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Representation in the teaching force: recruitment of teachers of color

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Representation in the teaching force: recruitment of teachers of color

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Content Running head: TEACHER RECRUITMENT 1

Representation in the Teaching Force: Recruitment of Teachers of Color
Naama Wrightman

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May, 2019

Copyright 2019 Naama Wrightman
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 2
Dedication

To new teachers. You are seen and appreciated more than you know.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 3
Acknowledgements
To my dissertation committee, Dr. Datta, Dr. Robles, and Dr. Picus, thank you so much
for your support and guidance throughout this process. Dr. Picus, thank you for your helpful
feedback during the proposal process and for asking questions that helped me improve my study.
Dr. Robles, thank you for your support, both with my dissertation and during our coursework
together. It has been such a privilege to learn from you. Dr. Datta, you have been my guide in
this program from the very beginning to the very end. I literally jumped for joy when I found out
you were going to be my chair. Your feedback, humor, advice, and support inspire me both as
your student and in my own work as a graduate advisor.
I am overflowing with gratitude for my family and friends who have supported me during
my three years in this program and to my parents, for their unending support and confidence in
me. You have made me the person that I am today, and I am thrilled to share this
accomplishment with you. To my sister and brother-in-law for listening to me talk about this
dissertation so much and for being the most incredible support system during this program and
always.
To my study buddy Sarah, I could not have done this without you. Thank you for the
countless late night emails and text messages and for your unending thought partnership and
friendship throughout this process. I am so excited to celebrate with you.
To the change agents of Cohort Six. I can’t wait to see what you all do next. Fight on!
To my colleagues at Knowledge Graduate School of Education (pseudonym; KGSE), I
cannot think of a more talented or more inspiring group of people. You constantly push me to
learn and grow, and I am ever grateful for your support during this process.
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To my husband David, thank you for always putting a smile on my face and for sitting in
the office with me during many late nights when I was writing. I am so grateful to share all of
life’s adventures with you.
Finally, to my daughter, Aviv, you provide me and everyone else around you with
unending joy and inspiration. Happy first birthday.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 5
Table of Contents
Dedication ............................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................3
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................8
List of Figures ......................................................................................................................9
Abstract ..............................................................................................................................10
Chapter One: Introduction of the Problem of Practice ...............................................11
Organizational Context and Mission ...........................................................................11
Organizational Goal .....................................................................................................12
Related Literature.........................................................................................................15
Importance of the Evaluation .......................................................................................16
Description of Stakeholder Groups ..............................................................................17
Stakeholder Performance Goals ...................................................................................17
Stakeholder Groups for the Study ...............................................................................18
Purpose of the Project and Questions ..........................................................................19
Methodological Framework .........................................................................................20
Definitions....................................................................................................................21
Organization of the Project ..........................................................................................21
Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................23
Teachers of Color in the American Teaching Force ...................................................23
Historical Perspective ..................................................................................................23
The Importance of Teachers of Color ..........................................................................24
Student Outcomes ..................................................................................................25
Students’ Self-concept ...........................................................................................26
Recruitment of Teachers of Color................................................................................27
Barriers to Entry .....................................................................................................27
Certification Exams ...............................................................................................28
Perpetuation of the K–12 Achievement Gap .........................................................29
Pathways to Entry ........................................................................................................30
Teacher Residency Programs .................................................................................31
Clark and Estes Conceptual Framework ......................................................................32
Stakeholder Knowledge and Motivation Influences ....................................................33
Knowledge and Skills ............................................................................................33
Knowledge Influences ...........................................................................................33
Knowledge Influences: Declarative and Conceptual .............................................34
Programmatic knowledge ................................................................................35
Teacher credentialing .......................................................................................36
Motivation ....................................................................................................................38
Expectancy-Value Theory .....................................................................................38
Utility Value Theory and Teacher Candidates .......................................................39
Attributions Theory ................................................................................................40
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Attributions and teacher candidates .................................................................41
Organizational Influences ............................................................................................42
Cultural Models and Cultural Settings .........................................................................43
Cultural Model Influences and Teacher Commitment ...........................................43
Representation in the Teacher Pipeline ..................................................................44
Navigation of KGSE’s Application Process ..........................................................45
Time to Prepare for School Interviews ..................................................................45
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge and
Motivation and the Organizational Context .......................................................................47
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................51
Chapter Three: Methods .................................................................................................52
Participating Stakeholders ...........................................................................................52
Survey Sampling Criteria and Rationale......................................................................53
Criterion 1 .............................................................................................................53
Criterion 2 .............................................................................................................53
Criterion 3 .............................................................................................................53
Survey Sampling Strategy and Rationale ....................................................................54
Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale..................................................................54
Criterion 1 ..............................................................................................................54
Criterion 2 ..............................................................................................................54
Criterion 3 ..............................................................................................................55
Interview Sampling Strategy and Rationale ................................................................55
Data Collection and Instrumentation ...........................................................................56
Surveys .........................................................................................................................56
Interviews .....................................................................................................................57
Interview Protocol ..................................................................................................57
Interview Procedures .............................................................................................58
Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................59
Credibility and Trustworthiness ...................................................................................60
Validity and Reliability ................................................................................................61
Ethics............................................................................................................................61
Limitations and Delimitations ......................................................................................63
Chapter Four: Results and Findings ..............................................................................64
Participating Stakeholders ...........................................................................................65
Findings........................................................................................................................68
Research Question One ................................................................................................68
Factors Affecting Candidates’ Decision-Making ........................................................72
Alignment with Program’s Mission .....................................................................73
Financial Factors ....................................................................................................74
Additional Factors Affecting Decision-Making ....................................................76
Research Question One: Findings Synthesis .........................................................78
Research Question Two ...............................................................................................79
Knowledge Influences on Teacher Recruitment ....................................................80
Limited declarative knowledge of residency programs ...................................80
State certification requirements and race .........................................................83
Motivation Influences on Teacher Recruitment ....................................................88
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Utility of the residency program ......................................................................88
Personal effort and KGSE assistance ...............................................................90
Self-efficacy with school interviews ................................................................91
Research Question Two: Findings Synthesis ..........................................................93
Research Question Three .............................................................................................94
Organizational Influences on Teacher Recruitment ..............................................94
Teacher candidates felt supported ....................................................................94
High-needs schools ..........................................................................................95
Racial matching of students and teachers ........................................................97
Summary ....................................................................................................................100
Chapter Five: Recommendations .................................................................................102
Recommendations for Practice ..................................................................................102
Knowledge Influences and Recommendations ...................................................102
Declarative Knowledge Solutions........................................................................103
Motivation Influences and Recommendations ...........................................................105
Utility Value.........................................................................................................106
Attributions ..........................................................................................................107
Organizational Influences and Recommendations.....................................................108
Cultural Model Influences ...................................................................................109
KGSE’s application and school interview process ........................................110
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan ........................................................111
Implementation and Evaluation Framework ........................................................111
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations ......................................................111
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators ....................................................................112
Level 3: Behavior .......................................................................................................112
Critical Behaviors ................................................................................................112
Required Drivers………………………………………………………………. 113
Organizational Support ..............................................................................................114
Level 2: Learning .......................................................................................................115
Learning Goals .....................................................................................................115
Program ................................................................................................................115
Evaluation of the Components of Learning .........................................................116
Level 1: Reaction .......................................................................................................117
Evaluation Tools ....................................................................................................... 118
Data Analysis and Reporting .....................................................................................118
Summary ....................................................................................................................119
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Approach ..............................................................119
Future Research .........................................................................................................121
Conclusion .................................................................................................................122
References ........................................................................................................................124
Appendix A ......................................................................................................................132
Appendix B ......................................................................................................................137
Appendix C ......................................................................................................................141
Appendix D ......................................................................................................................143

List of Tables
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 8

Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals .......18
Table 2: Knowledge Influences, Types, and Assessments for Knowledge Gap Analysis 37
Table 3: Motivational Influences and Assessments for Motivation Gap Analysis ............41
Table 4: Organizational Influences and Assessments for Organizational Gap Analysis ...46
Table 5: Qualitative Participants and Subgroup Distribution ............................................67
Table 6: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations .............................103
Table 7: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations .............................105
Table 8: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations ..........................108
Table 9: Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes ............112
Table 10: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation .................113
Table 11: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors ..............................................113
Table 12: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program ..........................116
Table 13: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program .........................................117
Table 14: Data Dashboard ...............................................................................................119

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Recruitment into the KGSE residency program .................................................14
Figure 2: Interaction of stakeholder knowledge and motivation with organizational cultural
models and settings ............................................................................................................49
Figure 3: Participant identification as a person of color ....................................................65
Figure 4: Survey participants by race ................................................................................66
Figure 5: Candidates’ occupations before joining the KGSE reaching residency .............66
Figure 6: Recruited teacher candidates by race .................................................................69
Figure 7: Recruited teacher candidate identification as a person of color .........................69
Figure 8: Factors most important when choosing to accept their offer of admission to
KGSE .................................................................................................................................73
Figure 9: Teacher candidates’ preparedness for state certification by race .......................84
Figure 10: Factors affecting teacher candidates’ preparedness for certification ...............85
Figure 11: Candidates’ perception of their subject-specific knowledge necessary to pass
certification exams. ............................................................................................................87
Figure 12: Candidates’ perception of their teaching knowledge necessary to pass
certification exams. ............................................................................................................87
Figure 13: Teacher candidates’ 5-year plans .....................................................................89
Figure 14: Importance to teacher candidates of teaching in a community of color ...........96
Figure 15: Teacher candidates’ agreement it is important for students of color to have
teachers of color. ................................................................................................................98

