Secondary School Principals' Perceptions of their Role in the Retention of the Novice Teacher
SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS' PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ROLE IN THE RETENTION OF NOVICE TEACHERS Theresa J. Coker Secondary schools in the U.S. face instructional challenges due in part to novice teacher turnover. Research indicates that new teachers remain in the profession due to: supportive principal leadership, an orderly school environment, classroom autonomy, and significant professional development (Grissom, 2008) The purpose of this study was to understand how secondary school principals perceived their role in novice teachers' professional development and retention. Qualitative research using in depth, semi structured interviews included 15 secondary school administrators from an urban district in the southeast United States. Data analysis used Eisner's (1998) four part approach to educational criticism description, interpretation, evaluation, and thematics supported by Hatch's (2002) typological analysis. Four typologies organized description and interpretation: principals' early experiences as educators; principals' perceptions of the recruitment process; principals' view of the process of professional development; and life and duties of principals. The thematics dimension of educational criticism indicated that principals' lack of time led to their delegating leadership tasks to other staff regarding novice teachers' professional development. Their descriptions of their interactions with novice teachers reflected a transactional leadership style and an approach of "leading from the middle" (Bolman Gallos, 2011) to respond to both demands from above and needs at the school level. Further, these principals perceived all teachers new to their schools as novice, whether experienced or inexperienced. Implications include considering transformational leadership when working with novice teachers and clarifying hiring and retention responsibilities regarding novice teachers. Such communication among all parties would support novice teachers' development and commitment to the profession. Further research might focus on observing the interactions of both administrators and faculty with novice teachers to understand the complexity of the process of their professional development. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION One of education's ever present problems is the need for quality teachers in the classroom. Teachers are important to the lives of individual students and critical to their academic achievement (Carey, 2004; Darling Hammond Sykes, 2003) Yet, no matter how vital the teacher is, the contemporary educational profession reflects an on going inability to adequately staff classrooms due in part to new teacher turnover (Ingersoll, 2003) Continuing high rates of novice teacher turnover mean greater school instability, disruption of curricular cohesiveness, and a continual need to hire inexperienced teachers, who typically are less effective (Grissom, 2011) Therefore, keeping new teachers in schools and districts is an important and powerful force in the betterment of schools, students, and education as a whole (Gurule Gonzales, 1995; King, 2004) New teachers leave a particular school for several reasons, such as family relocation, transfer to another school, employment outside of the school system, or family responsibilities. In addition, novice teacher turnover is often due to dissatisfaction with the profession (Ingersoll, 2003) Research findings reveal several elements that influence beginning teachers' decisions to remain in teaching: supportive principal leadership, an orderly school environment, classroom autonomy, and significant professional development (Grissom, 2008) Some researchers reference these elements as school culture, the aggregate of a school's characteristics that also include relationships among parents, teachers, administrators, the community, and students characteristics which are usually principal led (Adeogun Olisaemeka, 2011) Researchers often credit the principal's leadership with establishment of the school culture (Adeogun Olisaemeka, 2011) Furthermore, a good school culture affects teachers' productivity, which in turn influences students' academic performance due to open communication and common goals. An effective school culture values many professional principles, which are usually directed by the principal: collaboration among teachers, administrators, and parents; transparency in decision making processes; equity without favoritism among all staff; collaboration among faculty; and decisions reflecting the efforts of leaders to do what is in the best interest of the children as a mechanism to further good education (Wiggins, 2011) In addition, an organization with a stronger culture is more adaptable to change. It also has higher membership motivation and commitment. Further, the strength of the culture affects the level of cooperation throughout and among organizational levels (Adeogun Olisaemeka, 2011) A strong culture assists new teachers in the process of becoming part of the culture (Grissom, 2008; Hallinger, 2005; Leithwood, Seashore, Anderson, Wahstrom, 2004) These cultural characteristics make educators better able to resolve conflicts and initiate greater capacity for innovation so that goals are more efficiently, effectively, and frequently met (Louis Wahstrom, 2011) A strong culture, therefore, nurtures involvement, dedication, and commitment from educators in order to create an environment where they want to stay and remain committed to performing at a high level. Hence, the principal's influence on school culture affects teacher retention through the relationships with school staff and through honoring staff involvement in decisions about school structure and operation (Grissom, 2008; Hallinger, 2005; Leithwood, et al. 2004) In contrast, without a school culture that invites involvement, support, and commitment, teachers, especially novice teachers, are likely to leave, due to their vulnerability and need for support and guidance (Adeogun Olisaemeka, 2011; Boyd et al. 2011; McNulty Fox, 2010) The needed support for these novice teachers can come from colleagues or administrators who are willing to share wisdom, time, and encouragement. The perspective of novice teachers begins to form immediately when entering a new educational environment and includes how they perceive those in authority and those who nurture and direct them through their initial experiences, as well as how they perceive the school culture (Ladd, 2009; Nias, 1989) Specifically, principals are not just supervisors within the school, but are also the leaders looked to by new faculty to listen to them, assist them, and value them (Jiang Chan, 2007; Ladd, 2009) The principal of the novice teacher is the central leader who sets the tone and culture of the school, serves as a role model to the new teacher, and shapes the professional image of the future for the beginning professional (Ladd, 2009) Principals' involvement with new teachers, therefore, can be a significant factor in retaining new teachers and in inspiring the passion that keeps beginning teachers from dropping out (Ingersoll Smith, 2004) Educational Leadership and Novice Teacher Retention Educational leadership philosophies vary. Burns (1978) distinguished between two leadership philosophies: transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership creates clear structures supporting what is expected of followers and establishes a system of rewards or punishments. Transformational leadership works with the followers' values and emotions in order to encourage the growth of individuals, thus facilitating the growth of the organization (Yukl Lepsinger, 2005) Another leadership approach is situational leadership, which includes both a directive dimension and a supportive dimension (Northouse, 2004) As leadership decisions are made, both dimensions are considered appropriately. The result of this approach is that effective leaders recognize what employees need and adapt their own styles to meet their needs. Principals' leadership styles determine the values modeled within the school and influence how they support novice teachers (Jiang Chan, 2007; Ladd, 2009) Their leadership styles shape how novice teachers view their professional future in a particular school setting and their decision regarding whether to remain in teaching or change their career (Jiang Chan, 2007; Ladd, 2009) The importance of principals' influence on the retention of novice teachers is reflected in the following quotation: "Great school leaders create nurturing school environments in which accomplished teaching can flourish and grow" (Darling Hammond Sykes, 2003, p. 13) Not only do principals have a significant impact on students, teachers, and the community as a whole, but they also affect the retention of novice teachers through fostering communication, allocating resources, and supporting instruction (Knapp, Copland, Plecki Portin, 2006; Lee, Bryk Smith, 1993; Leithwood, et al. 2004) Researchers such as Ingersoll (2003) and others discussed in Chapter 2 have studied how principals influence school culture, student achievement, and teacher retention. However, less is known about how principals themselves view their influence, particularly with regard to their role in teacher retention. The insider views of these professionals regarding their role in novice teacher retention can contribute to the profession's understanding of how principals can support the growth of novice teachers and, hence, increase the likelihood of their remaining in the profession. Research Question Although retention of new teachers is a challenge facing all levels of schooling, the present study focused on new teacher retention in secondary schools and principals' perceptions of their role in that process. The general research question was: "What are principals' perceptions of their role in novice teacher retention?" Several factors influence