The purpose of this study was to investigate the procedures and their perceived effectiveness in the recruitment of African American teachers in city school divisions in Virginia. The research questions investigated were: (1) What are the procedures used by human resource directors in city school divisions in Virginia to recruit African American teachers? (2) To what extent are these procedures helping to increase the number and percentage of African American teachers in city school divisions in Virginia? (3) What problems do human resource directors in city school divisions in Virginia encounter in recruiting African American teachers to their divisions? (4) What strategies do human resource directors in city school divisions in Virginia use to overcome these problems? This study, both quantitative and qualitative in nature, focused on human resource directors in each of the 39 city school divisions in Virginia. The primary method of data collection was a questionnaire which consisted of forty one items. To compliment the quantitative study, three human school divisions in Virginia were interviewed by phone. Chi Square Tests of Association were used to compare the use and perceived effectiveness of recruitment practices in city school divisions in Virginia. After data were gathered and analyzed, the researcher presented the data using tables. The results of this study showed that using other employees to recruit, networking through other educators, having recruitment fairs, and sending vacancy announcements to colleges were the procedures used most often by human resource directors to recruit African American teachers. Likewise, these procedures were the most effective in helping to increase the number and percentage of African American teachers. Human resource directors reported that the most common problems they encountered when recruiting were: (1) the decreasing number of African American teachers in relation to the rising number of African American students; (2) expanding career opportunities in other fields for African Americans; (3) the pool of African American teachers not adequate to meet the needs; and (4) greater economic rewards in other fields for African Americans. The directors also reported that the most common strategies used to overcome recruitment problems were: reflecting an ethnically diverse teaching force in recruitment information; developing a strong recruitment program; and participating in career fairs at predominately black colleges and universities. Five major themes emerged as the human resource directors who were interviewed described the strategies they use to recruit African American teachers. They were: (1) promoting teaching; (2) diversifying the teaching pool; (3) improving resource directors from the city the culture of teaching; (4) developing volunteer programs for college professors and middle school students to assist in schools; and (5) increasing salaries to that of other professions. / Ed. D.

A case study of the experiences of six African American male teachers in a southern K-12 school district is presented in this study. The purpose of this study was: 1) to hear the voices of African American male teachers in a selected urban school district; 2) to identify the factors that contribute to their job acceptance decisions; 3) to gain an in-depth understanding of why teachers chose teaching as a profession; 4) to determine and understand the nature of the professional lives of these teachers; and finally, 5) to advance our existing knowledge base in attracting African American males to our nation's classrooms. The data collection process consisted of one-on-one, open-ended interview questions with six highly qualified African American male public school teachers in a K-12 school district in the Southern region of the United States. The key themes which emerged through data analysis include: (1) nobility associated with the teaching profession; (2) compassion associated with the teaching profession; (3) stability associated with the teaching profession; (4) family and community influences; (5) life experiences and (6) I was not recruited: I chose this district. Ethic of Care and Critical Race theoretical frameworks were the foundation for the study.

Statement of the problem. The problem of the study was to develop a model for a regional service to recruit out-of-state teachers for California public schools. Purposes. The purposes of the study wore as follows: A.To determine the out-of-state recruitment practices in the region. B. To determine the kinds of out-of-state teachers desired by the districts in the region C. To determine the reasons out-of-state teachers accept specific positions in school districts D. To determine desirable out-of-state recruitment practices in order to establish a regional recruiting service Importance of the study. The problem of obtaining a sufficient number of qualified teachers for the public schools in California each year in acute.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers and administrators in a rural southeast school district regarding the impact of strategic compensation as a motivating factor on teacher quality, recruitment, and retention. As a result of increased demands on K12 education and the limited pool of teaching candidates, public school districts continue to search for ways to motivate, recruit and retain teachers (Muranto and Shuls, 2012). Since many view the traditional teacher salary scale as an outdated and ineffective practice, school districts continue to search for new ways to provide additional financial bonuses. (Springer, 2009). At the time of the study, the rural southeast school district studied was the only district within its state that used a strategic compensation model as a part of its employee benefits package. The locally funded plan awarded bonuses to teachers who qualify according to the parameters set by their school board. The initial rationale behind the implementation of the plan was to acknowledge exemplary teachers within the district. In this study, the history of the traditional salary scale, teacher quality, teacher retention, teacher recruitment, proponents and opponents of strategic compensation and recent studies on merit pay were examined. In this mixed methods study, a survey was sent to all 237 candidates eligible for strategic compensation, and a focus group interview with 7 administrators responsible for the summative evaluations of teachers was conducted. After the data were collected, descriptive statistics were examined to determine if additional ANOVA analyses were required to determine if demographic differences could be identified. The findings from this study may assist school districts develop and maintain a strategic compensation plan as a part of its overall teacher compensation package. After the data were disaggregated and analyzed, the findings from this study indicated mixed reviews regarding teacher perceptions of strategic compensation. Survey results indicate that the ideal bonus lies between $1,000-$3,000. In addition, teachers and administrators did not perceive that strategic compensation assisted with teacher recruitment or retention. Additional findings indicated differences in perceptions of strategic compensation based on gender and level of teaching assignment. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers and administrators in a rural southeast school district regarding the impact of a pay for performance plan as a motivating factor on teacher quality, recruitment, and retention. As a result of the teacher shortage in America, public school districts continue to search for ways to motivate, recruit and retain teachers. Since many view the salaries of teachers low, school districts continue to search for new ways to provide additional end of year bonuses as a motivating factor to improve teacher quality, recruitment and retention. To date, the rural southeast school district studied is the only district within its state that uses a strategic compensation model as a part of its employee benefits package. The plan awards bonuses to teachers who qualify according to their end of year rating. In this study, the history of the traditional salary scale, teacher quality, teacher retention, teacher recruitment, proponents and opponents of strategic compensation and recent studies on merit pay will be examined. A survey was sent to all 237 candidates eligible for strategic compensation, and a focus group interview with 8 administrators responsible for the summative evaluations of teachers was conducted. After the data were collected, they were sorted by demographic identifiers to determine if there were differences in responses between different groups. The findings from this study may assist school districts develop and maintain a strategic compensation plan as a part of its overall teacher compensation plan. The findings from this study include: $1,000-$3,000 is the ideal amount of money that would motivate a teacher to improve, strategic compensation did not assist with teacher recruitment, and school administrators did not believe strategic compensation led to greater teacher retention within the rural southeast school district. In addition, teachers and administrators believed that participation in the strategic compensation plan should be voluntary. Findings based on demographic identifiers indicated that male teachers responded more positively than female teachers, and there were differences among elementary, middle school and high school teacher responses with regard to their perceptions of the strategic compensation plan.

