Introduction:. The Chosen Research Topic For This Study

While salary is a contributing factor to poor retention, administrators must investigate measures to adequately support their teachers. Greiner et al. (2005) created a five step plan to increase teacher retention. Their plan included designing collaborative training programs, developing flexible scheduling, strengthening relationships between experienced teachers, and developing partnerships between schools and local school districts.

It is interesting to note that many people believe the stereotype that teaching is a stress free job. They get the summers and weekends off, as well as a shortened workday, and typically is a job that people only do because they cannot do anything else. The old adage that people teach who cannot do is widely believed. However, the reality is that there is a high degree of stress associated with being an educator. There have been various research studies that indeed

Education is the most vital part of man’s existence. The concept of education started in the ancient days and continues to the modern age. Education has existed before this current age, but modern education has been labeled as the most significant part of any possible profession. This assumption is not making waves in the United States of America only, but in the whole world wide. Despite the unique and distinct languages that exist throughout the world, young and developing minds still seek education and new knowledge as technology keeps changing. Education is the backbone and the platform in which we build and develop our own unique ideas that has become

America has encountered a change within the teaching profession: concerning, experience, age, credentials, and ethnic background (Feistritzer, 2011). It is almost as if the year of 2005, overturned the trend of older employed teachers (Feistritzer, 2011). A six-year survey shows that the amount of teachers under the age of thirty has increased drastically, and that most teachers have earned master degrees. Also, although teaching has been a predominately white profession, more Hispanic and African American teachers were hired between the years of 2005 and 2011 (Feistritzer, 2011).

The work it took us in two to three hours was more than what I had ever previously considered. While Americans have an outer view of teachers, and the education system; you only begin to understand once you have personally seen it from the inside. The salary teachers receive is observably low for such a demanding job. While some argue that they have the most vacation days of any job, they spend more time working annually than most other jobs . Statistically, teachers work 10 hours and 40 minutes a day on average. Which, when calculated means they work 53 hours weekly, this is 6 hours longer than the average work week . The changes that these teachers are requesting are not only realistic, but they would certainly improve education. If we brought back traditional teaching, teaching that didn’t come from a textbook. Then we would bring back a creative, intuitive

Fifty percent of new teachers quit with in the first five years of teaching (NEA, 2015), with this number being so alarmingly high it begs the questions: Why do so many teachers leave after going through years of college for this profession? Were teachers not prepared for the job, through college training, what should colleges teach in order to better prepare teachers?

“‘We could never prepare every teacher for every social ill,’ Schwab said. ‘We really ask a lot of our teachers. Is this one more thing? Yes. Is it the breaking point for teachers and people who want to become teachers?

Teachers today face a number of challenges that contribute to a lack of job satisfaction, leaving schools for other professions that are more lucrative, low comparative compensation, and poor working conditions:

Many states across the country are experiencing teacher shortages. Without enough teachers, we can not successfully educate our children. According to Glori Chaika “Forty-two states issue emergency credentials to people who have taken no education courses and have not taught a day in their lives. Many teachers are hired based solely on their experience leading church or camping groups.” (Chaika) Due to the shortages, States are allowing those who are not even qualified to teach. One can not believe that children are being educated as best as they can be, if those teaching them have no experience or training before hand. Another problem is that teachers are not being place in the fields were they can perform at their best, Glori Chaika also states that “One-fourth of new teachers -- if they are licensed -- are not licensed to teach in the field they are teaching.” (Chaika) Many teachers have very little knowledge on the subject they are teaching, “About 55 percent of students taking physics in the United States, for example, are taught by someone who never majored or minored in the subject.” ( Asimov) As a result of the current teacher shortage, the quality of America’s educational system has gone down. People are being hired with no teaching experience and teachers are being forced to teacher subjects that they are not familiar with. Adding to the current teacher shortage is the problem of teacher

There are many contributing factors to low teacher turnover, however, the main issue is a lack of support and respect for our teachers. Instead of working on maintaining and providing support for our current educators, the conversation usually surrounds expensive and often ineffective recruitment programs. The harsh fact is that it is very expensive to live in our valley and the current teacher salary/benefits are not enough to attract top talent. We need to have a serious conversation with our teachers in order to learn what incentives they need to be successful in their roles as well as to maintain a comfortable living. Teachers are the one profession that truly molds the future of our

The issue of teacher shortage today is continuing to grow. The effects of the achievement gap are reaching the teachers, not just the students: “...good administrators and teachers, who are doing their best under difficult circumstances, will be driven out of the profession…,” (Boyd-Zaharias 41). The achievement gap is part of the reason teachers feel they are underpaid, which happens to be one of the leading cause in teacher shortage considering, “Teachers were paid two percent less [than comparable workers] in 1994, but by 2015 the wage penalty rose to 17 percent,” (Long). Being a teacher requires passion in order to stay in the field, especially if the money in teaching is decreasing. Money is an important aspect for people when it comes to their careers, therefore, fewer people want to become teachers. This lack of teachers and the lack of college students studying to become a teacher leads to unqualified teachers and larger classroom sizes (Ostroff). Both of these causes are eventually affecting students’ learning environments. I chose this issue in education for my project because I have personally felt these effects, and I know others who have as well. As a future educator, I want to see better wages and better benefits, but this can only happen with qualified, passionate teachers. I plan on being one of them, and I plan on sparking a change. I am a future educator fighting to end teacher shortage.

Many have voiced their concerns over the many issues within the teaching profession. Heather Voke of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum responds to one issue, the teacher shortage, by researching the nature of the shortage, its probable causes, problems resulting from the shortage, and frequently recommended policy changes. According to Voke (2003), 42 percent of all teachers leaving depart for lack of job satisfaction, to pursue another career, or better career opportunities. Low salaries and lack of public respect also impacts teacher retention. Policy recommendations to retain teachers include: salary increases, high quality induction programs, prohibit out-of-field teaching, include teachers in decision making, developing current teachers, collaboration with universities to attract and train teachers, and reduce class size. Voke suggests that policy makers and educational leaders do not understand the nature of the teacher shortage. Moreover, developing programs to attract candidates and not properly train them risks wasting valuable resources.

One of the largest problems with education in the United States is teacher retention (McLaurin, Smith, & Smillie, 2009). Some remaining challenges in education is the loss of new teachers during their first years in the profession (Nelson, Duke, Hutchens, & Machell, 2014). Teacher preparation programs have been found to be significantly related to teacher quality (Katitia, 2015). Teacher quality is known as the primary force in student learning outcomes (Ring & West , 2015).

In the United States, majority of teachers are public school teachers and they make over three millions in numbers. The number of pupils per teacher has recorded a decline for the last few decades and it continues to decline to date. The average class size presently is over 20 pupils for public elementary schools and 23.4 for public secondary schools. This can tell the reason as to why teachers leave teaching professions because of workload.

The beginning to all professions start in schools. Teachers and the passion of their students fuel them today to become amazing tomorrow. Teachers are needed to prepare children for the real world and for college, making them a keystone in our society. However, for years now teachers have been leaving their jobs for a plethora of reasons. Making more then 1/3 of teachers switch schools or leaves the profession entirely. Today we are facing a crisis; with no one teaching the next generation, our school systems are forced to rely on alternative means that directly impacts our schools and their students. This problem can be solved, but it will take time and effort from many, ranging from the school system to the federal government.