Principal turnover is a national problem with costly side effects. There is a growing interest in this problem of practice. Although more studies are emerging, there is limited qualitative research into understanding why principals are leaving their positions. This is a basic qualitative study examining the experiences of three former North…

Nationally, special education teacher turnover is a significant issue for school districts. The problem addressed in this study was the high special education teacher turnover rate in one local school district in North Carolina. Guided by Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this basic qualitative study explored previous special education teachers'…

The purpose of this study was to examine the career trajectories of two teachers in the United States and their decision to leave teaching Spanish. Data for the study emerged from the teachers' narratives about their school-based experiences and the consequences of those experiences on their decisions to reorient their work in the educational…

The focus of this qualitative case study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the differences in school leadership responsibilities, preparation, and training of traditional public school principals and charter school principals and their effect on principal retention. The study included five principals from traditional public schools and five…

This dissertation examines how teachers respond to state-wide labor reforms. In 2013 and 2014, the state of North Carolina drastically altered compensation for teachers. Policymakers affected labor by attempting to revoke tenure for all teachers (and succeeded in eliminating it for new teachers), discontinuing supplemental pay for advanced…

This reflective essay tells the story of the transition of a Hollywood director to the professoriate. Jack Sholder's name may be familiar to those who are film buffs. As a filmmaker in Hollywood, he directed such films as "Alone in the Dark," "Nightmare on Elm Street 2," and "The Hidden." In addition, he won an Emmy…

Brigadier General Anthony "Tony" Tata of the U.S. Army had one of those "ah-ha" moments in April 2006 when, on the eve of an operation he was heading in Afghanistan, an Al Qaeda rocket shattered a nearby school. The attack killed a teacher and seven students and wounded dozens more. The rocket incident eventually nudged Tata…

Teacher attrition and migration plague many American schools. The situation is even more dire in charter schools across the country. On average, teacher attrition is 15 to 40% higher in charter schools than in traditional schools. This study examined the relationships among teacher empowerment, school leadership, and intentions to stay in or leave…

In an effort to increase the quantity and quality of available teachers, states have begun to offer alternate methods of teacher certification. This means that in addition to traditional teacher training, which involves graduation from an accredited teacher-education institution, states provide alternate routes to enable teachers to transition to…

The purpose of this study was to better understand occupational turnover among librarians and archivists by examining the careers of individuals who have left or intend to leave the profession, in order to identify the factors associated with turnover, and to discover the career outcomes of those who leave. The dissertation analyzes a subset of…

A 2005 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey found that many baby boomers are eager to make career changes that can launch a new chapter in their working lives while they make social contribution. The survey found that 50 percent of Americans age 50 to 70 want jobs that contribute to the greater good. It found that more than 53…

Employment satisfaction of North Carolina men and women was investigated. The majority of working women in North Carolina work to provide primary support to themselves and family or to bring in extra money. Men and women reported satisfaction with their work, although a substantial number anticipate job changes. (Author)

Phenomenological retrospective interviews of three female school counselors who had experienced burnout were conducted and analyzed for themes in an effort to understand the participants' personal meanings. Several common themes that emerged from the data analysis are discussed, and recommendations for practice and research are suggested.

This study examined the recruitment of teachers through alternative routes to teacher certification in an effort to address teacher shortage in the state of North Carolina through North Carolina Teachers of Excellence for All Children (NCTEACH), a statewide lateral entry teacher licensure program. Specifically, this study investigated alternative…

The Rural Income Maintenance Experiment (1979) used sample subjects from the Midwest and the South (Iowa and North Carolina) to measure the effect of alternative tax rates and minimum guarantees upon the work behavior of rural male heads of households. Three contingent aspects of job change behavior were examined: the impacts of support on…