(Houston Museum of Natural Science, Tanner Map of Texas)

1. Teachers Wanted! Recruitment, Retention, and Attrition of Teachers Serving Special Populations in TexasLorrie Sims Garcia Dr. A.J. Herrera EDFR 6300.60Foundations of Research in EducationSpring 2013 (Houston Museum of Natural Science, Tanner Map of Texas)

2. The problem is low retention of Texas teachers certified in special education for low-income public school student populations results in decreased academic achievement as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (Bartlett, 2011). P R O B L E M (Vachon, Rural School Children, San Augustine County, Texas (LOC))

3. Position I believe it is necessary for school districts to begin identifying effective strategies used in the corporate sector for hiring, training, and retaining employees. Routine development of leadership should focus on fostering meaningful mentor opportunities and enhancing foundational camaraderie. Also, if school districts financially sponsor educators in furthering their educations this would encourage loyalty and retention of highly qualified faculty. (Visual Loop, Global Teacher Shortage)

4. Purpose & Need (Poliachik, Day 135/365: Why!!!?) In order to combat a severe shortage in quality teaching faculty for this special population, there is a need to identify elements of programs which lead to teacher retention. The purpose of this literature review is to identify areas of opportunity for school districts in Texas to scaffold teacher retention efforts and administrative development in support of teachers serving those critical student sub-populations of special education and low-income students.

5. (Barfield, Taught to See) Types of Research • The studies included in this synthesis are descriptive quantitative research,including surveys, causal-comparative research, evaluation, action research, and correlational studies.

6. Reviewing The Literature (Withaneye Photography, Teach Truth) Billingsley (2004), notes that the perceived working conditions – school climate, teacher autonomy, and administrative support – were identified by a large percentage of former teachers in an exit survey as a primary motivator for leaving the classroom.

7. Reviewing The Literature Findings by Bartlett in 2011 indicate that teacher attrition creates campus-wide staffing problems and interferes with program planning for students identified with a disability. (Wondra, Bible)

8. Reviewing The Literature The teacher turnover rate primarily affects low-income families and students with disabilities, according to a review of research conducted by Ingersoll in 2001 (Prince, The Junction School)

9. The Results Commonalities in the results of this synthesis include an understanding of the fundamental need for experienced classroom teachers who are experts in their content area. Furthermore, the increased attrition in the high-need areas of special education and low-income student populations is palpable. The literature is also conclusive in recognizing the need for systemic change in the recruitment and retention of qualified minority teachers. (Poliachik, Day 275/365: Shattered )

10. Gaps in the Literature (Jones, Agua Negra School Group Portrait) • There are limited studies on long-term effectiveness of teacher recruitment and retention programs for attracting minority teachers to the profession • Research literature is needed to further define patterns of teacher attrition, as well as to increase the clarity on how attrition is framed and investigated • Extensive search of the literature reveals that comprehensive, longitudinal studies employing coordinated and consistent data collection methodologies, performed in rigorous, experimental fashion still remain to be done before problems of teacher retention and attrition can be identified conclusively

11. Conclusion Based on available research literature, it becomes clear that direct interventions to the problem of teacher attrition must be investigated. Not only are students subject to increased rigors as set forth by the Texas legislature, educator expectations have also increased. These augmented standards are best attended to by experienced faculty. At this juncture, it appears to be a losing battle and teachers are resigning and retiring in record numbers.

12. References (Seidman, HOPE) (DSATx, Rockin' The Chromosome) Bartlett, L. (2011). The impact of a high school reform on dropout rates, taks math and literacy scores of students in an urban high school in south central texas. (Doctoral dissertation), Available from Proquest. (900303691). Billingsley, B. (2004). Special education teacher retention and attrition: A critical analysis of the research literature. The Journal of Special Education,2004(38), 39-55. Buchanan, J. (2012). Telling tales out of school: Exploring why former teachers are not returning to the classroom. Australian Journal of Education, 56(2), 205-220. Ingersoll, R. M. (2001). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 37(3), 499–534. Nadler, D., & Peterson, P. (2009). What happens when states have genuine alternative certification?: We get more minority teachers and test scores rise. (2009). Education Digest, 75(1), 57-60. (Unknown, St. Phillip's College Class of 1914)

13. Image References Barfield, B. (Photographer). (2011, July 16). Taught to See [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/23333264@N00/5944124540/ Down's Syndrome Association of South Texas. (Photographer). (2012, September 29). Rockin' The Chromosome [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://dsastx.smugmug.com/BuddyWalk/2012-Buddy-Walk/2012-BW-Walkers/25731018_XbXcz3 Houston Museum of Natural Science. (Photographer). (2011, March 3). Tanner Map of Texas [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/hmns/5494724349/lightbox/ JMT Images. (Photographer). (2008, March 1). Texas our Texas [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmtimages/3320757411/ Jones, L. (Photographer). (1913). Agua Negra School Group Portrait [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/smu_cul_digitalcollections/6848240423/ Poliachik, J. (Photographer). (2010, April 27). Day 275/365: Shattered [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinpoliachik/4582984462/lightbox/ Poliachik, J. (Photographer). (2009, Dec 7). Day 135/365: Why!!!? [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinpoliachik/4170724378/ Prince, A. (Photographer). (2009, October 14). The Junction School [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamontheroad/4040872542/ Seidman, E. (Producer). (2012, May 17). HOPE [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.lovethatmax.com/2012/05/new-treatments-for-cerebral-palsy-and.html Vachon, J. (Photographer). (1939). Rural School Children, San Augustine County, Texas (LOC) [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179121221/ Visual Loop. (Designer). (2012, October 5). Global Teacher Shortage [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://visualoop.tumblr.com/post/32923271084/global-teacher-shortage Withaneye Photography. (Photographer). (2010, March 10). Teach Truth [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/raisinsawdust/4426332111/ Wondra, K. (Photographer). (2008, October 15). Bible [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/historian77/2943989933/lightbox/

14. (JMT Images, Texas our Texas)