Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of Mentoring, Climate, and Leadership: Promoting Retention through a Learning Communities Perspective

Abstract

Often viewed as a recruitment issue, the teacher shortage is better defined as a retention issue. This three-year study examines teacher retention through a professional learning communities framework. During the first year of data collection, 217 first- and second-year teachers in a small urban school district were surveyed to assess their perceptions of mentoring, school climate, and principal leadership. Findings suggest that beginning teachers' decisions to remain at their school site and in the school district is most strongly associated with school climate and principal leadership. Suggestions for future research and implications for policies addressing retention are discussed.