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 10
Abstract

This study evaluated a teacher preparation program’s efforts to recruit new teachers of color into
its teacher residency program. The researcher used Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis
framework to assess knowledge, motivational and organizational influences on teacher
recruitment. This mixed-methods study employed surveys and interviews with the primary
stakeholder group of the study, teacher candidates who had recently enrolled in the institution’s
teacher residency program. The results showed that teacher candidates who chose to enroll in the
program did so for a variety of factors including mission alignment with the institution, the
affordability of the program, and the components of the residency program including a gradual
release to lead teaching responsibilities. Teacher candidates were motivated by the utility of
completing a residency program. Teacher candidates had varied experiences with the
certification and hiring process, which affected their feelings of self-efficacy in entering the
teaching profession. The findings of the study emphasize the need for affordable and supportive
modes of entry into the teaching profession including certification and hiring supports.
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Chapter One: Introduction of the Problem of Practice
The racial makeup of the American teaching force does not mirror the student population
it serves. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2015), in the 2011–2012 school year,
51% of K–12 students were White, whereas 82% of public school teachers were White, and 16%
of students were Black, whereas 7% of teachers were Black. Additionally, the percentage of
Hispanic students dwarfed the percentage of Hispanic teachers by a margin of 24–8%. The lack
of racial diversity in the teaching force must be addressed, as the demographics of American
public schools are shifting. By 2024, the population of White students is predicted to decrease to
46%, the Black population to remain at 15% and the Hispanic student population to rise to 29%
(U.S. Department of Education, 2014). The demographic makeup at schools of education also
reflects this problem. In 2012–2013, teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher
education enrolled 25% people of color, while 37% of students in all fields at those same
institutions identified as people of color (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). While the
teaching force is gradually becoming more diverse, these statistics show that the racial disparity
between students and teachers may grow significantly if recruitment of teachers of color is not
prioritized.
Organizational Context and Mission
At the time of this study, the Knowledge Graduate School of Education (pseudonym) was
an institution of higher education with a student body of teaching residents, current teachers, and
sitting school leaders. KGSE trained teachers and school leaders in practical strategies to attain
strong outcomes with their pre-K–12 students. KGSE was an accredited graduate school of
education providing alternative certification, master’s degree, and professional learning
programs to help its student body become more effective practitioners in the field. The school’s
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 12
mission was to train teachers and school leaders to develop K–12 students in skills necessary for
success, with a vision to become a center for results-driven educators to continually improve
their skills. KGSE had a growing student body with campuses in urban areas around the country
and online offerings. Its campuses offered teacher and principal training programs. It had
approximately 2,000 in-service teachers working toward their certification and master’s degrees
and several hundred in-service principals seeking to develop their instructional leadership.
Additionally, KGSE had a teaching residency program in which aspiring teachers held school-
based roles and participated in additional training and coursework at KGSE to prepare to take on
roles as full-time teachers of record in their second program year.
Organizational Goal
KGSE’s recruitment goal was to recruit 250 new teacher candidates into the residency
program by June 2018, at least 50% of whom identified as teachers of color. Because KGSE
offered alternative certification programs, in order to be considered successfully recruited and
begin the residency program at KGSE candidates had to be accepted into the program and secure
employment in a school-based role with the assistance of the KGSE recruitment team. The
president and the executive director of teacher recruitment established this goal in January, 2017
after analyzing national enrollment numbers and projections, including disaggregated data by
race. KGSE began recruiting teachers to join its residency program after local partners voiced a
need for assistance with teacher candidate recruitment in hard-to-staff urban areas, particularly
recruiting strong candidates of color. Each year, KGSE’s recruitment team has conducted
national outreach with a focus on institutions and events with strong representation of people of
color. The recruitment team has also focused on local talent to develop a pipeline of teachers
who are likely to demonstrate high levels of retention in their school placements. Candidates
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 13
would then apply to the program. Once accepted, they would receive information about an urban
center in which their KGSE campus and school placement will be located; teacher candidates
would choose whether to accept their offer of admission. Once candidates chose to accept,
KGSE’s recruitment team and campus faculty and administrative staff worked with candidates
and local partner districts and schools to set up job interviews for residency positions. Then
candidates would fully enroll in KGSE’s program and begin their coursework. Candidates
needed to secure a school-based residency position such as a teaching assistant or resident
teacher to begin the program, given the KGSE residency program’s status as an alternative
certification program. Figure 1 outlines the KGSE recruitment process.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 14

Figure 1. Recruitment into the KGSE residency program.
The measures used to track progress toward the organizational goal of recruiting 250
teacher candidates into the residency program by June 2018, at least 50% of whom identified as
people of color, were accepted offers to attend KGSE, accepted offers for school-based positions,
and racial demographic data collected from candidates. Because KGSE worked primarily in
urban communities of color, it was important to evaluate organizational performance with regard
to this goal for KGSE to work toward having its graduate student population reflect the K–12
student population that it served. Additionally, evaluating progress toward KGSE’s recruitment
goal allowed the organization to assess progress with helping partner districts and charter
management organizations staff their schools with candidates of color. Evaluating the
Recruitment Team Outreach
(Ongoing)
• Online marketing
• College campus
outreach
• Local recruitment
events i.e. conferences,
Candidates Apply
(September-April)
• Online application
• Phone screen
• Video and written
materials submission
• Committee review
Candidate Offers (October-May)
• Candidates receive offer
from recruitment team
including placement
campus
• Candidates accept or
decline offer
Candidate Hiring (February-June)
• Recruitment team, KGSE campuses,
and local school districts and charter
partners collaborate to schedule
interviews
• Candidates interview with partner
schools
• Candidates accept residency positions
at partner schools

Candidates Recruited, Program Begins
(June-July)
• Candidates enroll in the KGSE program
and begin coursework over the summer
• Candidates begin working at their
schools at the start of the school year
• Candidates work towards state
certification
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 15
organization’s performance enables stakeholders to make informed decisions about the
organization’s effect on solving the larger problem of practice in the field and helps the
organization reach its mission by working toward a teaching force that mirrors its students.
Related Literature
The research demonstrates widening gaps between the racial makeup of American
teachers and students as the K–12 student population is becoming increasingly nonwhite. In
1972, data collected by the U.S. Department of Education showed a 10% gap between teachers
and students of color. This gap widened to 17% by 1982 (Villegas, Strom, & Lucas, 2012). This
widening can be seen in cities throughout the country. For example, in Chicago Public Schools,
from 1992–2004 the percentage of Latino students increased from 29% to 34%, while the
percentage of Latino teachers only increased from 10–13.2% (Sakash & Chou, 2007). By 2025,
students of color are projected to constitute over half of American K–12 students (Boser, 2011).
In some of the most populous states like California and Texas, the majority of students currently
are students of color (Boser, 2011). Additionally, in urban school districts, students of color
currently comprise the demographic majority as well (Cherng, & Halpin, 2016).
The growing demographic divide between students and teachers is of increasing public
concern (Cherng & Halpin, 2016). All 50 states have a teacher diversity gap, with more than 20
states having gaps of over 25% (Boser, 2011). In 2007, public schools employed 28% of the
teachers of color needed to mirror the proportion of students of color. The problem of the gap in
teacher and student racial diversity is not improving. In 1987 the teaching force was slightly
closer to being proportional with the student body than it was in 2007 (Villegas et al., 2012). In
the words of former Secretary of Education John King, “when the majority of students in public
schools are students of color and only 18% of our teachers are teachers of color, we have an
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 16
urgent need to act. We’ve got to understand that all students benefit from teacher diversity” (U.S.
Department of Education, 2016). Numerous studies have suggested that the lack of racial
diversity in the teaching force is problematic (Epstein, 2005; Ingersoll & May, 2011; Lau,
Dandy, & Hoffman, 2007; Villegas & Lucas, 2004). The U.S. public school system underserves
minority students, which means that fewer people of color are obtaining a postsecondary
education and therefore are underrepresented in the teaching force (Villegas & Lucas, 2004). The
literature has demonstrated that the current K–12 education system is perpetuating in higher
education, leading to a teaching force that does not mirror the student body. For teaching
candidates of color who do obtain their postsecondary degree, there are significant barriers to
entry to the teaching profession. Epstein (2005) argued that there is little correlation between
teacher credentialing and teacher effectiveness, and that the credentialing system is inherently
biased against nonwhite teachers. Ryan, Pollock, and Antonelli (2009) argued that there are
systemic barriers to entry for immigrants and teachers of color, resulting in a glass ceiling
preventing them from getting hired. KGSE’s teaching residency program has sought to provide
an entry into the profession for teachers of color that aids in breaking down these barriers so that
qualified candidates enter the teaching force in communities of color.
Importance of the Evaluation
It is important to evaluate the organization’s performance in relationship to the
organizational goal of recruiting 250 teacher candidates into the residency program by June
2018, at least 50% of whom identified as people of color, for a variety of reasons. KGSE sought
to recruit and train educators who could effectively drive student outcomes in urban communities
of color. A part of this mission was recruiting and training teachers of color so that teachers are
more representative of the demographics of the students that they serve. Additionally, supporting
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 17
teachers of color in their graduate studies is critical to ensuring that gaps in academic
achievement between White students and students of color do not persist in higher education.
Evaluating the organization’s performance enabled stakeholders to assess the institution’s
efficacy in recruiting successful candidates of color to teach in K–12 classrooms, particularly in
hard-to-staff areas.
Description of Stakeholder Groups
There were four main stakeholder groups involved in working toward this organizational
goal. One was the teacher recruitment team, made up of KGSE staff including recruiters and
program directors whose primary function was recruitment of teaching residents in hard-to-staff
communities. They contributed to KGSE’s goals by conducting campus recruitment events,
interviewing candidates, and working with regional teams and school leaders to place candidates.
A second stakeholder group was comprised of regional faculty and administrative staff who
collaborated with school-based partners to set hiring targets and place teaching residents.
Another group was school-based partners, district and charter leaders who collaborated with
KGSE’s recruitment team and regional faculty and staff to set recruitment targets and hire
teacher candidates. The final group was teaching residents hired through the recruitment team.
These teacher candidates contributed to the achievement of the organization’s performance goal
by applying to the KGSE program and signing on to work in a hard-to-staff area.
Stakeholder Performance Goals
Table 1 provides the organizational mission for the study site, the organizational goal,
and aligned stakeholder goals.

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Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
To train educators to develop in K–12 students the skills necessary for success in life
Organizational Performance Goal
KGSE’s goal was to recruit 250 new teacher candidates into the residency program by June 2018,
50% of whom identified as teachers of color.
Recruitment Team Teacher Candidates School Partners Regional Faculty and
Staff
The recruitment team
will recruit and place
250 teaching
residents by June
2018, at least 50% of
whom identified as
people of color.
By September 2018,
250 teacher
candidates at least
50% of whom
identified as people of
color, will accept
their offers of
admission to the
residency program
and secure
employment at a
school site.
By June 2018, school
partners will hire
100% of the number
of residency
candidates projected
for hire in November
2017.
By June 2018, regional
faculty and staff will fill
100% of teaching
resident vacancies
requested by partner
schools in November
2017.

