Teaching
is a difficult profession, one that demands time, energy, collaboration, and
resources to master. With new national curriculum standards with which to
comply, more rigorous, high-stakes tests for which to prepare students, and
limited resources with which to budget, teachers can use all of the support
they can get to perform effectively in the classroom. Research shows that classroom instruction
improves when teachers experience on-going, job-embedded professional
development and instructional coaching. Such
job support is even proven to contribute to teacher satisfaction, particularly that
of beginning teachers. Since larger,
urban districts typically have more financial and human resources to provide
such support to educators, the researcher hypothesized that teachers from those
districts have much higher job satisfaction when compared to teachers of rural
districts without as many supportive financial and human resources. This idea could have far-reaching effects for
rural districts regarding teacher retention, requiring smaller, rural districts
to find new, creative approaches to resource allocation and instructional
support for teachers.
Review of
Literature
Many aspects of teaching in smaller,
rural schools versus teaching in larger, urban schools have been researched for
more than 30 years. Most of the
publications regarding this topic mostly focus on student performance and
community involvement in each setting while only briefly discussing teacher
satisfaction. One study published by
Bruce O. Barker (2008) concludes that Americans are in fact rediscovering the
small school since the largeness of many of schools in the United States may be
one factor contributing to declines in test scores and increases in violence
among students. Compiling research from
the 1960s, he iterates an idea that is beginning to reemerge in public
education: the inside-out paradox: “Over 20 years ago, Barker and Gump (1964)
proposed the ‘inside-outside perceptual paradox’ which stated that even though
larger schools were more impressive on the outside, upon closer scrutiny, the
small school provided a better quality of education. The small school can offer benefits in
several areas: personal relationships, students, teachers, administration, and
curriculum and instruction” (Barker, 2008, p. 2). Barker mildly focuses on personal
relationships and curriculum and instruction by concluding that the size of a
school does not inhibit personal interaction, but that it encourages it. He states that small schools typically serve
a community nucleus which invites strong support from parents and community
members as well as closer working relationships among the school staff, which
may contribute to higher teacher satisfaction (Barker, 2008). He also claims that in smaller schools,
relationships between teachers and administrators tend to be more personal and
informal which lends itself to a greater tendency for cooperation among the
staff. In terms of curriculum and
instruction, Barker argues that, due to low student/teacher ratios, smaller
schools (which more vastly populate rural areas than urban areas) are more
likely to be learner-centered with strong emphasis placed on individualized and
small group instruction. According to
Barker, smallness also permits changes in curricula and organization of
instructional materials with relative ease, providing teachers with more
autonomy in instructional decisions which may also enhance rates of educator
satisfaction (Barker, 2008).
Conversely, researcher Jerry M. Lowe
argues in his 2006 publication that, because of teacher working conditions,
many small rural school districts across America continue to be majorly
concerned with attracting and retaining quality teachers. According to Lowe, the most critical factor
to be considered in teacher recruitment and retention is that schools must be
effective and provide teaching and learning environments that are
attractive. He claims that a variety of
issues contributes to the problems of recruiting and retaining teachers in
small and rural schools, issues which larger, urban school districts have
systems in place for addressing. Lowe
states:
A school’s
character is determined by how well it consistently reflects local culture,
community, and the individual needs and competences of all stakeholders. No one wants to serve in a school district
where the environment for teaching and learning is less than positive. Local school administrators must create
meaning and purpose at work. They must
ensure that ‘the people side of the school’ is the most important and that
teachers are empowered by their own efficacy as professionals (Lowe, 2006, p.28).
Lowe emphasizes that rural school
districts should follow the lead of larger, urban districts and develop school
administrators who are authentic instructional leaders, establish systems of
frequently monitoring student progress, invest in quality staff development,
budget for teacher recruiting, focus on planning, offer incentives to teachers
(such as considering a loan forgiveness plan and providing housing for new
teachers), develop marketing strategies, and provide authentic mentoring for
new teachers (Lowe, 2006). In his
conclusion, Lowe recognizes budgeting issues are a concern; however, he offers
no strategies for overcoming this large obstacle for teacher retention in
smaller, rural districts:
Teacher
recruitment and retention is of critical importance to most rural school
districts. During these times of small
budgets and unfunded federal mandates, it is necessary that rural school
districts develop a dynamic structure for finding and keeping good teachers… To combat this trend, rural districts should
consider teacher recruiting and retention to be an integral component of the
total school program by initiating bold strategies designed to attract and
retain the best teachers possible.
Considering the recruiting effort to be an on-going educational priority
will surely enhance the number and quality of the rural school instructional
staff (Lowe, 2006, p.31).
