Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Roslyn Doctorow

Committee Member

Barbara Christina

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

administrative support, attrition, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, mental health, retirement, retention, school administration, Self-Determination Theory, teacher incentives, teacher motivation, teacher needs, teacher shortage, teacher support, workload stress

Abstract

This dissertation explored the experiences of educators impacted by teacher retention issues at a high-poverty K-5 public school. Researchers have studied the decline in individuals entering into the education profession as well as the high rates of individuals exiting the profession. With individuals leaving the profession at high rates, and not enough entering to replace those that are leaving, there is now a massive shortage with not enough teachers to meet the needs of students in public schools. The few individuals that are entering into the profession are not being retained, especially at high-poverty schools. This study explored the thoughts of educators working in a high-poverty school, their thoughts surrounding teacher shortages, and how meeting teachers’ basic needs impacted their decision to remain or leave the profession.

This study employed an interpretive phenomenological approach to examine the experiences and thoughts of educators who worked in a high-poverty school that experienced high rates of teacher turnover. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with ten former educators, recording and transcribing the conversations for thematic analysis.

The analysis revealed that teacher retention in high-poverty schools is possible if teachers are supported and provided basic needs. The analysis also revealed that high-poverty schools require teachers who are grounded in faith, purpose-driven, and intrinsically motivated to want to work with students who come from difficult backgrounds. Additionally, the study revealed that leadership had a direct impact on whether or not teachers left or remained in the profession, not the students.

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