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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. 

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. 

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. 

This paper presents a case study of a successful district effort to retain novice science teachers, drawn from a larger national project. The Mulberry School District (pseudonym) had one of the highest five-year retention rates of novice science teachers in the state for teachers hired between 2007–2012, with the majority of hires identifying as teachers of color. We conducted interviews with district teachers and administrators in this mixed methods study to identify five factors that likely influenced the high science teacher retention rate observed in the Mulberry Public School District. These were: (1) a competitive salary, (2) caring colleagues, (3) a culturally protected environment and community for teachers of color, (4) professional autonomy, and (5) opportunities for professional growth. 

In this case study, we found three primary factors that influenced the high rates of teacher retention in the Kingfisher School District. The first was that teaching was seen as both a good and available job for which the Kingfisher teachers were well-qualified. Second, having a career in their home community appeared to be important many teachers and administrators in Kingfisher. This was strongly related to teachers’ identification and sense of belonging with the local Native American tribe. There was ample evidence that teachers saw their work in schools as an extension of kinship and community ties, and that schooling in Kingfisher was not antithetical to sustaining indigenous culture, as might be the case in other public-school districts with significant indigenous populations. Finally, teachers uniformly noted that that they were provided opportunities to grow and develop through professional development. Teachers directly referenced such opportunities as factors in which they believe teachers have decided to remain in the Kingfisher School District. 

We report the discovery by the TESS mission of a super-Earth on a 4.8-days orbit around an inactive M4.5 dwarf (TOI-1680), validated by ground-based facilities. The host star is located 37.14 pc away, with a radius of 0.2100 ± 0.0064R_⊙, mass of 0.1800 ± 0.0044M_⊙, and an effective temperature of 3211 ±100 K. We validated and characterized the planet using TESS data, ground-based multi-wavelength photometry from TRAPPIST, SPECULOOS, and LCO, as well as high-resolution AO observations from Keck/NIRC2 andShane.Our analyses have determined the following parameters for the planet: a radius of 1.466_−0.049^+0.063R_⊕and an equilibrium temperature of 404 ± 14 K, assuming no albedo and perfect heat redistribution. Assuming a mass based on mass-radius relations, this planet is a promising target for atmospheric characterization with theJames WebbSpace Telescope (JWST). 

One of the main scientific goals of the TESS mission is the discovery of transiting small planets around the closest and brightest stars in the sky. Here, using data from the CARMENES, MAROON-X, and HIRES spectrographs together with TESS, we report the discovery and mass determination of aplanetary system around the M1.5 V star GJ 806 (TOI-4481). GJ 806 is a bright (V≈ 10.8mag,J≈ 7.3 mag) and nearby (d= 12 pc) M dwarf that hosts at least two planets. The innermost planet, GJ 806 b, is transiting and has an ultra-short orbital period of 0.93 d, a radius of 1.331 ± 0.023R_⊕, a mass of 1.90 ± 0.17M_⊕, a mean density of 4.40 ± 0.45 g cm⁻³, and an equilibrium temperature of 940 ± 10 K. We detect a second, non-transiting, super-Earth planet in the system, GJ 806 c, with an orbital period of 6.6 d, a minimum mass of 5.80 ± 0.30M_⊕, and an equilibrium temperature of 490 ± 5 K. The radial velocity data also shows evidence for a third periodicity at 13.6 d, although the current dataset does not provide sufficient evidence to unambiguously distinguish between a third super-Earth mass (Msini= 8.50 ± 0.45M_⊕) planet or stellar activity. Additionally, we report one transit observation of GJ 806 b taken with CARMENES in search of a possible extended atmosphere of H or He, but we can only place upper limits to its existence. This is not surprising as our evolutionary models support the idea that any possible primordial H/He atmosphere that GJ 806 b might have had would be long lost. However, the bulk density of GJ 806 b makes it likely that the planet hosts some type of volatile atmosphere. With transmission spectroscopy metrics (TSM) of 44 and emission spectroscopy metrics (ESM) of 24, GJ 806 b is to date the third-ranked terrestrial planet around an M dwarf suitable for transmission spectroscopy studies using JWST, and the most promising terrestrial planet for emission spectroscopy studies. GJ 806b is also an excellent target for the detection of radio emission via star-planet interactions.