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In
2008, researcher John T. Huysman published an award-winning dissertation
regarding rural teacher satisfaction. In
it, he establishes that for years, there has been a general consensus that
rural schools exist in a unique environment as compared to the balance of other
types of schools in public education since they operate under the same laws and
with comparable expectations and goals as their urban and suburban
counterparts, but without the quantity or quality of support and resources
available from a school’s central organization or the local community. He establishes that teachers and administrators
become the main vehicles in rural districts for establishing processes for
professional and curriculum development, but that unfortunately, the expertise,
experience, talents, commitment, and enthusiasm are typically highly
underutilized, contributing to high rates of teacher dissatisfaction in rural
areas (Huysman, 2008). Huysman conducted
a mixed-methods study in one rural Florida school district that operated three
schools countywide. Eighty-nine teachers
contributed responses to the study which led to Huysman’s conclusions and recommendations:
·
Security,
activity, social service, variety, and ability utilization are intrinsic
factors which rank highest with job satisfaction.
·
Extrinsic
factors of recognition, company policies; opportunities for advancement,
co-workers, and compensation most influence rural teacher dissatisfaction.
·
Rural
teachers do not feel respected as “homegrown” teachers.
·
In
rural districts, “role confusion” exists between homegrown and transplanted
teachers which causes rural teachers to question the respect and recognition
offered from the administration and their peers, the distribution of power and
influence of their peers, and the retention of quality homegrown and
transplanted teachers.
·
To
increase job satisfaction, district administration should recognize and utilize
the expertise and experience of the district’s faculty.
·
An
ongoing district-wide teacher recognition program should be designed in
addition to the Teacher of the Year program to acknowledge teacher
achievements.
·
The
county induction program needs to be reviewed, restructured, and funded to
provide continuing training and meaningful information to all new teachers,
homegrown or transplanted (Huysman, 2008).
Methods,
Instrumentation, and Data Collection
The researcher collected
quantitative survey data from 40 practicing teachers; 20 from two different
rural elementary schools in a small school district, and 20 from three urban
schools from two large, urban school districts. When
creating the survey questions to be distributed in the study, the researcher
referenced the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey (2012) to
generate a list of multiple choice survey questions regarding demographic
information and teacher job satisfaction specifically related to instructional
support, curriculum development, and professional development provided by each
respondent’s school district. The
researcher included one open-ended survey question in which teachers could list
factors related to either their job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The survey was created using Qualtrics software and distributed to
teachers as a hyperlink in an email.
School administrators and administrative interns distributed the surveys
in each participating school.
Findings
Of
the twenty educators from larger, urban districts who participated in the
survey, 50 percent of them had been teaching for five or less years, 40 percent
had been teaching between six and 15, and 10 percent had taught for 16 or more
years. Twenty-five percent of teachers
were 26 years old or younger, 55 percent were between 27 and 35, 5 percent were
between 36 and 45, and 15 percent were 46 or older. Thirty percent of the urban teachers surveyed
were K-2 teachers while the remaining 70 percent taught in grades 3-5. Overall, 20 percent of urban
teachers surveyed were very satisfied with their school and district’s
instructional improvement practices while 60 percent were satisfied. Teachers who were satisfied with the
levels of instructional support in their schools and districts cited the
following reasons for that satisfaction:
·
The
staff at their schools
·
Being
able to collaborate with their colleagues across the district
·
A
principal who is a strong, supportive instructional leader
·
Strong,
supportive mentors
One
survey participant who was not satisfied with the levels of instructional
support in his or her school and district cited the following reason for that
dissatisfaction: support and resources
are sufficient at the school level, but not at the district level.
Of
the twenty educators from small, rural districts who participated in the
survey, 35 percent of them had been teaching for five or less years, 40 percent
had been teaching between six and 15, and 25 percent had taught for 16 or more
years. Twenty-five percent of teachers
were 26 years old or younger, 30 percent were between 27 and 35, 20 percent
were between 36 and 45, and 25 percent were 46 or older. Thirty-five percent of the rural teachers
surveyed were K-2 teachers while the remaining 65 percent taught in grades
3-5.
