For the past 25 years, many high schools have taken several different approaches to educating students. These changes have been based on the conditions that we find many of our high schools in across the nation, particularly in our high poverty, urban areas. Crime is on the rise, drop out rates are at an all-time high, students are leaving high school with test scores that quite simply embarrass our nation as a whole, and many, if not most of our students in overcrowded high schools, (some topping 5,000 students) are making it through their four years without much true contact with a meaningful adult. Many families, educators, researchers, non-profit organizations, school districts, states, and even some governmental agencies have teamed up to try to find solutions to our students not being adequately prepared for college or the work force. Several high schools across the nation have taken one of many innovative approaches to educating students. These include, but are not limited to, charter schools, Schools-within-a-school models, the Big Picture Schools model, the Coalition of Essential Schools model, the America's Choice model, alternative schools, focus or theme-based schools, and small learning communities. Statistics have shown that these types of schools are making positive strides in educating high school students as well as preparing them for the work force and making them productive members of society. This study takes an in-depth look at several small high school models of choice. In addition, the researcher looks at teachers and at some of the reasons why they chose to work at a small innovative high school. The themes that emerged from the data were used to develop a profile of those teachers. Moreover, a list of recommendations is given for administrators who may be interested in recruiting teachers for a small school of choice.

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The purpose of this research study was to identify practices that principals utilize that are believed to influence teacher retention. Teacher turnover is a major problem facing principals and school systems today. Much of the present research focuses on why teachers leave the field, but there is little research on the principals' perceptions of what they do to stem the flow of educators leaving the classroom. To accomplish this purpose, a case study was conducted, focused on identifying the principals' role in teacher retention and their perceptions of the most important strategies utilized to stimulate high teacher retention. Qualitative research methods including individual interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and focus groups enabled the researcher to identify, compare, and contrast the perceptions, beliefs, and practices used by the nine study participants. The research design produced interviews filled with rich narratives describing the practices used by principals at schools with high teacher retention. The focus group discussion elucidated the common behaviors that were perceived to support teacher retention. The study yielded evidence that high-performing principals with high teacher retention rates clearly and consistently identified specific practices they believe support teacher retention; that principals play a vital role in teacher retention and that their leadership, support, and daily practices influence a teacher's decision to remain in teaching. The data collected indicates the centrality of creating a positive school culture and a sense of belonging. All the other identified principal practices are intertwined with and contribute to this outcome. / Choosing, supporting, and valuing faculty and encouraging shared decision-making appear to be the central practices in building teacher retention; and these practices are supported by and integrated with principals' modeling of positive personal characteristics, exercising fairness and equity, being visible and approachable, and communicating in an open two-way manner. Congruence of findings from all data collection methods provided an updated list of common practices identified by these highly successful principals that may inform principal preparation and a professional development model for present and future educational leaders interested in maintaining a stable teaching faculty. / by Janet A. Cornella. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.