Stakeholder Groups for the Study
While the joint efforts of all stakeholders helped in the stakeholder goal, the success of
teacher candidates throughout the recruitement process was critical to achieving recruitment
goals. Therefore, the stakeholders of focus for this study was the teacher candidates accepted into
KGSE’s teacher residency program. The stakeholder goal, developed by the president and
recruitment team, was that by September 2018, 250 teacher candidates, at least 50% of whom
identified as people of color, would accept their offers of admission to the residency program and
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 19
secure employment at a school site. Once they accepted their offers into the program and secured
employment at a school for the following year, they began the program and entered the teaching
profession.
The goal was based on historical data demonstrating the need for an increasing number of
accepted candidates to take the next step of securing employment to participate in the program.
In school year 2016-2017, only 56% of candidates offered positions secured employment,
preventing the institution from meeting its recruitment goals. To increase the rate of accepted
candidates and candidates of color matriculating into the program and beginning their teaching
careers, the goal was set to reflect both accepting the offer to join the program and securing
employment at a partner school. Failure to accomplish this stakeholder goal would mean that
KGSE was not successful in recruiting new teachers of color into the residency program.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which teacher candidates were
successfully being recruited into the residency program by analyzing the knowledge,
motivational, and organizational influences that affected the recruitment process. This helped
determine whether the organization met its global goal of recruiting teachers of color into the
residency program. The analysis focused on knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements
related to achieving the stakeholder goal. While a complete performance evaluation would focus
on all stakeholders, for practical purposes the stakeholder group of focus for the study was
teacher candidates. As such, the questions that guided this study were the following:
1. To what extent is the organization meeting its goal of teacher candidates of color
being successfully recruited into the residency program?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 20
2. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational elements related to
achieving this goal?
3. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and stakeholder
knowledge and motivation?
4. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources?
Methodological Framework
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis framework was used in this study to analyze
performance gaps to evaluate progress toward stakeholder goals. The methodological approach
for the study was a mixed methods design. To evaluate the success of recruitment efforts of
teachers of color, it was necessary to understand both the quantitative aspects of the recruitment
process and qualitative experiences of the candidates. These two types of data were combined to
develop a stronger understanding of the problem of practice (Creswell, 2014). The study
followed an explanatory sequential design in that quantitative data collection and analysis were
followed up with qualitative data collection and analysis. Preliminarily, quantitative data about
acceptance rates into the KGSE residency program and hiring rates were collected. The
quantitative data were then used to inform the selection of participants for a purposeful sample in
the qualitative phase (Creswell, 2014). Qualitative data on candidates’ reasons for choosing to
participate in the program and their experience in the hiring process were collected via
interviews. At the conclusion of data collection, the qualitative data helped explain the
quantitative data from the first phase of the study (Creswell, 2014).