Changes within and outside of agricultural education were analyzed between 2009-2014 which coincided with a reduction of male pre-service agricultural teachers. Under the lens of the Theory of Gender Re-alignment, special attention was given to changes in legislation, curriculum, recruitment, and economic factors which relate to structural and cultural changes within agricultural education. The Changes identified in this study explain why male students are being outperformed by female students at a two to one ratio in regards to agricultural education degrees obtained.

abstract: Teacher shortage crisis were consistent across the nation. Higher education institutions, K-12 school districts, and political leaders were actively seeking solutions to ensure classrooms did not sit vacant and were not staffed by individuals who are unqualified to teach. This mixed methods action research study examined one strategy for teacher recruitment by targeting high school students who attended a Title 1 school. Due to the growing Hispanic population in Arizona, coupled with the underrepresentation of Hispanic teachers compared to the number of Hispanic students, a particular focus was devoted to targeting Hispanic high school students as they represented a potential untapped pipeline of future educators. The study was conducted to explore factors that might increase student interest in declaring education as a major upon graduating from high school and eventually pursuing teaching as a career. Three theoretical frameworks guided the study: (a) Theory of Planned Behavior, (b) Self-Efficacy, and (c) Social Cognitive Career Theory. A total of 20 participants engaged in the intervention over the course of three weeks. The intervention included engagement in curriculum exposing students to the teaching profession as well as clinical experiences. Data gathered included pre- and post- intervention survey results and semi-structured interview questions. It was anticipated the intervention would increase students’ interest in becoming a teacher. Results demonstrated a decrease in intention post-intervention. Future research should examine alternative recruitment approaches for students who do not already have an interest in pursuing the profession. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2019

In 2000, contributors to the formulation of the National Plan for Training Personnel to Serve Children with Blindness and Low Vision anticipated a severe shortage of direct service personnel as early as 2006 with an increasing negative impact on teacher numbers through the end of the decade. It is necessary to attract approximately 5,000 new teachers to the field to meet the needs of the ever-increasing population of students with visual impairments requiring specialized training.This study investigated the personality and background experiences of individuals who are attracted to work as educators with students with visual impairments. A sample of 132 teachers who had been trained at either the undergraduate or graduate level and were employed within their first five years as teachers with this specialization completed the Holland Self-Directed Search (Form CP) and a Participant Profile form to ascertain the personality types and experiences of those new to the field.The study considered three variables: (1) gender, (2) race/ethnicity, (3) teacher training level and their association with Holland personality type (RIASEC). All three variables were weak predictors of the personality type of teachers of the visually impaired as indicated by Goodman and Kruskal's tau. Results of the Holland Self-Directed Search was a stronger measure of the personality type associated with becoming a teacher of students with visual impairments. The data related to the sample revealed that 65.2% of those responding identified themselves as Social type.Teachers identified how they became aware of the field prior to making a decision to enter a teacher-training program, what their reasons were for making a decision to enter a training program to become a teacher of students with visual impairments, and which areas of their teaching experience differed from what they had expected prior to employment in the field. Limitations of the study, implications of the results for recruitment and retention of teachers of students with visual impairments, and recommendations for future research are provided.

