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The Impact of Mentorship on Teacher Retention in Urban Public Schools: A Quantitative Study

Dissertation
2024

Repository

Description

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to correlate the independent variable mentorship dosage to the dependent variable of teacher retention rates by analyzing the effect of low, moderate, and high levels of mentorship on newly hired teachers participating in a mentorship program in an urban school district. This study addressed critical challenges of teacher attrition in urban educational settings and provided empirical evidence on how different mentorship frequencies influenced teacher retention. The sample included 222 new teachers and their assigned mentors from a large urban school district serving over 50,000 students across more than 120 schools during the 2018-2019 academic year. Data was collected through the New Teacher Mentoring survey and district workforce retention records, which measured mentorship frequency, duration, and one-year retention status. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, linear regression, and chi-square tests of independence to examine relationships between mentorship dosage categories and teacher retention outcomes. Results indicated statistically significant differences in retention rates across dosage groups, with moderate dosage yielding the highest retention rates at 97%, followed by high dosage at 93.6%, and low dosage at 78.7%. Findings suggested that mentorship influences teacher retention, though relationships are more complex than simple linear associations between contact hours and retention outcomes. The study concluded that effective mentorship requires attention to both dosage and quality, with moderate levels of structured support. Recommendations for future research included implementing longitudinal designs to track retention patterns and exploring mentorship effectiveness to inform retention strategies outside of urban school districts.
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Record Data:

Program :
  • Doctor of Education
Location :
  • CBE
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