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COE research focuses on improving teacher retention 
Nearly 50 percent of teachers leave the profession within five years, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
College of Education researchers and their public school partners have been investigating how to reduce this troubling trend.
Barbara Meyers, chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education and Assistant Professor Susan Swars, along with doctoral student Brian Lack and Clinical Assistant Professor Lydia Mays, spent more than two years studying teacher retention and mobility at a high needs school in the metro Atlanta area.
Using surveys, interviews and open-ended questionnaires, the research team collected 134 teachers' perceptions of why teachers choose to remain at or leave their school. The researchers found the teachers stay in the classroom if they have positive relationships with other educators and administrators, a diverse student population and an environment that emphasizes academic student achievement.
But, educators may leave when they disagree about teaching philosophies and school policies, the researchers found. Teachers are also more likely to exit the profession if they fear they cannot express concerns or have a lack of power.
Based on their findings, the research team developed a two-dimensional model that may help educators determine what school environments are best for them.
"Our model can help teachers be more informed job hunters," Meyers said. "If they identify shared educational beliefs when they interview, they may be more likely to stay at that school."
Further, the model could also be used to help administrators screen and hire educators that will work well in their schools and perhaps promote retention.
An analysis by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission indicates the cost to the state of Georgia to replace teachers lost to attrition was almost $400 million in 2005, an increase of nearly $60 million from 2001.
"When universities and schools engage in collaborative inquiries about critical issues facing the teaching profession, authentic, constructive, and pragmatic solutions may be found," Associate Professor Swars said.
The study was published in the Journal of Teacher Education in 2009. To view the entire article, click here. |
Upcoming Events in the College of Education
4th Annual Metro Atlanta Academic World Quest
February 20, 2010
Georgia State University Student Center Ballroom
44 Courtland Street
Atlanta, GA 30303 Metro Atlanta Academic WorldQuest is a high school team competition that tests contestants' knowledge of international topics such as world affairs, geography, international financial institutions, the global market place and current events. The winning team from this completion will represent metro Atlanta and compete with other teams from across the country at the national competition in Washington D.C., April 23-25, 2010.
For more information, contact Laurie Forstner at (404) 413-8121 or email worldquest@gsu.edu.
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Why I give to the
College of Education
at Georgia State University
Michael Popkin
(M.Ed. '75 and Ph.D. '80)
President, Active Parenting Publishers
"The College of Education at Georgia State University plays a unique role in our community, truly working to move lives forward. The superb training and ongoing support that it gives its students not only moves their lives forward, but is transformed into positive action in the children, parents, and others whom they serve in our own community and beyond. My own career was launched here, and the donations that I make are more than just "giving back," they are enlightened self-interest: GSU makes our community stronger, our world better."
Interested in giving to the College of Education? Please contact Stephanie Douglas, Director of Development, at
To make your contribution online, please click here.
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