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 21
Definitions
Alternative certification programs enroll teachers who already have a bachelor’s degree
and allow them to receive a provisional credential that allows them to be employed as teachers
while they are completing their full credential and/or master’s degree (U.S Department of
Education, 2016).
Teacher candidates are studying education at the postsecondary level. For purposes of
this study, teacher candidates were graduate students enrolled in the teaching residency at KGSE.
Teachers of color do not racially identify as White (Boser, 2011). For purposes of this
study, the groups of focus within the larger group of teachers of color are historically
underrepresented groups in the field of education including Black, Latinx, and Native American
teachers.
Teacher residency programs combine university coursework with experiential learning.
Participants completed a year as an apprentice at a school site with a school-based mentor
(Berry, Montgomery, & Snyder, 2008; Carver-Thomas, 2018; Papay, West, Fullerton, and Kane,
2012).
Organization of the Project
This study has five chapters. The first chapter provided key concepts and terminology
commonly found in a discussion about teacher recruitment. The organization’s mission, goals,
and stakeholders as well as the review of the evaluation framework were provided. Chapter Two
provides a review of the literature surrounding the scope of the study, including a historical
perspective and changing demographics of U.S. teachers, recruitment of teachers of color, and
barriers to entry for teachers of color. Chapter Three details the knowledge, motivation, and
organizational elements examined as well as methodology related to the choice of participants,
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 22
data collection, and analysis. Chapter Four describes and analyses the data. Chapter Five
provides recommendations for practice and implementation and evaluation based on the data
from the study and the literature.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 23
Chapter Two: Literature Review
This literature review will examine the root causes of having too few teachers of color
enter the teaching profession. The review begins with general research on the importance of
increasing the number of teachers of color in the American workforce, particularly given the
changing demographics of K–12 students. This is followed by an overview of the literature on
recruitment of teachers of color. The review will present an in-depth discussion of pathways to
entering the teaching profession including current research on barriers to entry including cost,
certification, and the perpetuation of the K–12 achievement gap. The review continues by
describing the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analytic framework and knowledge-based,
motivational, and organizational influences on the recruitment of teachers of color in KGSE’s
teaching residency program. This chapter will conclude by presenting the conceptual framework
for the study.
Teachers of Color in the American Teaching Force
This section of the literature review will begin by outlining the historical perspective on
U.S. teachers of color including demographic patterns and efforts to increase their number. The
literature review will continue with a discussion of the research related to the importance of
teachers of color. This section will address the effect of teachers of color on students’ academic
achievement as well as their self-concept and character growth.
Historical Perspective
Racial discrimination has limited opportunities for people of color in the American
workforce (Boser, 2011). People of color have also historically had limited opportunities in
American schools including the types of schools where they could teach. In the mid-20th
century, teachers of color were typically working in segregated schools, and they had few
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 24
opportunities in the larger labor market (Boser, 2011). During segregation, teaching was an
accessible and respected career path for Black teachers, particularly in the southern United States
where the Black population was concentrated (Madkins, 2011). After desegregation there was a
loss of Black teachers in the teaching force. Black teachers were not hired in desegregated
schools and as more opportunities opened up in the labor force, fewer Black candidates entered
teaching (Madkins, 2011). Today, more careers are open to people of color, but fewer are
choosing to enter the teaching force. This lack of diversity has received national attention since
the mid-1980s (Villegas, Strom, & Lucas, 2012). By the later part of the 1980s a series of
initiatives were put in place to increase the number of teachers of color, spearheaded by the
Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession and National Commission for Excellence in
Teacher Education. Private foundations began to contribute to this goal in the 1990s as well
(Villegas et al., 2012). While many initiatives have been put into place, the gap between
percentages of U.S. students of color and teachers of color has widened.
The Importance of Teachers of Color
When teachers of color are represented in schools, there are positive outcomes for
students of all races. Irving and Fenwick (2011) asserted that teachers of color serve as
“accessible models of intellectual authority” (p. 198). Irving and Fenwick (2011) stated that
increased diversity among teachers promotes student knowledge of diverse cultural groups.
Cherng and Halpin (2016) used data from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Measures of
Effective Teaching study to assess perceptions of 50,000 students and 1,680 teachers. The
authors concluded that students consistently rated Latino and Black teachers more positively than
White teachers when controlling for variables like students’ demographic and academic
characteristics, teacher characteristics, work conditions, and teacher effectiveness. Teachers of
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 25
color can change future expectations of students of color because their presence helps them
envision success (Atkins, Fertig, & Wilkins, 2014). By being present in schools, teachers of
color can help students of color feel a sense of belonging in the school community and can
promote understanding of different cultural groups for all students that they serve. In addition to
student perceptions and sense of belonging, researchers have demonstrated several other reasons
why the importance of increasing the racial diversity of the educator force is paramount.
Student Outcomes
Recruiting additional teachers of color is imperative because they have the potential to
benefit all students’ outcomes, particularly those of color. Students of color see benefits when
taught by a teacher of the same race or when exposed to a teacher population that is
representative of the student body (Villegas & Irvine, 2010). Racial matching has positive effects
on outcomes such as attendance and suspensions (Holt & Gershenson, 2015; Lindsay & Hart,
2017). Using data collected from 2006–2010 from North Carolina elementary schools, Holt and
Gershenson (2015) found that students matched with teachers of different races had significantly
more absences and suspensions. Using a dataset from Florida public schools from 2001–2008 in
grades 3–10, Egalite, Kisida, and Winters (2015) found small but significant positive effects
when Black and White students were assigned to same-race teachers in reading classes, and
when Black, White, and Asian students were assigned to same-race teachers in math.
Additionally, lower performing Black and White students saw an increased benefit to racial
matching of students and teachers (Egalite et al., 2015). Gershenson, Hart, Hyman, Lindsay, and
Papageorge (2018) examined student and teacher pairings in grades K–3 and found that Black
students randomly assigned to a Black teacher at any point during those years were 7% more
likely to graduate from high school and 13% more likely to enroll in college than peers who did
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 26
not have a Black teacher. There is also a positive impact of increased numbers of teachers of
color on outcomes of students of color with respect to enrollment in gifted programs, an area
where students of color are typically underrepresented as compared to their White peers
(Grissom et al., 2017). Grissom et al. (2017) examined a nationally representative sample of
elementary schools and found that schools with greater numbers of Black and Latinx teachers
saw greater representation in gifted programs of students of those same racial subgroups.
Pitts (2007) described teachers of color serving as role models for students of color as a
likely explanation for positive academic outcomes for students of color. Pitts argued that when
racial and ethnic backgrounds of students and teachers misalign, students have fewer options to
work with teachers who look like them, which leads fewer students to have the experiences that
drive them to stay in school, graduate, and go to college. The positive effect of teachers of color
is illuminated by the finding that students of color had higher pass rates for high school
graduation exams in districts where the racial makeup of the teaching force came closer to
mirroring the student population (Pitts, 2007). Gershenson et al. (2018) similarly asserted that
when Black teachers and students are racially matched, students have higher expectations of a
return on their efforts and for their own educational outcomes. This shift in expectations occurs
as a result of role model effects when Black students and teachers are matched (Gershenson et
al., 2018).
Students’ Self-concept
In addition to academic outcomes, having a teacher of the same race contributes
positively to nonacademic outcomes like students’ self-esteem. Teachers of color can be positive
role models for all students (Villegas & Irvine, 2010). Students seek out teachers of the same
racial background to serve as mentors and role models (Pitts, 2007). Additionally, Achinstein,
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 27
Ogawa, Sexton, and Freitas (2010) argued that failure to close the racial diversity gap between
teachers and students would send children the implicit message that their identities are less
important and that existing structures of inequality should persist. Having same-race teachers can
particularly affect Black students’ self-concept. Kokka (2016) studied 16 math and science
teachers at an urban public school and found that Black teachers desired to work in a community
where they could be role models for students who shared their racial identities. Cherng and
Halpin (2016) found that Black students have especially high favorability for Black teachers.
Madkins (2011) asserted that an absence of Black teachers in schools serving Black students
prevents these students from seeing themselves reflected in the professional world. A lack of
Black teachers can hinder development of students’ self-concept, negatively affecting potential
future outcomes.
Self-concept can also be influenced by the way that school discipline systems are enacted
and the expectations that these systems communicate to different groups of students. For
example, when students have teachers of different races, a cultural mismatch can emerge that
leads to bias in school discipline systems (Staats, 2014). Staats also argued that students of color
are more likely to be penalized for subjective misbehaviors such as disrespect, while White
students are more likely to receive consequences for behaviors that teachers can interpret more
objectively, such as vandalism. The racial demographics of the teaching force affect how
students see themselves, the way they experience school, and their current and future outcomes.
Recruitment of Teachers of Color
Barriers to Entry
One cause of the lack of diversity in the teaching force is the presence of systemic
barriers to entry into the teaching profession. The U.S. education system has consistently had
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barriers to employing a racially diverse teaching force. Ellis and Epstein (2015) argued that the
teacher credentialing process itself is an ongoing manifestation of racism because of these
barriers and that the education system essentially reserves its jobs for White candidates. The
authors argued that segregation of American society in general, including White people
professionally and personally networking with other White people, creates a situation in which
the resources and information necessary to enter the teaching profession are less accessible to
people of color. Also, while higher education enrollment rates among students of color have
increased over time, they are disproportionately concentrated at less selective institutions with
low graduation rates (Melguizo, 2008). Entry into the teaching force requires successful
completion of at least an undergraduate degree on the path to certification. Epstein (2005)
claimed that entry into the teaching profession is affected by systemic racism and that barriers to
entry disproportionately affect candidates of color. Epstein listed 11 such barriers including
college graduation, credentialing exams, the Graduate Record Exam, and the economic burden of
working without income as a student teacher. The following paragraphs will elaborate on two
barriers to entry into teaching: certification exams and the perpetuation of the K–12 achievement
gap.
Certification Exams
Teachers of color fail certification exams disproportionately, creating a barrier for
successful entry into the profession. Teacher certification tests have expanded both in breadth
and in number. Coupled with lower pass rates by candidates of color, this means that fewer
people of color can successfully enter the teaching profession (Ingersoll & May, 2011). For
example, from 2002–2005, pass rates on the Praxis I, a teacher credentialing exam used in many
states, were 52% for Black teacher candidates and 84% for White teacher candidates (Gitomer,
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 29
2007). From 2005–2009, first time pass rates of Black test takers were approximately half the
pass rate of White test takers in reading, writing, and math (Nettles et al., 2011). These data are
particularly problematic as pass rates of certification exams do not necessarily correlate with
performance in the classroom. Researchers like Epstein (2005) have argued that teacher
credentialing processes do not align with teacher effectiveness and that candidates of color are
prevented from entering the teaching force because of a push for high standards that does not
align with outcomes for students.
Perpetuation of the K–12 Achievement Gap
Another barrier to entry is the perpetuation of the K–12 achievement gap in higher
education, which leads to a lack of college graduates of color who can then become teacher
candidates. This gap persists because factors such as where a student attended high school
correlate with college enrollment and achievement. For example, Fletcher and Tienda’s 2010
study at Texas Tech University found that controlling for the variable of high school attended
eliminated a first semester GPA gap between White and Black students and shrunk the gap in
GPAs between Hispanic and White students by 40%. Students of color are underrepresented at
institutions of higher education. In addition to GPA gaps, the achievement gap persists as a result
of disproportionally low enrollments at selective institutions (Melguizo, 2008). Irizarry (2011)
asserted that Latino students are underrepresented in American institutions of higher education
and experience high rates of attrition at the postsecondary level, which in turn leads to a shortage
of Latino teachers, particularly as needed to work with the increasing number of Latino students.
In addition to being generally underrepresented, the institutions students of color attend also
affect this achievement gap. Students of color are disproportionally concentrated in 2-year
institutions. Students in 2-year institutions are less likely to graduate, and many do not go on to
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 30
earn a bachelor’s degree (Jackson, 2012). Students who do not earn a bachelor’s degree are
prevented from entering many career fields including teaching.
Pathways to Entry
Nontraditional pathways to entering the teaching profession may increase the number of
teachers of color entering the profession. Alternative routes into teaching differ from traditional
routes in that candidates can study for their credential or master’s degree while beginning their
teaching careers. Alternative route programs have successfully recruited more teachers of color
than traditional pathways. In 2008, 27% of Black teachers and 25% of Hispanic teachers entered
the classroom through alternative routes (Boser, 2011).
Alternative route programs are also making progress with closing the demographic gap
between teachers and students when their enrollments are compared to those of traditional
pathways. In 2012–2013, 16% of candidates enrolled in alternative programs based at institutions
of higher education, and 18% of those enrolled in alternative programs not based at institutions
of higher education were Black, compared to 9% in traditional programs. Similarly, 18% of
alternative route programs not based at institutions of higher education were Hispanic, compared
to 11% in traditional programs (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). Additionally, Humphrey
and Wechsler (2007) found that teachers in alternative certification programs generally reflected
the demographics of the locality where they taught.
There are other promising alternative routes, including programs that provide a pathway
to certification for current school-based personnel. Lau, Dandy, and Hoffman (2007) completed
a case study of 105 participants in the Armstrong Atlantic State University Pathways to Teaching
program, which trains noncertified, school-based personnel to become teachers. The authors
found there was a 95% retention rate of teachers of color attributed to a shift in the program’s
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 31
selection process from traditional screening methods like the GPA to a focus on professionals
with a track record of success in high-needs schools who need to develop their teaching skills.
Teacher Residency Programs
An additional promising pathway for teacher candidates of color is teacher residency
programs, which are modeled on medical residencies. Residents spend 1 year working as
apprentices with mentor teachers and concurrently completing coursework (Carver-Thomas,
2018). Components of teacher residency programs often include a 1-year-long model that
integrates theory and practice, having a school-based mentor, and creating a professional
learning community (Berry et al., 2008). Carver-Thomas (2018) asserted that residency programs
improve other alternative certification programs by giving teacher candidates extensive
classroom experience and by partnering closely with the districts that they serve. In studying the
Boston Teacher Residency, Papay et al. (2012) found that graduates of this program were more
racially and ethnically diverse than their peers. The authors also found that retention rates of
Boston Teacher Residency graduates after 5 years exceeded other new hires in the district by
20% (Papay et al., 2012). The National Center for Teacher Residencies (2014) surveyed school
leaders within its network and determined that 89% of principals agreed that graduates of
residency programs are more effective than teachers coming from other teacher preparation
programs. Residency programs are outperforming traditional routes in terms of diversifying the
teaching profession. There are currently at least 50 teacher residency programs operating in the
United States, and 49% of those enrolled are people of color (Carver-Thomas, 2018). Many
residency programs have specific goals regarding recruiting candidates of color, and the
proportion of residents of color is over twice the national average of teachers of color who are
entering teaching (Guha, Hyler, & Darling-Hammond, 2016).
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Clark and Estes Conceptual Framework
The Clark and Estes (2008) conceptual framework lays out a method for identifying the
gaps between current performance levels and performance goals to improve organizational
performance. This framework focuses on the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences that affect these gaps (Clark & Estes, 2008). As people work toward new goals, they
will likely need new knowledge and skills (Clark & Estes, 2008). Rueda (2011) described the
concept of knowledge influences on goal attainment by posing the question of what stakeholders
need to know to achieve a given goal. Krathwohl (2002) outlined four types of relevant
knowledge for attaining performance goals: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive.
Motivational influences also affect organizational performance. Clark and Estes asserted that
motivation dictates how much effort people spend on tasks, and motivational causes for
performance gaps can be more complex than gaps caused by knowledge or skill. These gaps can
be more difficult to isolate and resolve because motivation evolves out of the interaction between
people and their work environment including variables like types of tasks and manager
relationships (Clark & Estes, 2008). Organizational influences also affect performance, such as
work processes, material resources, and aspects of organizational culture like value chains and
value streams (Clark and Estes, 2008).
Knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences will be examined below in terms
of the needs of teacher candidates to meet their performance goal of accepting their program
placement and securing employment by June, 2018. These influences will again be explored in
the discussion of methodology in Chapter 3.

