Simple Requests to Maintain High Quality Teachers: A Qualitative Study on Preschool Teacher Retention

Michael Wells

Social Pediatrics/Parenting Support

Uppsala University

michael.wells@kbh.uu.se

Dept. of Women’s and Children’s Health

Faculty of Medicine

Social Context, Availability, Affordability, Quality

Overall Score

1 Finland 91.8

2 Sweden 91.7

3 Norway 88.9

24 USA 60.3

Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson = War on Poverty– 1965-1966

– Sargent Shriver• Dr. Edward Zigler

• Dr. Robert Cook

Pres. George W. Bush Reauthorized 2007

Pres. Obama grew

Head Start

30 million served

Teacher Retention: Is this a big issue?

• 33% of teachers leave their schools within the first 3 years

• 50% of new teachers leave within five years

• High turnover costs – $2.2 billion to $4.9 billion

Preschool teachers quit for:

Extrinsic ReasonsLow Salary

Work Overload

Children’s Behavior

Poor Leadership

Intrinsic Reasons Personal Efficacy

Working with Students

Job Satisfaction

AIM

Method

• One major Midwest city, USA

• 10 Head Start preschools

• Qualitative Interviews

• 45 minutes

• Thematic Analysis

Demographics

Jobs vs. Profession

4 Themes

• Relationships Matter

• Stress (about Paperwork)

• Child Behavior

• Needed Support

“We work well together, and we have good communication and know

what’s expected of each other. I don’t tell her what to do; she just

knows what needs to be done and does it.”

Relationships Matter

Stress

• Preschool teachers are stressed!!!

• What are they stressed about?

• Not stressed about co-workers

• Not stressed about Center Director

• Not stressed about parents

• Not stressed about preschool children

Stressed about Paperwork???

– eDECA– Brigance– Anecdotals– USDA Forms– Lesson Plans– Home Visit Forms– Leveling of Children– Documenting Artwork– Taking Pictures/Video– TS Gold Documentation– Family Conference Form– Documenting Reggio Boards– Portfolios (which includes several items)

“I feel like it’s a lot that’s expected, and we don’t get time off to do it. And we have nap time, but we don’t really have that because kids will do other things during that time and act up.”

Child Behavior

“I have 6 kids that had behavior issues, which takes away from the other children.”

Needed Support

“I feel like sometimes I can’t talk to my supervisor one-on-one because I feel like nothing is going anywhere and nothing is being done to rectify the problem.”

Conclusions

• Teachers work for Head Start because that’s what they want to do for their career

• Teachers leave preschools for all sorts of reasons

• Many of the reasons are preventable

• Develop a realistic plan based off of teachers’ suggestions

Conclusions

“Education needs to work by pull, not push” – Charles Leadbeater

Citations for Pictures

1. http://www.economist.com/

1. http://www.kibois.org/hs_about.html

1. http://swampland.time.com/2011/11/09/why-obamas-plan-to-fix-head-start-is-not-enough/

1. http://www.preschoolsnsw.org.au/about-preschools/preschool-advantages

1. http://blog.capital.org/job-satisfaction-what-matters-most-to-employees/

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33339579@N06/3680481039/

2. http://s279.beta.photobucket.com/user/ClynnS023/media/pon%20and%20zi/thLeave.jpg.html?fromLegacy=true

Citations for Pictures9. http://weheartit.com/entry/30270136

10. http://cae2k.com/photos-of-bars-0/pictures-interviews.html

11. http://www.theblackfeminista.com/blog/590371-if-i-was-white-female-and-privileged-for-one-day/

12. http://www.fart-sounds.net/educated_fart_analysis.htm

13. http://www.personalizedteachershirts.com/Shop/Pre-K-Preschool-Teacher.10080/

14. http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/File:Human_Pyramid.png

15. http://www.burtchiropractic.com/2010/12/31/7-tips-for-stress-management/

16. http://www.cdsolicitors.com/2013/01/23/new-tax-liability-for-resident-taxpayers/paperwork-climbing-02-3/

Citations for Pictures

17. http://www.theawall.com/node/104

18. http://www.almightydad.com/behavior/kid-acting-badly-try-the-total-transformation-scam

19. http://www.egodevelopment.com/3-practical-ways-to-stop-child-behavior-problems/

20. http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/p/principals_office.asp