Overall,
two percent of rural teachers surveyed were very satisfied with their school
and district’s instructional improvement practices while 70 percent were
satisfied. Interestingly, this pattern
somewhat aligned with data from the survey question regarding autonomy in the
classroom: 37 percent of rural educators surveyed were very satisfied with the
autonomy their small school and district allows them in the classroom while 63
percent of the teachers were satisfied; no teachers were dissatisfied or very
dissatisfied with the level of autonomy they enjoy in their classrooms. Teachers who were satisfied
with the levels of instructional support in their schools and districts cited
the following reasons for that satisfaction:
·
Having
workdays built in during the school year for professional development
·
Having
PLC time during the instructional day to collaborate
·
Receiving
CASE 21 (benchmark) scores quickly after administering tests
·
Curriculum
specialists for each elementary school
·
Personal
connections with district personnel, such as curriculum directors
·
Autonomy
in making instructional decisions at the classroom level
·
Wealth
and variety of resources provided
·
Family
atmosphere
·
A
strong principal
Teachers
who were not satisfied with the levels of instructional support in their
schools and districts cited the following reasons for that
dissatisfaction:
·
Lack
of communication between schools
·
Too
much theory in professional development (needs more hands-on approaches)
·
Lack
of support from the district level in implementation of instructional practices
·
Too
much focus on testing, scores, and research rather than meaningful approaches
·
On-site
curriculum specialists will not be rehired next year due to budget cuts
·
Feeling
lost as a first-year teacher
·
Lack
of communication between district-level and teachers
·
Need
more time to study provided resources
In
rural districts, “role confusion” exists between homegrown and transplanted
teachers which causes rural teachers to question the respect and recognition
offered from the administration and their peers, the distribution of power and
influence of their peers, and the retention of quality homegrown and
transplanted teachers.
·
To
increase job satisfaction, district administration should recognize and utilize
the expertise and experience of the district’s faculty.
·
An
ongoing district-wide teacher recognition program should be designed in
addition to the Teacher of the Year program to acknowledge teacher
achievements.
·
The
county induction program needs to be reviewed, restructured, and funded to
provide continuing training and meaningful information to all new teachers,
homegrown or transplanted (Huysman, 2008).
Implications for
Teachers and School Leaders
The most surprising pattern in this
study’s data is the fact that most of teacher dissatisfaction from both large,
urban and small, rural districts come from the least experienced teachers,
which indicates that school organizations of all types need to nurture their
beginning educators and allocate time and resources for their professional
development. This may prove to be most
difficult for small, rural schools and districts and resources are more limited
than in larger, urban districts, but educators as well as school and district
leaders would fare well to utilize technology, particularly online mentoring,
collaboration, and professional development, to strengthen the practices of
their beginning teachers. The practice of online mentoring and
collaborating for educators is currently being implemented all over the United
States. E-Mentoring for Student Success,
a program created by the Santa Cruz, California-based New Teacher Center, is
beginning to gain ground as a new tactic for teacher support as states and
districts seek ways to keep beginning teachers in the practice. Currently, users benefiting from the service
attribute the program’s success to the fact that rural participants have been
able to overcome two factors that rural educators typically find challenging in
collaboration and professional development: geography and time. The program’s goal is to learn how technology
could support teachers during the most difficult first few years in a
classroom, and it has expanded to include support from the United States
Department of Education (Sawchuck, 2013).
Districts and schools could benefit
from this approach by surveying the needs of their faculty and staff,
particularly those of beginning teachers and creating online forums and sites
tailored to the specific needs of those educators. Not only would this provide the instructional
resources and support beginning teachers require, but it also would increase
communication between users, which could include teachers in the same schools,
different schools but within the same district, and teachers of different districts. This could help address the teacher concern
of lack of communication between district leaders, schools, and educators.
Limitations of
Study
The major limitation of this study
was the time constraint. The researcher
only had eight weeks to create and distribute the survey questions and gather
and analyze results. Having more time to
conduct the research could have provided the opportunity for a larger sample
size and better survey results, which would have led to stronger
conclusions. With more time and a larger
sample size, the researcher would have included more qualitative data in the
results in order to better inform recommendations for teachers and school
leaders. The researcher would have also
conducted subsequent research on beginning teacher satisfaction in rural areas
versus urban school districts, if the data from the larger sample size produced
the same pattern of results as this study.
Additionally, the researcher would have liked to gather quantitative and
qualitative data from school and district leaders from the schools involved in
this study to gather detailed information about how professional development
resources are allocated and used comparatively.
Future studies on this topic can also focus on the efficacy of
online-based mentoring programs and their impacts on both urban and rural
educators.
Conclusions
Based on the
data from this research, the researcher concluded that veteran teachers from
small, rural districts and large, urban districts are fairly satisfied with the
professional development instructional support practices at their respective
teaching assignments, and that beginning teachers from both types of schools
and districts are the most dissatisfied; thus, schools and districts should
focus financial and human resources on beginning teacher development. Technology and internet-based programs for
teacher support could benefit educators from all types of schools and districts
and could help overcome any financial, time, and geographic barriers to
providing beginning teachers the instructional support they need early in their
careers. Further research should be
conducted on the development and efficacy of such programs.
References
Huysman, John. T. (2008). Rural teacher satisfaction: An analysis of
beliefs and attitudes of rural teachers’ job satisfaction. The
Rural Educator, Winter 2008, 31-38.
Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ869291
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