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Stakeholder Knowledge and Motivation Influences
Knowledge and Skills
Mayer (2011) defined learning as a three-pronged process involving a change in what the
learner knows caused by the learner’s experience. One implication of looking at learning in this
way is that the acquisition of knowledge is a critical component of learning (Rueda, 2011).
Because acquiring knowledge and skills affects learning so closely, their acquisition is necessary
as people work toward goals. As people work toward new goals, it is likely that they need new
knowledge and skills to do so (Clark & Estes, 2008.) Rueda (2011) described the concept of
knowledge influence on goal attainment by posing the question of what stakeholders need to
know to achieve a given goal. While answering this question may seem simple, it is often
difficult to be concrete and specific with respect to what people need to know and do to meet
their goals (Rueda, 2011). Clark and Estes (2008) cited knowledge and skills as one of three
major causes of performance gaps. To effectively close knowledge gaps and attain goals, it is
important to consider cognitive processes involved in learning (Rueda, 2011). These processes
can lead to enhancement of knowledge and skills. Building new knowledge and skills is required
when people do not yet know how to accomplish their goals or when future problem solving
requires innovation (Clark & Estes, 2008). Several types of knowledge and skills that influence
problem-solving and goal-attainment. The following section will describe knowledge influences
through the lens of the four different types of knowledge and connect them to stakeholder goals
at KGSE.
Knowledge Influences
Categorizing knowledge influences into knowledge types helps specify the knowledge
necessary to achieve a particular goal. Krathwohl (2002) identified four main categories of
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knowledge. The first type of knowledge is factual knowledge, which consists of basic elements
that stakeholders must know to understand a discipline or context and solve problems within it
(Krathwohl, 2002). It includes knowledge of terminology or knowledge of specific details related
to a given concept (Krathwohl, 2002). This type of knowledge is important in developing one’s
basic competency in a new context (Rueda, 2011).
The second type of knowledge is conceptual knowledge, which encompasses
interrelationships of elements of a given structure (Krathwohl, 2002). Conceptual knowledge
goes beyond facts to include knowledge of categories, classifications, principals, and theories
relevant to a given context or discipline (Rueda, 2011) and encompasses patterns and
relationships (Krathwohl, 2002).
The third type is procedural knowledge, which concerns how to do things and includes
knowledge of context-specific skills, algorithms, techniques, and methods (Krathwohl, 2002, p.
214).
The final type is metacognitive knowledge, which encompasses knowledge of cognition
in general and awareness of one’s own cognition (Krathwohl, 2002). Metacognitive knowledge
is an important part of problem solving because it allows people to consider context as well as
their own role in the situation (Rueda, 2011).
Knowledge Influences: Declarative and Conceptual
While all four types of knowledge are important for problem solving and goal attainment
within a given domain, this analysis will center on two specific knowledge influences:
declarative and conceptual. These knowledge influences, detailed in the following section, will
be used to analyze the knowledge and skills that teacher candidates at KGSE need to accept their
offer to join the teaching residency program and secure employment.
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Programmatic knowledge. Teacher candidates must select a pathway into the teaching
profession. Possessing declarative knowledge of residency programs can influence teacher
candidates. Declarative knowledge includes things such as terminology and details that one must
be familiar with to function in a given area (Rueda, 2011). The details involved in a residency
program include a year-long model integrating theory and practice, having a school-based
mentor, and creating a professional learning community (Berry et al., 2008). An individual’s
knowledge and experiences in a field are critical information in making decisions about entering
a particular career (Farinde, LeBlanc, & Otten, 2015). Deeper knowledge about the residency
model can influence teacher candidates of color to accept their offer to join KGSE’s teaching
residency for several reasons. One barrier to entry into the profession is unpaid student teaching
(Epstein, 2005). Residency programs can help solve this by providing opportunities to study and
earn certification while being employed at a school site and earning a salary. Additionally,
teacher candidates are often hesitant to enter an environment with little support. Residency
programs provide a mentor for all students as well as continuing support for Residents during
and beyond their time in the program (Berry et al., 2008). Furthermore, KGSE’s residency
focused on developing critical consciousness as a part of the curriculum. Developing culturally
responsive teaching skills is an important component of effective teacher preparation programs
(Gay & Kirkland, 2003). To maximize effectiveness, critical consciousness and self-reflection
should be taught in tandem (Gay & Kirkland, 2003). Many pre-service teachers are
uncomfortable speaking about the topic of race (Gay & Kirkland, 2003). KGSE required teacher
candidates to participate in conversations about race beginning in the interview process.
Knowledge of this component of the program might have influenced teacher candidates to
choose the KGSE residency if they were committed to developing their critical consciousness.
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Teacher credentialing. Conceptual knowledge encompasses categories, theories, and
models pertaining to a particular area (Rueda, 2011). To be employed, teacher candidates must
be certified to teach in the school’s state. One of the components of the certification process is
that teacher candidates must demonstrate conceptual knowledge of their content area by passing
certification exams (Ahmad & Boser, 2014). According to Petchauer (2012), “This battery of
tests is the first significant gatekeeper that students who wish to become teachers experience in
postsecondary education” (p.253). In many states this includes more than one exam. For
example, in California, teacher candidates must pass three exams while they are in school or
student teaching to enter a teacher credentialing program (Ahmad & Boser, 2014). Conceptual
knowledge to pass certification exams is often a knowledge gap for teacher education candidates.
In a study of 69 students enrolled in Texas teacher education programs in the 2011–2012 school
year, only 20% passed the state’s pedagogy and professional responsibilities exam on the first
attempt (Fike, Fike, & Natale, 2014). KGSE was recruiting additional teachers of color during
this study, which meant they had to pass certification exams in their state, which has been a
barrier of entry for teacher candidates of color (Villegas & Lucas, 2004). The equity gap persists
in results on certification exams. For example, on the Praxis exam, used for certification in most
states, a gap of seven points exists between Black and White test takers when controlling for
variables like income, GPA, and parents’ education level (Petchauer, 2012). The lack of teachers
of color in the workforce is often thought of as simply a recruitment issue, but barriers like
exclusionary credentialing exams are a manifestation of systemic racism in the field of education
(Epstein, 2005). To effectively recruit more teachers of color, KGSE must address the
knowledge gap of conceptual knowledge needed to pass certification exams.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 37
Table 2 provides the organizational mission, organizational global goal, stakeholder goal,
and details specific to knowledge influences, knowledge types, and knowledge influence
assessments. As Table 2 shows, one declarative and one conceptual influence will be used to
gain insight about the knowledge that teacher candidates at KGSE possess.
Table 2
Knowledge Influences, Types, and Assessments for Knowledge Gap Analysis
Organizational Mission
To train educators to develop in K–12 students the skills necessary for success in life
Organizational Performance Goal
KGSE’s goal is to recruit 250 new teacher candidates into the residency program by June 2018,
50% of whom identified as teachers of color.
Stakeholder Goal
By September 2018, 250 teacher candidates at least 50% of whom identified as people of color,
will accept their offers of admission to the residency program and secure employment at a school
site.
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence Assessment

Teacher candidates need to
know about the program that
they are choosing and how this
influences their decision to
accept their offer.
Declarative (factual) Survey and interview items that
have candidates explain their
knowledge of the program and
factors that led them to join the
program.
Teacher candidates need the
pedagogical and content
knowledge necessary to pass
certification exams in the state
in which they seek to teach.
Conceptual Survey and interview items in
which teacher candidates explain
their level of preparedness as well
as their process for studying and
completing certification exams.

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Motivation
Even if people have the necessary knowledge to accomplish a particular goal, they may
not have the will (Rueda, 2011). Mayer (2011) defined motivation as “an internal state that
initiates and maintains goal directed behavior” (p. 39). Clark and Estes (2008) added that
motivation dictates how much effort we spend on tasks, and motivational causes for performance
gaps can be more complex than gaps caused by knowledge or skill. These gaps can be more
difficult to isolate and solve because motivation evolves from the interaction between people and
their work environment including types of tasks and manager relationships (Clark & Estes,
2008). There are three main types of motivational processes that affect work: (a) the choice to
pursue a goal, (b) persistence toward that goal, and (c) the amount of mental effort that one
invests in the goal (Clark & Estes, 2008). Rueda (2011) asserted that while motivation and
learning are often viewed as separate, current thinking demonstrates that the two are inextricably
linked. Therefore, in thinking about the learning necessary to achieve goals, it is important to
consider motivation.
While there are numerous theories and concepts associated with building and maintaining
motivation, this study will focus on three specific motivational influences. The following section
will discuss motivational theories and their influences on stakeholder goals at KGSE, beginning
with value theory and continuing with attributions theory.
Expectancy-Value Theory
Expectancy-value theory can be summed up in two questions: “Can I do the task?” and
“Do I want to do the task?” (Eccles, 2006, p.1). Determining answers to these questions directly
aligns with one’s motivation. The motivational principle demonstrated by expectancy-value
theory is that the more one values an activity, the more likely one is to choose, persist, and exert
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 39
mental effort on the activity (Rueda, 2011). According to Rueda, value is the importance that one
places on any given task. In expectancy-value theory, there are four main constructs. The first,
intrinsic value, refers to enjoyment felt or that one expects to feel when engaging in a task
(Eccles, 2006). People will more likely choose to do work that is of interest to them (Clark &
Estes, 2008). Interest in a task can result from individual interest, a more stable orientation
toward certain tasks that one enjoys, or by situational interest, which is an emotional state caused
by given characteristics of a particular task (Eccles, 2006). The second construct is attainment
value, which refers to the connection between tasks and people’s identities. Alignment between a
task and taskers’ desirable self-image can influence motivation (Eccles, 2006), as can the
importance that one attaches to being successful at any given task (Rueda, 2011). Utility value,
the third construct, deals with the association between task completion and one’s individual goals
or plans (Eccles, 2006). Workplace motivation can be increased by illuminating connections
between what people value and the impact of achieving set goals (Clark & Estes, 2011). Utility
value can also be thought of as the extent to which one perceives the usefulness of a task as
related to achieving future goals (Rueda, 2011). The final construct in expectancy-value theory is
perceived cost. The value one places on a task is affected by the perception of what one is giving
up to complete the task (Eccles, 2006). Value can be in the form of time and effort (Rueda, 2011)
and include more complex factors like anxiety, fear of failure, and rejection by other people
(Eccles, 2006). The interplay of these four constructs is what determines one’s overall value
associated with a given task (Rueda, 2011).
Utility Value Theory and Teacher Candidates
In choosing a teacher preparation program, teacher candidates consider the utility value.
To accept their position in the KGSE teaching residency, teachers must see its value in reaching
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 40
their career goals. As a short-term goal, residency programs offer the opportunity to learn the
profession while getting paid a salary (Berry et al., 2008), increasing utility value to choosing
this path for entry into the profession. Real-world teaching experience, like that offered in a
residency program, helps candidates decide if they are invested in the profession long-term
(Farinde et al., 2015). Additionally, residency programs seek to retain teachers in the profession
long-term (Berry et al., 2008). For candidates who seek to remain in the profession long-term,
residency programs present the utility value of support with remaining in the field.
Attributions Theory
Attributions theory addresses an important part of motivation by correlating people’s
beliefs about why things occur with future motivation to complete tasks (Anderman &
Anderman, 2006). Attributions are the beliefs people have for why they succeed or fail at a
particular task and the level of control they have in their success (Rueda, 2011). Weiner (2005)
cited three dimensions that cause attributions: locus, stability, and controllability. Locus refers to
the extent that the individual perceives the cause of an event as internal or external to the
individual (Weiner, 2005). Stability refers to whether the cause for success or failure changes
across different times and situations (Anderman & Anderman, 2006). Motivation is influenced
by whether causes are perceived as temporary or permanent (Rueda, 2011). The final dimension
of attributions theory is controllability, or whether individuals feel that the cause of success or
failure is within their control (Anderman & Anderman, 2006). Attributions theory plays an
important part in motivation because when individuals believe that success or failure on a goal is
not a permanent state but rather is within their locus of control and correlated to the effort they
put in, they are more likely to persist and dedicate increased effort to the task (Rueda, 2011).
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 41
Attributions and teacher candidates. To enter the teaching profession, candidates must
secure employment at a school. Teacher candidates should believe that securing employment is
within their locus of control. Since the 2008 U.S. recession, there has been an excess of newly
certified teachers (Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, & Wychoff, 2013). However, there are many teaching
vacancies each year throughout the country, particularly in hard-to-staff areas the KGSE
program serves. There are many vacancies in particular subject areas like STEM and special
education (Cowan, Goldhaber, Hayes, & Theobald, 2016). The more candidates are committed
to securing employment at a school, the more likely they are to get hired. Boyd et al. (2013)
claimed that for candidates who would prefer almost any teaching job to not teaching at all,
finding employment can happen despite weaker qualifications because those with stronger
qualifications may wind up without employment if they are unwilling to teach in schools where
less-qualified candidates can obtain jobs. For teachers willing to teach hard-to-staff subjects in
hard-to-staff areas, there are many opportunities for employment. Teacher candidates who view
this process as within their locus of control will be more motivated to gain employment.
Table 3 below identifies two motivational influences related to utility value and
attributions. These influences will be used to analyze how motivation affects teacher candidates’
decision to accept their offers and their ability to secure employment.
Table 3
Motivational Influences and Assessments for Motivation Gap Analysis
Organizational Mission
To train educators to develop in K–12 students the skills necessary for success in life
Organizational Performance Goal
KGSE’s goal is to recruit 250 new teacher candidates into the residency program by June 2018,
50% of whom identified as teachers of color.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 42
Stakeholder Goal
By September 2018, 250 teacher candidates at least 50% of whom identified as people of color,
will accept their offers of admission to the residency program and secure employment at a school
site.
Assumed Motivational Influences Motivational Influence Assessment

