Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to collect and analyze data related to the impact of internal and external factors as predictors of teachers’ decisions to teach in urban PK-6 Title I public schools. The quantitative study will identify the impact of predictors classified as teacher characteristics, school characteristics, organizational characteristics, teacher efficacy, and COVID-19 on teachers in classrooms that educate economically disadvantaged students in an urban Title I public school district in southwest Texas. Utilizing Bernard Weiner’s (1958) Attribution Theory of Achievement as a framework, the study will measure the impact of internal and external factors that teachers attribute to their longevity in Title I classrooms. The guiding research question is: How do internal and external predictors, classified as teacher characteristics, school characteristics, organizational characteristics, teacher efficacy, and the COVID-19 pandemic predict teacher retention in urban Title I PreK-6 schools? The survey containing 62 questions was completed by 354 participants. The results of the study uncovered the degree of impact the predictors had on teachers’ decision to continue to teach in some of the most challenging classrooms, despite the external and internal factors that led to the exit of many of their peers. The predictors identified as contributing to longevity in urban Title I public schools included (a) 20+ years of experience, (b) a bachelor’s degree, and (c) salary and workload. The two predictors’ teachers indicated would decrease the likelihood of longevity in Title I urban public schools included (a) teachers aged 25-35, and (b) teachers aged 36-43. The lessons learned from these teachers will be added to the body of research pertaining to the necessity to retain teachers in urban Title I public schools.
