Date of Award

5-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Committee Member

Melinda J. Spearman, Committee Chair

Committee Member

Susan Cridland-Hughes

Committee Member

Hans Klar

Committee Member

Sandra Linder

Abstract

Educational policymakers have turned to alternative certification programs to expedite the certification process for those wanting to become teachers in an effort to combat a shortage of teachers in hard-to-fill content areas and geographical regions. However, an extensive body of research suggests a myriad of problems with alternative pathways. One such problem is that teachers from alternative certification programs have a higher attrition rate than their traditionally prepared counterparts. Therefore, a major issue with alternative certification programs is that they do not accomplish the main goal for which they were created, which is to circumvent the teacher shortage. While research suggests utilizing job-embedded coaching, mentoring, and induction is an effective way to increase teacher retention, there has been little research on what these supports should look like for those in alternative certification programs. This study seeks to examine this issue by exploring teacher support through a multi-member support team structure in an alternative certification program.

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