school seniors as they enter the college system . The university works with local schools to provide mentoring and tutoring prior to the fellow ’ s degree and credential completion .
District and university partnerships are one method being used to meet the needs of individual districts as the hiring frenzy continues . As creativity developed , this same type of out-of-the box thinking is needed to retain new teachers once they reach the classroom .
Could retention be another solution to the crisis ?
The headlines in many newspapers clamor for the need for new teachers , but few solutions are provided . For decades , research has focused on causes and features related to employee retention . The state of California has employed creative systems to recruit and retain teachers . Although these measures demonstrated creativity , they had to be abandoned due to budgetary restrictions soon after they began ( Esch , Chang-Ross , Guha , Humphrey , Shields , Tiffany-Morales , Weschler and Woodworth , 2005 ).
In 2011 , research on beginning teachers was conducted in three districts in California ’ s Central Valley . Novice teachers employed in three districts were surveyed on job embeddedness , a variable that incorporates influences found in and out of the work place . Survey questions included asking teachers about school and community factors that can help determine whether individuals will leave or stay .
Job embeddedness is a collection of offand on-the-job factors or a web of connections that help individuals integrate into an organization ( Mitchell , Holtom , Lee , Sablynski and Erez , 2001 ). These factors are found within the organization and surrounding community . They are referred to as community and organization fit , links , and the sacrifice one would feel if they left their job and community .
Survey questions assessed each beginning teacher ’ s on- and off-the-job fit , links and sacrifice . Teachers that were currently employed and those who had left all three districts in the past school year were all questioned . The results of this research showed that those who were still employed demonstrated a higher degree of embeddedness than those who had left ( Watson and Olson-Buchanan , 2016 ). According to this study , job-embeddedness was significantly correlated to a person ’ s intent to leave .
How can principals and districts ease attrition ?
Studies on generational work attitudes reveal that when younger employees feel connected or fit within their work environment they are more likely to enjoy their work ( Westerman and Yamamura , 2007 ). E . M . Weiss ( 1999 ) concluded that in institutions where new teachers were part of a learning system , where input was sought regarding decisions affecting student achievement , and where those teachers were made to feel a part of the school leadership , autonomy and participation increased .
Others discovered that the new generation of workers easily communicate with supervisors and work well in teams . By developing work teams , collaborative decision making , creating a family atmosphere , and engaging staff in extra-curricular activities , leaders can help create the webs of interconnectivity leading to increased opportunities for embeddedness to develop .
A new generation of teachers are in the process of being hired throughout California and much of the United States . By applying the job embeddedness model to education and creating a positive work related climate , leader practitioners can work to retain more teachers . The use of professional learning communities , mentoring structures , site-based management with collegial interactions , teacher-administrator collaboration , and decision making are a few of the organizational structures that may be beneficial to develop embedded employees .
The connection between student achievement and teacher quality has been substantiated for years now . In order to develop a strong teacher work force and cohesive staff collaboration , administrators must work to retain this important human capital .
This school year , what will you do differently to develop the bonds within your staff or in your district ? Purposefully creating employee links and fit within the organiza-
10 Leadership