Teacher Attrition in Charter Schools

This study focuses on the reasons why teachers are leaving charter schools. It is based on analyses of data collected in surveys of charter school employees from around the country from 1997-2006. The authors found that while overall attrition rates fluctuate from year to year and state to state, as many as one in four charter school teachers leave each year- approximately double the traditional public school rate of 11 percent. Moreover, attrition among new teachers in charter schools is close to 40 percent annually. The authors contend that high attrition, "consumes resources of schools, impedes schools' efforts to build professional learning communities and positive, stable school cultures," and recommend that supporters of charters schools focus efforts on reducing teacher attrition

Chilean EFL teachers`perceptions of their working condition in the private, semi -private and public school systems

Tesis (Profesor de Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media y al grado académico de Licenciado en Educación)This study followed a quantitative survey research design. The main purpose of the research was to explore Chilean English teachers’ perceptions of their working conditions, and compare the perceptions of teachers from the public, semi-private and private school systems. The data was collected by applying a questionnaire, a technique used in quantitative research. Sixty three teachers from forty six schools of the three educational sectors polled, answered the questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale in order to express their perceptions regarding their working conditions. In the analysis process, the information collected was presented descriptively. In general, the participants showed positive perceptions concerning school environment and school support from their school authorities, but negative perceptions regarding salary, workload, time for non-instructional activities and society perceptions toward their profession.El presente estudio utilizó el diseño de encuesta cuantitativa. El propósito principal de nuestra investigación fue explorar las percepciones de los profesores de inglés chilenos acerca de sus condiciones laborales, y comparar estas percepciones de los profesores del sistema público, subvencionado y privado de la educación. La información fue recopilada a través de la aplicación de un cuestionario; técnica usada en el método cuantitativo de investigación. Sesenta y tres profesores de cuarenta y seis colegios de los tres sectores educacionales: público, subvencionado y privado, contestaron la encuesta usando la escala Likert del 1 al 5, de manera de obtener sus percepciones acerca de sus condiciones laborales. En el proceso de análisis, la información recolectada fue presentada descriptivamente. De manera general, los participantes demostraron percepciones positivas de acuerdo al clima laboral y el apoyo de las autoridades de los colegios; sin embargo, las percepciones fueron negativas acerca de su salario, carga laboral, tiempo para actividades extra curriculares y las percepciones de la sociedad acerca de la profesión docente

Examination of the psychometric properties of the children’s loneliness scale for students with and without special needs in inclusive classrooms*

Early detection of loneliness in children, especially children with special needs who are at greater risk for loneliness, is crucial for planning appropriate interventions. A review of studies regarding the assessment of loneliness in children reveals the Children’s Loneliness Scale (CLS) is commonly used in other cultures whereas information about the use of CLS in Turkish culture, especially on children with special needs, is very limited. This study investigates the psychometric properties of CLS on a group of 4th and 5th graders with and without special needs in inclusive classrooms. The study group consists of 554 typically developing students and 151 students with special needs, a total of 705 students whose ages range from 9 to 13. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to examine the construct validity of the CLS and revealed that the scale has a unidimensional structure. The validity of this unidimensional construct was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Discriminant validity of the CLS was examined using the criterion group method and a significant difference was found between the loneliness scores of students with special needs and those without special needs. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses were conducted in order to determine the reliability of the CLS. Results showed that the CLS has high internal reliability and provides stability in measurements. In general, the findings of this study indicated that the CLS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the loneliness levels of students with and without special needs attending 4th and 5th grade inclusive classrooms. © 2015 EDAM

Condition matters: pupil voices on the design and condition of secondary schools

This research was produced by Sheffield Hallam University. The project aimed to inform the creation of a national schools Facilities Management network and an ongoing programme to research and benchmark the impact of school condition and design on pupils

Comparison of student's satisfaction on school food service environment by the eating place and gender

The purpose of this study was to compare student's satisfaction with school food service environment to improve the quality of middle school meal service. A survey was conducted of 680 students (boys 246, girls 433) from 6 middle schools providing school meals from October to November 2007. The questionnaires were directly distributed to the subjects for comparison of satisfaction of school meals depending on the eating place. As for the quantity of food, classroom group (3.40) expressed significantly higher satisfaction than cafeteria group (3.16, P < 0.01), but as for the satisfaction on hygiene, classroom group (2.76) showed significantly lower satisfaction than cafeteria group (3.03, P < 0.01). About the satisfaction of school meal environment, classroom group showed more satisfaction on distribution time, eating place, eating atmosphere (P < 0.001). The classroom group showed higher satisfaction than cafeteria group in cases of quantity, diversity of types of soup, dessert, and the cost of school meal. To improve eating place and hygiene of school meal, sufficient cafeteria space and pleasant environment is needed to be established

The Relationship between Resilience and Body Image in College Women

Possessing a negative body image is associated with unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders in college women and has been linked to depression and negative feelings of self worth. Limited research exists on protective factors that have the potential to mitigate body image dissatisfaction. This paper examines the relationship of resilience to body image dissatisfaction in college women. Female, undergraduate college students were studied using previously validated measures. Results indicate that increased resilience is associated with improved body image

Understanding Teacher Morale

This study emerged from discussions within the Policy and Planning Council of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC), a research alliance between Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education and seven surrounding school divisions. The project has two goals. The first goal is to develop an understanding of the factors that impact teachers’ experience of their work in the current PK12 public school context. Although this topic could be, and has been, investigated through a number of lenses (e.g., burnout, trust, motivation), this project focuses on the idea of teacher morale, a choice that will be discussed in detail in the next section of the report. The study addresses the following three questions: 1. How do teachers experience job satisfaction and morale? 2. What are the dynamics between a teacher’s job related ideal and the professional culture of the school that support or hinder the experience of job satisfaction and morale? 3. How do differences between schools related to policy context and social context affect the dynamics of job satisfaction and morale? To answer these questions MERC assembled a research team comprised of a university researcher, graduate students, and a team of school personnel from the MERC school divisions. Over the course of two years, the team developed a conceptual framework for understanding teacher morale, designed a research study that involved observing and interviewing teachers (n=44) across three purposefully selected middle schools in the Richmond region, and then collected and analyzed the data. This report shares both the process and the findings of this collaborative research effort. The second goal of this research project is to support action by local policy makers, school division leaders, central office personnel, principals, and teachers. The study was commissioned by local school leaders not just to document and reflect on teacher morale, but more importantly to do something about it. As argued above, teachers and the conditions of teachers’ work matters for our students, our schools, and the well being of our communities and society. In this regard, this report is only one piece of this project’s action and impact plan. While the report does contain a series of recommendations based on findings and how they can be used, the release of the report is tied to additional dissemination and professional development efforts designed to effect change

Job satisfaction of New Hampshire nursing faculty

The nursing shortage is a growing concern with the shortage of nurse faculty restricting entry of qualified students. A descriptive study of faculty from 11 New Hampshire nursing schools was conducted to determine nurse faculty satisfaction and factors contributing to satisfaction. A modified version, sent electronically of the Nurse Faculty Satisfaction Questionnaire measured faculty satisfaction. Of 159 faculty invited 74 (47%) participated. Overall, NH nurse faculty were highly satisfied as nurse educators with 78.4% rating overall satisfaction of 8 or higher on a 0 - 10 scale. The top three satisfiers were opportunity to work independently, sense of accomplishment from work, and the variety of activities. The highest level of dissatisfaction was rate of pay for position (60.8%), amount of work required (31.1%), and degree of technical support available (29.8%). While NH nurse educators would recommend a nurse become a nurse faculty, pay is a serious detractor in recruiting new faculty