Utility value: Teacher candidates need to see
the value of completing a Residency program
and the potential affect on their long-term
career goals.
Survey and interview items assessing
candidates’ long-term career goals and the
extent to which they feel that completing a
residency program affects these goals.
Attributions: Teacher candidates should feel
that securing employment is within their
control and due to their own efforts.
Survey and interview items assessing
candidates’ perceptions on whether securing
employment was in their locus of control.

Organizational Influences
Organizational influences such as processes and materials are vital to goal attainment
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Even if employees are motivated and have the necessary knowledge and
skills, they also need effective processes and adequate materials to achieve their performance
goals. Work processes influence organizational goals because they specify how people,
equipment, and materials come together to achieve a particular goal. If policies and processes are
not in sync, the organization cannot operate effectively. Part of improving any organization is
finding and closing process barriers to success. It is also imperative that organizations have
sufficient resources to achieve their goals, including vital material resources, which include not
only things like office supplies and equipment, but also information technology, which is
constantly evolving and an increasingly important part of organizational success (Clark & Estes,
2008). Value chains and value streams both contribute to organizational success. Value streams
describe how the different departments and divisions in an organization interact. Value chains
take the information from value streams to identify how the organization can achieve its goals
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both for internal and external stakeholders (Clark & Estes, 2008). These organizational
components contribute to the overall culture of an organization. An organization’s culture is
central to how it operates and is present in everything that an organization does. An
organization’s culture dictates how the various parties within it work together toward their goals
(Clark & Estes, 2008).
Cultural Models and Cultural Settings
Organizational culture plays a substantial role in goal attainment because the core beliefs
that make up an organizational culture affect decisions about selecting goals and processes
(Clark & Estes, 2008). There are several facets of organizational culture to consider. Cultural
models are the shared understandings of how the world works, or how it should work (Gallimore
& Goldenberg, 2001). Cultural models include both behaviors and cognitive components.
According to Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001), they are often familiar to the extent that they
may go unnoticed by those who know them. Meanwhile, cultural settings are more explicit in
that they are comprised of the contexts in which behaviors take place. Cultural settings exist
when people work together to accomplish something (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). The
following section will discuss the cultural models and cultural settings that comprise the
organizational influences that affected KGSE’s ability to effectively recruit teachers of color,
beginning with cultural model influences and continuing with cultural setting influences.
Cultural Model Influences and Teacher Committment
Successful recruitment of teacher candidates of color at KGSE was predicated on the
belief in the importance of teacher candidates of color working in communities of color.
Representation of teachers of color affects all students positively, particularly students of color,
by providing diverse models of success and intellectual authority (Atkins et al., 2014; Irvine &
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Fenwick, 2011). Additionally, having teachers of color promotes student knowledge of diverse
cultures (Irvine & Fenwick, 2011) and can positively affect students’ academic outcomes
(Egalite et al., 2015; Villegas & Irvine, 2010) and self-esteem (Kokka, 2016; Madkins, 2011).
Belief in the importance of teachers of color is a part of KGSE’s cultural model that drove it to
establish the organizational performance goal related to recruitment of teachers of color. Teacher
candidates, an external stakeholder group, must share this belief to be accepted into the program
and commit to completing it. Teacher candidates applying to the program must attest that they
are willing to work in a high-need community that serves students of color and explain their
desire to work with this group of students as part of the application process.
Representation in the Teacher Pipeline
Increasing the diversity of the teacher pipeline was critical to KGSE’s mission,
organizational goal, and stakeholder goal. Representation of teachers of color is a national
problem because the proportion of students of color in the K–12 system is increasing faster than
the proportion of teachers of color (Boser, 2011; Sakash & Chou, 2007; Villegas et al., 2012).
Also, barriers to entry for teachers of color lead to the belief that there are not qualified
candidates of color to fill teaching positions. For example, significantly lower success rates on
credentialing exams have kept teachers of color out of classrooms (Epstein, 2005; Ingersoll &
May, 2011). In alignment with its goals, KGSE seeks to accept candidates representative of the
communities that they serve. To raise the proportion of candidates of color in KGSE’s residency
program, recruiters are working to create a large and diverse pool of candidates. To mitigate the
effects of barriers to entry into the profession, KGSE’s application looks at a variety of factors
that include not only quantitative measures like GPA, but also more qualitative measures like
reactions to scenarios and group interviews.
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Navigation of KGSE’s Application Process
It was important for teacher candidates to navigate KGSE’s application process. KGSE
aimed to break down barriers to entry into the profession to meet its goal of recruiting a diverse
group of teacher candidates to meet it 2018 goal. While residency programs show potential to
recruit diverse groups of effective teachers (National Center for Teacher Residencies, 2014;
Papay et al., 2012), barriers to entry like exams have disproportionately affected teacher
candidates of color (Ellis & Epstein, 2015; Epstein, 2005). Understanding of KGSE’s application
process was necessary for candidates to submit their applications by the given deadlines and be
considered for acceptance. In the pilot year of the program, teacher candidates did not always
have access to the information that they needed, causing candidates to miss deadlines. Access to
information is an important resource for success (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Time to Prepare for School Interviews
As an alternative route program, KGSE participants worked in schools while earning
their master’s degrees and state teaching credentials. Once teacher candidates were accepted into
KGSE’s residency program, they had to be hired for schools’ apprenticeship positions to
complete the program. Alternative route programs like KGSE’s have experienced success with
recruiting increasing numbers of teachers of color (Boser, 2011). Additionally, these programs
come closer to reflecting the student bodies in the communities where they teach (Humphrey
&Wechsler, 2007). While there is strong promise among alternative certification programs in
recruiting teachers of color, one challenge is finding a job after being accepted into the program.
In KGSE’s pilot year of the recruitment program in 2017, this proved to be one of the biggest
challenges with only 60% of accepted candidates getting hired at a school. As such, candidates
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need sufficient time and resources to prepare for their interviews so that principals are able to see
the potential value that they bring to schools.
Table 4 identifies the four organizational influencers discussed, two related to cultural
models and two related to cultural settings. These influencers will be used to analyze how
organizational influencers affect teacher candidates’ decisions to accept their offers and their
ability to secure employment.
Table 4
Organizational Influences and Assessments for Organizational Gap Analysis
Organizational Mission
To train educators to develop in K–12 students the skills necessary for success in life
Organizational Performance Goal
KGSE’s goal is to recruit 250 new teacher candidates into the residency program by June 2018,
50% of whom identified as teachers of color.
Stakeholder Goal
By September 2018, 250 teacher candidates at least 50% of whom identified as people of color,
will accept their offers of admission to the residency program and secure employment at a school
site.
Assumed Organizational Influences Organizational Influence Assessment

Cultural Model Influence 1: Teacher
candidates need to be committed to working in
communities of color.
Survey and interview items that assess the
commitment of candidates to teaching in
communities of color and that ask candidates
about their beliefs on the importance of
increasing the amount of teachers of color in
communities of color.
Cultural Model Influence 2: Teacher
candidates need to be more representative of
the communities they will serve and committed
Survey and interview items that assess teacher
candidates’ perspectives on the importance of
increasing the number of teachers of color in
communities of color.
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to increasing representation of teachers of color
in communities of color.
Cultural Setting Influence 1: Teacher
candidates need to get their questions answered
by KGSE’s team during the application process
so that they are able to submit all necessary
materials by the deadline.
Survey and interview items about candidates’
ability to navigate the application process and
obtain necessary information.

Cultural Setting Influence 2: Teacher
candidates need enough time to effectively
prepare for school interviews.
Survey and interview questions about the timing
of the interview process after acceptance into
the program and teacher candidates’ ability to
prepare effectively in the timeframe.

Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Motivation and
the Organizational Context
A conceptual framework provides a tentative theory for the phenomena being
investigated and how the various aspects of the planned study interact (Maxwell, 2013). It
provides an underlying structure for a study and serves as a lens through which phenomena can
be viewed (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). A conceptual framework helps researchers organize
relevant concepts from the research, personal experience, and the focus organization of the study.
As such, the conceptual framework presented in the following section considers previous
research on the diversity of the teacher workforce and recruitment. The conceptual framework
contextualizes the research with KGSE’s organizational and stakeholder goals with respect to
diverse teacher recruitment. This framework informs the study in areas like helping to refine
goals, developing relevant research questions, and selecting effective methods (Maxwell, 2013).
The transformative worldview informs this study. In the transformative worldview,
inquiry confronts social oppression and speaks to important social issues of the day (Creswell,
2014). I starts with issues of suppression or alienation of marginalized groups as the focal point
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of the study. Transformative research raises consciousness about these issues (Creswell, 2014).
In this study, the issue of lack of diversity on the teaching force, particularly underrepresentation
of Black, Latino, and Native American teachers provides the impetus for the research. The
transformative worldview enables the researcher to explore why problems of oppression and
marginalization exist and evaluate strategies that the organization of focus is taking to close these
gaps.
While each of the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influencers
described in the study are presented independently, these elements interact as the KGSE worked
toward its organizational goal. Knowledge, motivation, and organizational support must typically
all be in place and aligned with one another for an organization to achieve its goals (Clark &
Estes, 2008). The conceptual framework below presents the ways that stakeholder knowledge
and motivation intertwined to work toward the goal of having 75% of teacher candidates offered
a position in KGSE’s residency accepting their offer and securing employment. It also shows
more broadly how they interplayed with the cultural models and settings of KGSE to work
toward the organizational global goal of recruiting 250 teachers nationally, 50% of whom
identified as teachers of color. Figure 2 illustrates this conceptual framework.

