The Cost of Teacher Turnover in Alaska

Low teacher retention - high turnover - affects student learning. Teacher recruitment and retention are challenging issues in Alaska. Rates vary considerably from district to district and year to year, but between 2004 and 2014, district-level teacher turnover in rural Alaska averaged 20%, and about a dozen districts experienced annual turnover rates higher than 30%. High turnover rates in rural Alaska are often attributed to remoteness and a lack of amenities (including healthcare and transportation); teachers who move to these communities face additional challenges including finding adequate housing and adjusting to a new and unfamiliar culture and environment. Though urban districts have lower teacher turnover rates, they also have challenges with teacher recruitment and retention, particularly in hard-to-fill positions (such as special education and secondary mathematics) and in difficult-to-staff schools. Annually, Alaskan school districts hire about 1,000 teachers (500-600 are hired by its five largest districts), while Alaska’s teacher preparation programs graduate only around 200. The costs associated with teacher turnover in Alaska are considerable, but have never been systematically calculated,1 and this study emerged from interests among Alaska education researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to better understand these costs. Using data collected from administrators in 37 of Alaska’s 54 districts, we describe teacher turnover and the costs associated with it in four key categories: separation, recruitment, hiring, and induction and training. Our calculations find that the total average cost of teacher turnover is $20,431.08 per teacher. Extrapolating this to Alaska’s 2008-2012 turnover data, this constitutes a cost to school districts of approximately$20 million per year. We focused on costs to Alaskan school districts, rather than costs to individual communities, schools, or the state. Our calculation is a conservative estimate, and reflects typical teacher turnover circumstances - retirement, leaving the profession, or moving to a new school district. We did not include unusual circumstances, such as mid-year departures or terminations. Our cost estimate includes costs of separation, recruitment, hiring, and orientation and training, and excludes the significant costs of teacher productivity and teacher preparation. We suggest that not all turnover is bad, nor are all turnover costs; and emphasize the need to focus on teacher retention as a goal, rather than reducing turnover costs. Even with conservative estimates, teacher turnover is a significant strain on districts’ personnel and resources, and in an era of shrinking budgets, teacher turnover diverts resources from teaching and learning to administrative processes of filling teacher vacancies. Our recommendations include: • Better track teacher turnover costs • Explore how to reduce teacher turnover costs • Support ongoing research around teacher turnover and its associated costs • Explore conditions driving high teacher turnover, and how to address themUniversity of Alaska FoundationExecutive Summary / Acknowledgements / Funding / Contact / What is teacher turnover? / What are the impacts of teacher turnover? / What factors are associated with teacher turnover? / What are the costs associated with teacher turnover? / Challenges in calculating turnover costs / Method / Analysis / Findings / Implications / Recommendations / Limitations / Conclusions / References / Appendix A: Detail costs of teacher turnover / Appendix B: Occupation codes & wages used for cost calculation

Spartan Daily, October 17, 1980

Volume 75, Issue 34https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/6670/thumbnail.jp

Une approche de la théorie institutionnelle à la réglementation de l'audit légale et statutaire

En tant que cadre d'analyse, la théorie institutionnelle a été utilisée pour expliquer les différentes manières que les organisations développent et évoluent à travers le temps, en réponse à différents types de pressions institutionnelles. Cet article contribue à la littérature de la théorie institutionnelle de plusieurs façons. Tout d'abord, l'objet de l'étude est sur les récents changements dans les structures de régulation de l'audit légale et statutaire, une fonction importante dans le capitalisme contemporain. Deuxièmement, nous étendons la théorie institutionnelle par le biais d'une analyse comparative internationale des changements dans les structures de réglementation de l'audit légale et statutaire aux Etats-Unis, la France et le Canada. Troisièmement, d'une manière analogue à Dillard et al. (2004), nous étendons la théorie institutionnelle à travers une plus grande focalisation sur les aspects politiques de changement institutionnel en ce qui concerne la réglementation de l'audit légale et statutaire. Notre constat est qu'il y a eu des changements significatifs dans les structures de réglementation de l'audit légale et statutaire au cours des dernières années, entraînant une augmentation des niveaux d'isomorphisme institutionnel. Pressions, surtout à l'extérieur de cadres réglementaires nationaux, ont abouti à un plus grand légalisme dans la régulation de l'audit légale et statutaire dans les trois pays étudiés. La mondialisation des marchés de capitaux internationaux explique en partie ce phénomène, mais l'isomorphisme coercitif et isomorphisme mimétique sont également considérés comme jouant un rôle important dans ce processus.Audit légale et statutaire; réglementation; la théorie institutionnelle

The expression of genetic risk for aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior is moderated by peer group