This study identifies differences in perceptions between three stakeholder groups - principals, K-12 teachers, and parents - regarding the effect of workplace conditions on teacher attrition. An electronic questionnaire was sent to 15 of Utah's 41 school districts. Sampling efforts yielded completed surveys from 93 principals, 2003 teachers and 495 parents. All three groups agreed that workplace conditions are important, but the greatest disagreements occurred in perceptions of (a) teacher involvement in decision-making, (b) protection of teacher preparation time, (c) administration's management of student discipline, (d) adequacy of resource availability, (e) the degree to which a trusting and supportive school environment existed within the school, and (f) whether teachers' expectations were reasonable. Overall, principals believed that work conditions are relatively good for teachers, while many teachers disagreed with these perceptions. The study also examined factors that influence science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) university students' willingness to consider teaching as a career. A total of 4,743 university students majoring in STEM fields from Brigham Young University completed the survey (31%) and although very few of these students initially consider this profession, we identified four factors using predictive modeling that are strongly associated with these students' willingness to consider teaching and their belief that teaching might be their best career option. Results indicated that STEM university students were more likely to consider teaching when they believed teaching is something they would be good at, others encouraged them to be a teacher, when family encourages them to teach, and when teachers they know inspire them. Results from this study indicate that small salary bonuses would likely not entice students in STEM subjects to become teachers. Less impactful factors included gender and individual beliefs about the respectability of the profession. Additionally, this study found these students less likely to consider work conditions for teachers when making career choices. This study concludes with several implications that can inform and possibly improve the recruitment and leadership preparation programs at Institutes of Higher Education.

Concern over teacher shortages has become a perplexing and persistent problem in schools. Teachers are constantly leaving the profession and new entrants into the teaching profession have decreased in recent years, creating a need for recruiting qualified individuals to become teachers and to retain those who are already in classrooms. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that best predict whether high school students are considering teaching as a career and factors that predict whether students' parents would encourage their children to become teachers. A review of the literature revealed potentially influential factors on teacher recruitment and a survey instrument was developed using those factors. All 41 school districts in Utah were invited to participate, with 9 giving permission to administer surveys to parents and juniors and seniors in high school. In all, 285 high school juniors and seniors and 495 parent surveys were analyzed. The survey of high school juniors and seniors focused on two research questions: 1) which factors predict whether high school students are willing to consider teaching as a career and 2) which factors predict whether high school students feel teaching is the best career option for them? Results indicated that high school students were more likely to consider teaching when they had confidence in their ability to be good teachers, when family members and others outside their families encouraged them to become teachers, and when they felt their community supported teachers. The survey of parents addressed two research questions: 1) what factors predict whether parents will encourage their children to consider becoming a teacher, and 2) which factors predict whether parents believe teaching would be the best career option for their children? The results of the analysis indicated 4 factors that are statistically predictive of a parent's willingness to encourage their children to consider teaching. Parents are more likely to encourage their children to become teachers when people outside the family had encouraged the children to teach, if the parents believed their child would be a good teacher, and if parents thought that expectations placed on teachers were reasonable. Results also showed, however, that when considering other professions, parents were much less likely to encourage their children to become teachers in favor of other professions.

Teacher recruitment and retention is a problem of perpetual concern among education policymakers. High rates of teacher attrition, particularly within the first few years of a teacher’s service have been of particular concern. It is believed that persistent teacher shortages contribute both to underperformance of students generally, as well as to achievement gaps between students of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds. The importance of this issue has led to a great deal of research in the field, which has found that there are a large number of factors that influence the desirability of schools to teachers. What is still unclear from this research is how much these different factors matter relative to one another and to salary. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by introducing a new survey methodology to the field that allows for quantification of the extent to which various working conditions factors matter to teachers. A survey was distributed to all secondary teachers in the state of Utah where respondents were asked to choose between hypothetical school choices that varied on salary and certain nonmonetary factors. Periodically, respondents were asked to answer open-ended questions explaining their responses. The results of this survey allow for an estimate for each individual of how much salary and each of the working conditions influenced the decisions that they made. These results were analyzed for trends with respect to teacher demographics and contextual factors and were compared to the responses teachers gave to the open-ended questions. This study resulted in a number of practical recommendations for school administrators, policymakers, and fellow researchers. For practitioners, there are results from this study that generate clear recommendations for using limited resources to make schools more desirable to teachers. The results of this study also provide estimates for how much additional salary is needed to entice teachers to work in schools that traditionally struggle to recruit and retain high quality teachers. For researchers, this study provides a model that can be replicated in additional contexts to answer these important practical questions. The study also opens up avenues of future research including new methodological questions worthy of further investigation. By introducing a new survey methodology to this well-developed field of research, this study aims to recommend a new tool for use by researchers in addressing the persistent challenge of teacher recruitment and retention.