who are well established in their teaching practices but committed to continuous improvement. Furthermore, if the self-reports are accurate, these results would presumably also accrue to teachers’ students. Findings are attributed to the efficacy of the RET model. The authors argue for a nationwide evaluation of the efficacy of RET for teacher retention and professional development. 

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