Education Commons^™

Teaching In Good Faith: An Exploration Of The Personal, Professional, And Philosophical Evolution Of First-Year Educators, Katherine Newburgh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The teaching profession is notoriously difficult. The attrition rate for teachers in their first three years is 25% compared to the national attrition rate of 3.4% (BLS, 2016). Many studies indicate that teaching conditions and school culture influence a teacher's decision to stay or leave (Headden, 2014; Loeb, Darling-Hammond, & Luczak, 2005), but very few studies explore in depth the existential shifts that occur in teachers in their first year. It is this researcher's belief that the seed of attrition is planted in the first year, and that by attending with greater sensitivity to the struggles experienced by first-year teachers, …

Navigating The Gap Between The Ideal And The Real: A Heuristic Inquiry With Teacher Educators Influenced By The Work Of Parker Palmer, Eron L. Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New teacher attrition shows no signs of abating as about half of new teachers in urban high-poverty schools quit in their first three years of the work. Some of the push factors that contribute to attrition in these settings are the increasing pressure of standards and accountability measures. Some research has turned to teacher education programs to look at the preparation of pre-service teachers.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the beliefs and intentions of four teacher educators who are also facilitators of Parker Palmer's Courage to Teach workshops and retreats, and the ways in which their …