Numerous studies have shown that aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behaviors are important precursors of later adjustment problems. There is also strong empirical evidence that both types of antisocial behavior are partially influenced by genetic factors. However, despite its important theoretical and practical implications, no study has examined the question whether environmental factors differentially moderate the expression of genetic influences on the two types of antisocial behavior. Using a genetically informed design based on 266 monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, this study examined whether the expression of genetic risk for aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior varies depending on the peer group’s injunctive norms (i.e., the degree of acceptability) of each type of antisocial behavior. Self-reported aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior and classroom-based sociometric nominations were collected when participants were 10 years old. Multivariate genetic analyses revealed some common genetic factors influencing both types of antisocial behavior (i.e., general antisocial behavior) as well as genetic influences specific to non-aggressive antisocial behavior. However, genetic influences on general antisocial behavior, as well as specific genetic influences on non-aggressive antisocial behavior, vary depending on the injunctive classroom norms regarding these behaviors. These findings speak to the power of peer group norms in shaping aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior. They also contribute further to understanding the distinctive development of both types of antisocial behavior. Finally, they may have important implications for prevention purposes

Experimental design of an interlaboratory study for trace metal analysis of liquid fluids

The accurate determination of trace metals and fuels is an important requirement in much of the research into and development of alternative fuels for aerospace applications. Recognizing the detrimental effects of certain metals on fuel performance and fuel systems at the part per million and in some cases part per billion levels requires improved accuracy in determining these low concentration elements. Accurate analyses are also required to ensure interchangeability of analysis results between vendor, researcher, and end use for purposes of quality control. Previous interlaboratory studies have demonstrated the inability of different laboratories to agree on the results of metal analysis, particularly at low concentration levels, yet typically good precisions are reported within a laboratory. An interlaboratory study was designed to gain statistical information about the sources of variation in the reported concentrations. Five participant laboratories were used on a fee basis and were not informed of the purpose of the analyses. The effects of laboratory, analytical technique, concentration level, and ashing additive were studied in four fuel types for 20 elements of interest. The prescribed sample preparation schemes (variations of dry ashing) were used by all of the laboratories. The analytical data were statistically evaluated using a computer program for the analysis of variance technique

Suicidal ideation among veterans through a lens of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide

Suicide among veterans has reached an all-time high. Joiner’s Interpersonal-PsychologicalTheory of Suicide (IPTS) (Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al., 2010) stipulates that the desire forsuicide is the highest when both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness arepresent, and acquired capability for suicide is critical in the development of suicidal behavior.The present thesis tested predictions from the model in a military veteran data set. Hypothesesderived from the IPTS were tested in a sample of 62 veterans (59 males and 3 females). Datawere archival (i.e., participants were recruited previously for a study on endocrinological- andpersonality factors as predictors of adjustment; see Bobadilla, Asberg, Johnson, and Shirtcliff,2014, for the original study). At the time of their participation, veterans were involved ininpatient substance use treatment at the Charles George Veterans Affairs Medical Center(CMVAMC) in Asheville, NC. Two semi-structured clinical interviews, the Mini-InternationalNeuropsychiatric Interview and the structured clinical interview for DSM disorders, (MINI,SCID-II) were completed to assess DSM-IV symptoms across a variety of disorders (e.g., majordepression, PTSD, personality disorders). Additionally, the Combat Experiences Scale, ameasure of self-reported experiences from combat, was utilized. The clinical and self-report data(i.e., items from the diagnostic interviews and the CES scales) were examined for symptomsassociated with any of the three constructs of the IPTS. Results were partially consistent with hypotheses. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for IPTS will bediscussed

An Exhibition in Student Leadership: The Academic Alternative Spring Break Experience

An Exhibition in Student Leadership: The Academic Alternative Spring Break Experience Ryan Kilpatrick and Elise Glidden Faculty Sponsor: Gail Faris, Women’s Center The Academic Alternative Spring Break program was founded at URI by Gail Faris six years ago in an effort to introduce students to the ideas of service learning, social justice, and what it means to be a concerned citizen. We were first introduced to this idea in the spring of 2009, when we took the course, Classroom without Borders: Academic Alternative Spring Break. It was about a year later that we both decided that our senior project would focus around this concept, but with an added component of student leadership. The idea of an Academic Alternative Spring Break may not be specifically related to our respective majors, but it is one that is both important in our lives and will help us in our future careers, whatever they may be. Our project is unique for two reasons. It is a joint project, and it is also the first AASB to be led by students at the University of Rhode Island. In order to prepare for this trip, we underwent leadership training, planned and coordinated the logistics of the trip, and played a key part in selecting the students who would participate in the pilot program. We also acted as teacher’s assistants in the Spring 2011 Classroom Without Borders in order to familiarize ourselves with the material covered in the class and with the six students we chose for our trip. The spring break trip itself was a culmination of our training and a test of our leadership skills. Our product, a student leadership guide, highlights the numerous steps undertaken to successfully plan and implement an AASB trip from a student leader perspective. It is our hope that this guide is informative and will be passed on and used by future student leaders at URI so that they will have the success that we did. Our presentation will portray the dedication and effort that went into our senior project before, during, and after the spring break trip. It will also include pictures and videos that further capture the spirit of our experience. It is our firm belief that the successful completion of this project has led to both the development of our leadership skills, and our passion to serve as concerned citizens of our local and national communities, and we see this project as a stepping stone to a life of servant leadership and a commitment to social justice