Date

Summer 8-13-2026

ESRP 9000 Professor

Daniel Turner, Ed.D.

ESRP 9001 Professor

Daniel Turner, Ed.D.

Executive Summary

Improving Teacher Retention in Title I Schools through Leadership Strategies, Jonas Kwabena Ntim, 2026: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: distributed leadership, induction and mentorship, professional development, sustainable growth, teacher retention, teacher turnover, Title I schools, and workplace culture and climate.

This strategic research project highlights the critical need for a guidelines charter that defines professional responsibility and quality assurance to improve teacher retention. Underpinned by a shared leadership framework, the project streamlines teacher effectiveness by integrating targeted professional development and structured mentoring programs. This architectural approach relies on rigorous accountability metrics and strict quality control to systematically drive and enhance student learning outcomes. The study focuses on a senior high school in northern Virginia, founded in January 1981 to serve a rapidly growing, culturally diverse student population. After examining internal and external factors through a SWOT analysis, it was revealed that the senior high school's primary challenge is the absence of a strategic framework to enforce quality expectations for accountability and quality assurance. To address this issue, the leadership option was selected from four alternatives after a careful review of the literature, evaluating the impact of each on updating its stakeholders' playbook, eliminating systemic operational failures, and improving agility. Using the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM), the distributed leadership option was selected as the preferred strategy after receiving the highest total attractiveness score (TAS) of 6.07 when rated for its appeal against the internal and external factors. An action plan was developed and outlined the action steps required to implement this strategy effectively. These steps include (a) assessing and reporting, (b) planning and coordinating, (c) leadership development, (d) establishing a feedback loop, and (e) continuous learning to ensure total commitment and the professional growth process of staff are met through conducive working conditions to stay in their roles and build tenure.

While the literature reviewed provided strong support for distributed leadership fostered by sustainable growth, limitations in effectively evaluating the impact of this framework were reported. Therefore, it is recommended that the evaluation and examination of the impact of shared leadership on autonomy, voice in school-wide decision-making, and influence be ongoing within the school-wide culture and mission of the school. Longitudinal tracking can measure how these interactions impact confidence, expertise, participation, and continuous collaboration with researchers, school board members, superintendents, and legislators. Specifically, it can trace the actual guideline frameworks that materialize from these partnerships. The findings from the literature reviewed for this strategic research project provide a strong basis for implementing this recommendation, as a range of action steps is already in place at this senior high school.

Document Type

Strategic Research Project-NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

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

Concentration

Organizational Leadership

Language

English

Download
Share Feedback

Share

COinS