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Figure 2. Interaction of stakeholder knowledge and motivation with organizational cultural
models and settings.
KGSE Cultural Models:
Commitment to diversity, belief
that a diverse teacher pipeline
exists
Cultural Settings: Teacher
candidate recruitment systems,
time to effectively prepare for
interviews
Teacher Candidates
Teacher Candidate Knowledge:
Declarative: Knowledge of program
Conceptual: Knowledge necessary to
pass certification exams
Teacher Candidate Motivation:
Utility value: Effect of Residency
program
Attributions: Securing employment

Stakeholder Goal By September 2018,
250 teacher candidates at least 50% of
whom identified as people of color, will
accept their offers of admission to the
residency program and secure
employment at a school site.
Organizational Goal
KGSE’s goal is to recruit 250 new
teacher candidates into the residency
program by June 2018, 50% of
whom identified as teachers of color.
Key
Organization
Stakeholder Influencers

Stakeholder
Goal

Organizational Goal
Simultaneous Interaction

Interaction
Leads To

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Figure 2 outlines the relationship between knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences and the affected recruitment, stakeholder, and organizational goals at KGSE. The blue
circle represents KGSE as the organization of focus in the study and includes the cultural settings
and cultural models that exist within, particularly those most relevant to the stakeholder of focus:
teacher candidates. The cultural models of a commitment to diversity and belief in the existence
of a strong teacher candidate of pipeline that includes candidates of color (Boser, 2011; Madkins,
2011; Villegas et al., 2012) as well as the cultural settings of teacher candidate recruitment
systems and interview preparation directly affect KGSE’s work with teacher candidates.
Outside the organization but central to the study is the stakeholder group of teacher
candidates. Since this stakeholder group is influenced by the cultural setting and models
described above, and since these teacher candidates in turn influence KGSE’s perceptions of the
pipeline, a two-way arrow is used to represent their relationship. The stakeholder group of
teacher candidates is represented as an orange circle. The knowledge and motivation influences
of the stakeholder group affect the group’s ability to achieve the stakeholder goal, represented in
the purple box. They also influence the ability of the organization to achieve the global goal, and
as such this stakeholder group is connected to both the stakeholder and organizational goals in
the conceptual framework. Knowledge influences include programmatic knowledge about the
benefits of a Residency program (Berry et al., 2008; Farinde et al., 2015; Gay & Kirkland, 2003)
and conceptual knowledge necessary to pass certification exams (Ahmad & Boser 2014;
Petchauer, 2012). Motivational influences include the utility value of completing a residency
program (Berry et al., 2008; Farinde et al., 2015) and attribution that securing employment is
within an individual’s locus of control (Weiner, 2005). Figure 2 demonstrates the
interconnectedness of the stakeholder goal and the organizational goal represented in the green
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box. There is a simultaneous interaction because successful achievement of each of these goals
depends on the other. If the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influencers interacted,
they should have led to the achievement of both the stakeholder goal and the organizational
global goal. Although the stakeholder group of focus was external to the organization, close
collaboration and shared influencers would affect goal attainment.
Conclusion
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which KGSE met its goal of
having 75% of teacher candidates of color accept their offers and secure teaching positions in
2018. As such, Chapter Two presented literature on the importance of increasing the number of
teachers of color in the workforce as well as challenges to recruiting teachers of color and
promising pathways for recruiting teachers of color. Chapter Two also presented the lens of gap
analysis, through which recruitment of teachers of color was considered in relation to stakeholder
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences. Chapter Three will begin with an
explanation of the methodological approach for applying the gap analysis framework to KGSE’s
recruitment team to determine progress toward the organization’s recruitment goals.

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Chapter Three: Methods

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which Knowledge Graduate
School of Education (KGSE) successfully recruited candidates into its teacher residency program
in 2018. In accordance with Clark and Estes’ (2008) framework, the analysis will focus on
knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements related to achieving the organizational
goals. This chapter will present the research design for the study as well as methods for data
collection and analysis. The chapter will begin with an explanation of stakeholder groups and
sampling criteria. The chapter will continue with an explanation of the methods for the study and
conclude by describing how the researcher addressed ethics, reliability, validity, and limitations
of the study. While a complete performance evaluation would focus on all stakeholders, for
practical purposes the stakeholder to be focused on in this analysis is teacher candidates. The
questions that guide this study are the following:
1. To what extent is the organization meeting its goal of teacher candidates of color
being successfully recruited into the residency program?
2. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational elements related to
achieving this goal?
3. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and
stakeholder knowledge and motivation?
4. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of
knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources?
Participating Stakeholders
KGSE’s organizational recruitment goal was to recruit 250 new teachers into the
residency program by June 2018, 50% of whom identified as teachers of color. The stakeholder
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goal was that these teacher candidates would accept their offers and secure a teaching position.
Therefore, the stakeholder group of focus for the study was the teacher candidates that
successfully started KGSE’s teacher residency program. This was a mixed methods study
consisting of both surveys and interviews. The study leveraged an explanatory sequential design
in that quantitative data collection and analysis were followed up with qualitative data collection
and analysis. The qualitative data from interviews was used to further explain the results of the
quantitative data collection from surveys (Creswell, 2014).
Survey Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1
The first criterion for selecting survey participants was that the participants accepted their
offers of admission and secured a school placement for the 2019–2020 school year to analyze the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that made teacher candidates successful in
the recruitment process. The survey was only sent to participants who fit this description.
Criterion 2
A second criterion for the sample was that participants had not previously worked in
public schools as lead teachers of record. The study evaluated the organization’s ability to recruit
new teachers of color into the profession, and as such participants in this study did not previously
hold full-time lead teaching positions. They could, however, have held positions in schools as
paraprofessionals or other school-based positions including teaching at private schools.
Criterion 3
An additional criterion for the sample was that the applicants were not accepted for
placement at the campus where the researcher was employed. The researcher managed
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programming at one of KGSE’s campuses, and this cohort was not included in the sample to
maintain the objectivity of the study.
Survey Sampling Strategy and Rationale
Once the disqualifying criteria were accounted for, the survey was sent to all qualifying
teaching residents who started the program in summer 2018 who were recruited by the
recruitment team during the 2018–2018 school year. The purpose was to gather data about the
group’s characteristics. This group had approximately 190 members. The survey was conducted
at the beginning of the data collection process to follow the explanatory sequential design.
Qualitative data were collected following survey data collection.
Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1
The first criterion for the sample was that 60% of the participants identified as people of
color. The researcher also interviewed participants who identify as White to gain their
perspectives on the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences present in the
conceptual framework. However, as per the organization and stakeholder goals, the focus of the
study was on teacher candidates of color. The research questions of the study were focused on
recruitment of teachers of color. To answer them, it was critical to gather data about the
experiences of candidates of color in the application and hiring process.
Criterion 2
The second criterion for the sample was that 100% of the sample needed to be teachers
who accepted their offers of acceptance into KGSE’s residency program and had already
obtained employment as teaching residents for the school year starting in August/September,
2018. This group represented candidates who successfully navigated both the application and
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hiring process, and as such KGSE considered them teachers successfully recruited. I sought to
collect data on their experiences and the factors they perceived led to their success.
Criterion 3
The final criterion for the interview sample was that at least 10% of the sample had held
other employment before enrolling at KGSE. Many of KGSE’s applicants are recent college
graduates. I sought to gather data on the experiences of candidates who had held other full-time
employment as they have additional context about the job search process as a teacher candidate.
Interview Sampling Strategy and Rationale
The sampling for this mixed methods study had a nested relationship in that the samples
for the quantitative and qualitative portions of the study were different but drawn from the same
population of KGSE’s teaching residents (Johnson & Christensen, 2015). It is a sequential
relationship because the qualitative data were collected after the quantitative data (Johnson &
Christensen, 2015). The qualitative sample used purposeful selection. In qualitative research,
participants are often selected deliberately to gather data especially relevant to the research
questions (Maxwell, 2012). There are several goals for purposeful selection in a qualitative study
that cannot be accomplished by random sampling including capturing the heterogeneity of a
population and deliberately selecting individuals that are critical for testing research theories
(Maxwell, 2012). In this study, the qualitative sample represented heterogeneous factors of the
quantitative sample including participants that did and did not successfully enter teaching and it
is unlikely that a random sample would meet these criteria. Additionally, the sample weighed
heavily toward teachers of color to answer the research questions, and as such demographic data
were taken into account when selecting participants. The goal of selecting the sample was to
locate information-rich individuals who could meet the purpose of the study despite logistical
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and other constraints (Johnson & Christensen, 2015). Ten participants were selected for
interviews for this study. Interview data were collected after the survey was complete using
participants who also completed the survey. The participants in the qualitative portion of the
study were selected from survey participants who volunteered to participate in an interview.
Data Collection and Instrumentation
The researcher used a mixed methods research design for this study. The researcher
collected quantitative data through surveys and collect qualitative data via interviews. Surveys
enable the researcher to obtain quantitative descriptions of trends, attitudes, or opinions by
studying a sample population (Creswell, 2014) and provided quantitative data related to the
attitudes and opinions of teacher candidates, the stakeholder group of focus for the study.
Interviews allowed the researcher to gather information by getting to know the ins and outs of
participants’ thinking (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Interviews also allowed the researcher to get to
know the participants’ perspectives beyond that which can be observed (Patton, 2002). Thus,
interviews were a valuable tool to address the research questions and understand the knowledge,
motivational, and organizational influences that affect teacher candidates joining KGSE’s
residency program. Use of these methods enabled me to ascertain the knowledge, motivational,
and organizational elements related to meeting the stakeholder goal of teacher candidates
accepting their offers and successfully obtaining employment.
Surveys
Surveys were sent to all current teaching residents recruited by KGSE’s recruitment
team. All surveys were conducted in English and included an introduction for participants that
outlined the purpose of the study and explained the voluntary nature of participating in the
survey. Mitigating any external conflicts when participants take surveys helps increase reliability
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(Salkind, 2016). The survey was administered online and was optional for all participants so they
could complete the survey at their convenience from any location wired. Online surveys also
allow respondents to log back in to complete the survey should they lose their internet
connection and allow them to see a progress bar so that they have a realistic idea of how long the
survey will take to complete (Fink, 2012). The survey was designed by the researcher to align to
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis framework to measure knowledge, motivational, and
organizational influences.
There were several constructs present in the conceptual framework for the study. I coded
each survey item to align with the conceptual framework for the study (see appendix A). The
survey consisted of 21 closed items. Closed items allow for relative ease of analysis and
interpretation (Fink, 2012). There were several points throughout the survey when participants
were prompted to optionally complete open-ended prompts (see Appendix A). These prompts
give respondents an opportunity to express their opinions in their own words (Fink, 2012).
Additionally, all items were peer reviewed to ensure that they met Fink’s (2014) criteria for
concision, avoiding jargon, and assessing the desired constructs.
Interviews
Interview Protocol
This study leveraged a semi-structured interview protocol, which includes an interview
guide so that questions can be used flexibly and the interview is guided by the list of questions to
be explored (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The semi-structured interview was the most effective
choice for this study because it allowed for more structured sections that allowed the researcher
to gather specific information from all respondents, while allowing for flexibility in other
portions of the interview (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The interview protocol for this study (see
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Appendix A) leveraged specific questions to gather information from all respondents about their
knowledge and perceptions of KGSE’s residency program. There were also less structured
portions of the interview to allow the interviewer to explore the participant’s motivations to join
the program.
The interviews also targeted organizational influences such as the participants’
perspectives on the importance of teachers of color. Probing questions were used to better
understand participants’ perspective on this topic. Maxwell (2012) stated that it is important to
ask participants questions for which that one is genuinely interested in the answer as opposed to
questions that are contrived to elicit specific data. These types of questions connect to the
conceptual framework for the study by assessing knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences and how they affected both stakeholder and organizational goals, rather than questions
that confirmed what the researcher knew from the quantitative data.
Interview Procedures
The 10 participants for this study were interviewed one time, with interviews lasting from
20–50 minutes. Interviews were conducted using Zoom videoconferencing software as the
researcher was not located near the participants. This method also enabled the interviews to take
place at times convenient to the participants and helped establish a positive interviewing
relationship, which helped the researcher gather data effectively (Weiss, 1994). All interviews
were conducted in English and consent was obtained to record audio from these interviews for
transcription.
Because the interviews were semi-structured, they combined the formal and informal
styles of interviewing. This type of interview helps the researcher avoid the pitfalls of assuming
shared language and assuming that questions were interpreted the same way by all respondents
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(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Also, completely unstructured interviews are often used to gather
information to structure future interviews (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). As the participants in this
study were only interviewed once, this mix of interview types was most effective in gathering
data that unearthed participant perspectives (see Appendix B).
Data Analysis
After the researcher collected survey data using Qualtrics, the survey was closed and a
report of responses was created without identifiable information. Of the 188 surveys that went
out via email, the researcher received 60 responses for a response rate of 32%. The data were
also compiled and exported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to view and analyze the data in a
different way. Given that the survey questions used nominal and ordinal scales, with an emphasis
on Likert scale questions, frequencies and modes were the most important to determine.
Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted once all survey results were submitted.
For interviews, data analysis began during data collection. The researcher wrote analytic
memos after each interview. The researcher documented their thoughts, concerns, and initial
conclusions about the data in relation to the conceptual framework and research questions. Once
the researcher left the field, interviews were transcribed using rev.com and coded using Dedoose.
In the first phase of analysis, the researcher used open coding, looking for empirical codes and
applying a priori codes from the conceptual framework. A second phase of analysis aggregated
empirical and a priori codes into analytic/axial codes. In the third phase of data analysis the
researcher identified tern codes and themes that emerged in relation to the conceptual framework
and study questions.

