The Effects of Education and Professional Development on Beginning STEM Teacher Persistence: a Longitudinal Study

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

The attrition of teachers from teaching is a major public policy issue. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers, in particular, leave the profession even when they are making progress toward becoming excellent teachers. The project will identify both causes of teacher attrition and practices that support new teachers and contribute to persistence in the profession. The project will analyze data from the newly released nationally representative large-scale, longitudinal survey - The Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study(BTLS) - conducted by NCES. This data base follows a national cohort of beginning public school teachers through their first five years of teaching. The project will focus on the 388 STEM teachers in the sample. The project's three research questions focus on the impact of preservice teacher education and inservice professional development on the job persistence and job transitions of teachers through their first five years of teaching: 1) What are the levels of job persistence and job transition among beginning STEM school teachers over their first 5 years after entering teaching; 2) What are the types and amounts of preserve education and preparation that beginning STEM school teachers receive and what impact do these have on their job persistence and transitions? 3) What are the types and amounts of inservice induction and professional development that beginning STEM school teachers receive in their first 5 years and what impact do these have on their job persistence and transitions? The project will use Event History Analysis and other advanced statistical methods.