This unique thought experiment invites the field of agricultural education to a critical dialogue on issues related to making teaching a career. Leveraging elicitation techniques, we introduce a series of nine letters on agriculture teacher retention. Written by agriculture teacher education faculty with expertise in teacher retention, these…

After viewing a video about Black teachers' experiences, Vince Matthews, a White male middle school principal, invited Black teachers to a listening session to learn about their school experiences. He was certain that it would be a short, pleasant meeting because he believed he did not have a racist bone in his body. Instead, four teachers shared…

Districts and schools in Colorado that have experienced success with retaining teachers through effective strategies in schools with high-need populations and geographic factors associated with lower retention rates are highlighted in this "Bright Spots" report. Representatives from the five schools across three school districts that…

This teaching case explores the racialized administrative burdens placed on Latinx staff and students as a Latinx campus cultural center becomes institutionalized or more structurally embedded within a Predominantly White Institution. This case leverages the perspective of the center's Assistant Director to demonstrate how Latinx staff navigated…

Educators and administrators in higher education are currently grappling with the effects of individual and collective trauma as it relates to college students' academic performance. A plethora of research points to the inimical effects that trauma can have on students' learning and persistence. This article outlines common trauma terms and…

Tennessee's State Board of Education developed Educator Diversity Policy 5.700 to promote the recruitment and retention of educators from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Accordingly, districts throughout the state develop annual diversity goals that reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of their student population and strategies for…

The Smallville Independent School District case study highlights the challenges of a school district facing the COVID-19 pandemic in a rural-urban divide. The district's socioeconomic status, with a high population of economically disadvantaged families, limited resources, and dependence on grants and local charity, further complicates matters.…

The preceding chapters of this monograph have served to situate the study of physical education teacher education recruitment and retention within relevant literature and theory. This chapter outlines the sequential explanatory design methods, whereby participants in an online survey were selected using stratified random sampling to participate in…

Rebecca Ashe, a first-year mathematics teacher at North Hills High School, considered herself well-prepared after her university preparation. She is energetic and dedicated to her students, providing real-world examples in her classes from past experiences as an engineer. After 3 months in the classroom, however, Rebecca had become disheartened…

College student retention constitutes a long-standing and critical problem for many colleges and universities. Although the average national rate of first-to-second year persistence stands at 68.5%, rates for types of colleges and universities vary from a low of 56.4% for 2-year public colleges to a high of 81.5% for private PhD-granting…

Many students are choosing the hollow promise of a trophy at the expense of learning. At a time when students are expecting the grade of "A" for simply "checking the boxes" required of them, there is a need for an explanation for why this is not a mindset for best-practice in the professional arena. This paper describes an…

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce, describe, and document the methods involved in the preparation of a mindset intervention built into a freshmen development course, and established after years of longitudinal research, that is designed to have a positive impact on the outlook, achievement, and persistence of first generation…

The collegiate experiences of men of color--Black, Latino, multiracial, Native American, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander men--are influenced by a wide variety of factors that determine if and how they persist to reach college graduation. Subtle and overt acts of racism and microaggressions from peers and faculty often shape experiences in…

The purpose of this handbook is to provide detailed information regarding school-based decision making (SBDM) processes, laws, and best practices. Topics covered include the following: (1) School-based Decision Making Statute: KRS 160.345; (2) Achievement Gaps and Planning Requirements; (3) Other Kentucky Statutes Related to School Council Work;…

As the Director of LEAD, an affiliated center with the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES), the author and his colleagues have the opportunity to work with teachers and administrators to develop "Habits of Mind" and "Habits of Character" that focus expectations for students and teachers. Habits of Mind are aligned with Bloom's…