A comprehensive genuineness of truths contributing to novice Title I teacher retention : a collective case study of novice teachers in Title I public schools.

Teacher attrition has been a leading issue within the United States for several decades, especially among novice Title I teachers (Farmer, 2020; Madigan & Kim, 2021). Projections of novice teacher attrition rates show that schools will continue to see a significant increase in rates after the 2021 to 2022 school year due to changes in education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Growing attrition rates for novice Title I teachers significantly impact school and student success across the nation.

To address the growing concern of novice teacher attrition, factors that impact a novice teacher’s decision to remain in the profession must be examined. This qualitative collective case study explored factors contributing to novice teacher retention within Title I schools for nine novice Title I teachers from Texas, California, Idaho, and New York. Data collection occurred through three interviews with each participant, including one unstructured interview and two semi-structured interviews. The researcher specifically focused on identifying key factors that contributed to the retention of these novice Title I teachers. The researcher utilized Herzberg’s two-factor motivation-hygiene theory as the theoretical framework for identifying and classifying themes that emerged from the data (Herzberg et al., 1959). The data revealed four themes that contributed to novice Title I teacher retention for the nine participants: realistic and collaborative campus expectations, support for professional development, positive school culture, and promotion of self-efficacy and motivation.

Ultimately, the research presented in this study addresses gaps in the research pertaining to novice teacher attrition within Title I schools. Rather than focusing on factors that lead to attrition, this study focuses on what matters most—factors that contribute to teacher retention. By focusing on identifying factors that influenced retention of novice Title I teachers, Title I school leaders can improve experiences for novice teachers related to each factor to ultimately improve retention within their campuses.