Retention of Novice Teachers Who Migrate to Arizona - Dissertation Example

This review will highlight the research and literature related to the factors that influence retention and attrition of novice teachers with a specific focus on those teachers who migrate to Arizona to begin their careers. Due to the consistently high attrition rates of novice teachers, there has been much attention and research in recent years aimed at discerning what support elements are influential at retaining novice teachers (Corbell, Osborne, & Reiman, 2010; Swanson & Murri; Johnson, 2004).

However, renewed interest in new teacher quality has heightened since the passage in 2001 of the No Child Left Behind Act’s requirement that every student is taught by a highly qualified teacher (Cochran-Smith, 2004). With up to 50% of new teachers leaving the profession within their first five years, researchers, policymakers, and school leaders have developed a host of support structures aimed at retaining novice teachers (Johnson, 2004). Among the most significant problems being faced in the coming years is the fact that teachers leaving the profession to exceed the number of new teachers beginning their careers (Hammer, 2005).

In addition, Rosenow (2005) reports that as many as 10% of novice teachers in some high-poverty schools will not even complete their first year. As a result, many educational and policy initiatives have sought to remedy the problem of novice-teacher attrition. In response to the problem of high attrition rates for new teachers, schools and districts across the United States have created programs and support structures to prevent what Ingersoll (2003) described as the “revolving door” in which novice teachers leave the profession at high rates.

Ingersoll and Smith (2004) report that new teachers who participate in an organized, comprehensive, and long-term induction program remain in the profession longer than those who do not participate in programs with such features.