There Has to Be a Better Way
186 pages, 6 x 9
4 figures
Paperback
Release Date:25 Jan 2019
ISBN:9780813595276
Hardcover
Release Date:25 Jan 2019
ISBN:9780813595283
There Has to Be a Better Way
Lessons from Former Urban Teachers
Rutgers University Press
Winner of the 2020 American Educational Studies Association Critics Choice Book Award
Teacher attrition has long been a significant challenge within the field of education. It is a commonly-cited statistic that almost fifty percent of beginning teachers leave the field within their first five years, to the detriment of schools, students, and their own career development. There Has to be a Better Way offers an essential voice in understanding the dynamics of teacher attrition from the perspective of the teachers themselves. Drawing upon in-depth qualitative research with former teachers from urban schools in multiple regions of the United States, Lynnette Mawhinney and Carol R. Rinke identify several themes that uncover the rarely-spoken reasons why teachers so often willingly leave the classroom. The authors go further to provide concrete recommendations for how school administrators can better support their practicing teachers, as well as how teacher educators might enhance preparation for the next generation of educators. Complete with suggested readings and discussion questions, this book serves as an indispensable resource in understanding and building an effective and productive educational workforce for our nation’s students.
Teacher attrition has long been a significant challenge within the field of education. It is a commonly-cited statistic that almost fifty percent of beginning teachers leave the field within their first five years, to the detriment of schools, students, and their own career development. There Has to be a Better Way offers an essential voice in understanding the dynamics of teacher attrition from the perspective of the teachers themselves. Drawing upon in-depth qualitative research with former teachers from urban schools in multiple regions of the United States, Lynnette Mawhinney and Carol R. Rinke identify several themes that uncover the rarely-spoken reasons why teachers so often willingly leave the classroom. The authors go further to provide concrete recommendations for how school administrators can better support their practicing teachers, as well as how teacher educators might enhance preparation for the next generation of educators. Complete with suggested readings and discussion questions, this book serves as an indispensable resource in understanding and building an effective and productive educational workforce for our nation’s students.
Mawhinney and Rinke's focus on teachers who have voluntarily left classroom teaching prior to retirement is unique. This well-crafted study fills a void in the current literature.
How real is ‘Abbott Elementary?’ A former Philadelphia school teacher weighs in
Mawhinney and Rinke's focus on teachers who have voluntarily left classroom teaching prior to retirement is unique. This well-crafted study fills a void in the current literature.
How real is ‘Abbott Elementary?’ A former Philadelphia school teacher weighs in
LYNNETTE MAWHINNEY is an associate professor and chair of the department of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the author or coeditor of several titles, including of Teacher Education across Minority-Serving Institutions: Programs, Policies, and Social Justice (Rutgers University Press).
CAROL R. RINKE is associate professor of education and assistant dean for social and behavioral sciences at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she also coordinates the Marist Center for Social Justice Research. She is the author of Why Half of Teachers Leave the Classroom.
CAROL R. RINKE is associate professor of education and assistant dean for social and behavioral sciences at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she also coordinates the Marist Center for Social Justice Research. She is the author of Why Half of Teachers Leave the Classroom.
Contents
Foreword
Introduction: Walking in Through the Out Door: Professional Trajectories of Urban Teachers
PART I: The Dynamics of Teacher Attrition
1 Push and Pull in Career Development
PART II: Structural Factors in Teacher Attrition
2 The Struggle is Real: Administrators, Teachers, and The System
3 Wading Through the Waters: Exhaustion, Stress, and Disillusionment with Teaching
4 Where Has All the Job Security Gone?
PART III: The Personal and the Professional in Teacher Attrition
5 You Don’t Fit Here: Teachers of Color Coping with Racial Microaggressions in Schools
6 Negotiating Gendered and Cultural Expectations on a Teacher’s Salary: The Mediating Role of Identity
7 I Just Feel So Guilty: The Role of Emotions in Leaving
PART IV: Addressing Teacher Attrition
8 Closing the Revolving Door: Teacher Leavers’ Final Lesson for the Profession
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index
Foreword
Introduction: Walking in Through the Out Door: Professional Trajectories of Urban Teachers
PART I: The Dynamics of Teacher Attrition
1 Push and Pull in Career Development
PART II: Structural Factors in Teacher Attrition
2 The Struggle is Real: Administrators, Teachers, and The System
3 Wading Through the Waters: Exhaustion, Stress, and Disillusionment with Teaching
4 Where Has All the Job Security Gone?
PART III: The Personal and the Professional in Teacher Attrition
5 You Don’t Fit Here: Teachers of Color Coping with Racial Microaggressions in Schools
6 Negotiating Gendered and Cultural Expectations on a Teacher’s Salary: The Mediating Role of Identity
7 I Just Feel So Guilty: The Role of Emotions in Leaving
PART IV: Addressing Teacher Attrition
8 Closing the Revolving Door: Teacher Leavers’ Final Lesson for the Profession
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index
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