Teacher Recruitment and Retention Trends across North Carolina and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Teacher Recruitment and Retention Trends across North Carolina and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Language: English
Authors: Lauren Fox, Sara Howell, Ashley Kazouh, Elizabeth Paul, Jessica Peacock, Public School Forum of North Carolina
Source: Public School Forum of North Carolina. 2023.
Availability: Public School Forum of North Carolina. 3739 National Drive Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27612. Tel: 919-781-6833; Fax: 919-781-6527; Web site: http://www.ncforum.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2023
Sponsoring Agency: Brady Education Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Teacher Persistence, Faculty Mobility, Minority Group Teachers, Teaching (Occupation), Public Schools, Teacher Education Programs, COVID-19, Pandemics, Administrator Attitudes, Preservice Teachers, Recruitment, Barriers, Research Needs, Financial Support, School Districts, Teacher Salaries, Faculty Development
Geographic Terms: North Carolina
Abstract: In North Carolina and across the nation, districts and schools struggle to recruit and retain effective teachers, especially teachers of color. For more than a decade, declining enrollments in educator preparation programs and rises in teacher vacancies and attrition rates, coupled with population growth and increasing demand for teachers, have foreshadowed an impending crisis for the teaching profession. There is a need for more comprehensive and up-to-date data on the state of the teaching profession that reflect the current nuances and realities in schools across North Carolina. In an effort to fill this gap, the study analyzes statewide data and conducted a series of focus groups with district superintendents and leaders of educator preparation programs to address the following research questions: (1) To what extent and in what ways has the state of the teacher pipeline in North Carolina public school systems shifted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? and (2) To what extent and in what ways has enrollment in North Carolina Educator Preparation Programs shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary waiving of entry and licensure requirements? The challenges to recruiting and retaining a high-quality, diverse teacher workforce are far reaching and will have significant short- and long-term consequences for students. The goal of the study is that the findings and the recommendations for policy and practice detailed in this report will lead to action by North Carolina policymakers to restore and strengthen the state's teacher workforce. [The report was also prepared by the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University.]
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: ED662968
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:In North Carolina and across the nation, districts and schools struggle to recruit and retain effective teachers, especially teachers of color. For more than a decade, declining enrollments in educator preparation programs and rises in teacher vacancies and attrition rates, coupled with population growth and increasing demand for teachers, have foreshadowed an impending crisis for the teaching profession. There is a need for more comprehensive and up-to-date data on the state of the teaching profession that reflect the current nuances and realities in schools across North Carolina. In an effort to fill this gap, the study analyzes statewide data and conducted a series of focus groups with district superintendents and leaders of educator preparation programs to address the following research questions: (1) To what extent and in what ways has the state of the teacher pipeline in North Carolina public school systems shifted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? and (2) To what extent and in what ways has enrollment in North Carolina Educator Preparation Programs shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary waiving of entry and licensure requirements? The challenges to recruiting and retaining a high-quality, diverse teacher workforce are far reaching and will have significant short- and long-term consequences for students. The goal of the study is that the findings and the recommendations for policy and practice detailed in this report will lead to action by North Carolina policymakers to restore and strengthen the state's teacher workforce. [The report was also prepared by the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University.]