Program
K-12 Administration Ed.D.
Number of Pages
174
Year Approved
2025
First Advisor
Dr. Judith Nagel
Second Reader
Dr. Krista Soria
Third Reader
Dr. Tracy Reimer
Abstract
Using data from the 2020–2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), this quantitative study investigated the retention and attrition of novice teachers in high-poverty urban public schools in the United States. With large numbers of teachers leaving or planning to leave the profession and fewer qualified teachers entering the workforce, the issue of teacher retention continues to grow. Teacher turnover impacts schools financially, strains leaders who must continue to train new teachers and establish their schools’ culture, burdens other teachers who often must fill in for vacancies and support new teachers, and most importantly, negatively impacts students in a variety of ways. This research found that among novice teachers who worked at high-poverty urban public schools in the United States, there were statistically significant relationships between salary satisfaction, principals’ support of student conduct, and cooperation among peers, and teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession as long as possible. Although there was a statistically significant relationship between salary satisfaction and teachers’ intentions to leave the profession as soon as possible, the relationship was only approaching the threshold of significance for principal support of student conduct and was not statistically significant for collaboration among peers. As this study’s recommendations indicated, if schools, districts, legislators, and policy makers are committed to retaining teachers, they should work toward reinforcing the importance of ensuring that teachers are satisfied with their salaries, have the support of their principals, and have opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues, ultimately for the benefit of all students.
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Ziegler, N. (2025). The First Five Years: A Study of Novice Teacher Retention in High-Poverty Urban Public Schools [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1169
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