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Credibility and Trustworthiness
For a study to have an impact on theory or practice in its field, it must be credible, and
others must trust both the methods and conclusions of the study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). For a
study to be trustworthy, the researcher must constantly self-monitor to ensure that all
components are carried out in a trustworthy way (Meriam & Tisdell, 2016). Credibility, or
internal validity, deals with whether the researchers are measuring what they set out to and if
their findings capture reality (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). While these terms are dynamic and can
be subjective, there are important steps that researchers can take to ensure that the data are
credible and trustworthy. One of these is triangulation using multiple sources of data (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). In the current study leveraged both interviews and surveys and the researcher
cross-checked the data from both sources to ensure that conclusions and recommendations were
aligned and based on data collected from the study. By using the triangulation strategy during
design, data collection, and data analysis, the researcher worked to ensure that the study is
credible and that conclusions drawn do not reflect researcher biases and assumptions.
A second strategy the researcher used to increase credibility and trustworthiness was to
search for discrepant evidence or negative cases, including during the data analysis portion of the
study. This strategy aids in increasing the credibility of the study because the researcher
rigorously examines both supporting data and discrepant data to determine whether conclusions
should be revised (Maxwell, 2012). This strategy tests the researcher’s biases and directs the
researcher not to ignore data that doesn’t fit into the conclusions of the study (Maxwell, 2012).
This strategy was used during the data analysis phase by revisiting the data with a peer once
conclusions were drafted. Discrepant evidence was highlighted and reviewed to determine
whether the conclusions of the needed to be adjusted.
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Validity and Reliability
The researcher used several strategies to increase the validity and reliability of the study.
Reliability of a tool is the degree to which it measures something consistently (Salkind, 2016).
Reliability of the survey was prioritized by having a set of clear directions that each respondent
read before completing the survey (Salkind, 2016). Additionally, each construct was assessed by
at least two items as raising the number of items that assess a given construct increases reliability
(Salkind, 2016). The researcher has also considered the timing of the survey.
Validity is the extent to which an assessment tool measures what it sets out to (Salkind,
2016). Construct validity can be assessed by correlating data with theorized outcomes that reflect
the constructs for the study (Salkind, 2016). To increase construct validity, the researcher has
aligned each survey question to the study’s conceptual framework. Response bias is the influence
that would occur if data from nonresponders would significantly alter results (Creswell, 2014).
To mitigate response bias, the researcher used a wave analysis, whereby data on certain items
were analyzed based on the week the survey was completed to determine if there were a shift in
the data based on the timing of the response with a focus on determining any gaps from those
who filled out the survey at the end of the response window (Creswell, 2014). To increase the
response rate, the survey was sent to teacher candidates recruited by the recruitment team along
with reminders to those who had not completed the survey.
Ethics
As this study involves human subjects, the researcher is responsible for ensuring that no
harm comes to the participants in the study. According to Rubin and Rubin (2012), researchers
must abide by codes of ethics so that participants are respected and not pressured or coerced
during or as a result of their participation in the study. Informed consent information was shared
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with all participants at the onset of the study. The researcher abided by the principles laid out by
Glesne (2011) in that participants were informed that their participation was voluntary, that their
responses were to be kept confidential, and that they could cease to participate in any time. When
conducting interviews, this information was shared with each participant to gain permission to
record and ensure that participants were informed about the nature of the study.
Participants should have full confidence that any information they share will remain
anonymous (Glesne, 2011). To ensure that this is the case, both the quantitative and qualitative
data are here presented without any identifying information. The researcher gained approval for
this study through the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and
followed its ethics guidelines to protect the participants in the study.
The study was conducted at the institution where the researcher is a faculty member.
Rubin and Rubin (2012) recommended that researchers be straightforward and honest with
participants. The researcher was forthcoming about her role within the organization and her
connection to the study when distributing the survey and during the interview protocol. As such,
potential confusion about the researcher’s role within the organization was addressed, and the
participants had the opportunity to opt out at any point. To ensure that the participants
understood the researcher’s role as an investigator and avoid any pressure or coercion, teacher
candidates from the campus where the researcher works were not included in the sample. Only
the researcher and the transcriber had access to the audio recordings of the interviews, and these
recordings were destroyed after they were transcribed.
The researcher acknowledges that she has some assumptions and biases related to the
participants in the study. The researcher has worked with hundreds of teacher candidates and so
has preconceptions about why teacher candidates might struggle with respect to hiring and
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certification. To ensure that the researcher self-monitored for these assumptions, the researcher
kept accurate data of all interviews and ensure that analysis was conducted based on the data
gathered as a part of this study.
Limitations and Delimitations
There were several limitations and delimitations of this study. A limitation in this study is
the extent to which respondents are truthful in their responses, particularly with respect to
sensitive issues such as their perceptions of the importance of racial matching of teachers.
Another limitation was response rate of the survey because 60 out of a potential 188 teacher
candidates completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 32%. One delimitation is that the
study excluded teacher candidates at the campus where the researcher was employed, lessening
the sample size. An additional delimitation is the length of the survey. To further assess each
knowledge, motivational, and organizational influence, it would be beneficial to have several
items per influence. The researcher decided to include a minimum of two items per influence to
keep the survey at a length that would encourage a high response rate from the limited sample.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 64
Chapter Four: Results and Findings
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree to which KGSE met its goal of
recruiting 250 teachers to its residency program by June 2018, at least 50% of whom identified
as people of color. This analysis focused on the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences that affected two driving factors for successful recruitment into the residency
program: teacher candidates’ decision to enroll in the program and getting hired at a school. As
KGSE’s teaching residency was an alternative certification program, applicants’ enrollment and
getting hired into a school-based were both necessary to begin coursework. Multiple methods
were used to analyze knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on teaching
candidates who entered the KGSE residency program in the summer of 2018. First, quantitative
data related to knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences were reviewed in order to
learn more about teacher candidates’ experiences as a cohort, by racial subgroup, and across
KGSE campuses. Next, qualitative data from interviewing a subset of participants was used to
further analyze decision-making, successes, and challenges with respect to entering the residency
program. The research questions that guided this study were:
1. To what extent is the organization meeting its goal of teacher candidates of color
being successfully recruited into the residency program?
2. What are the knowledge, motivational, and organizational elements related to
achieving this goal?
3. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and
stakeholder knowledge and motivation?
4. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of
knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 65
Participating Stakeholders
Study participants were current teacher residents recruited by the KGSE recruitment team
who entered the residency in summer 2018. The survey for the study was sent to all 188 KGSE
residents who applied to the program through KGSE’s recruitment team who were not enrolled
at the researcher’s home campus. Of those, 60 (32%) completed the survey. The racial
breakdown of the teacher candidates is displayed in Figures 3 and 4, and the breakdown of
candidates by their previous experience in Figure 5.

Figure 3. Participant identification as a person of color.

37.93%
62.07%
No Yes
Percentage of Survey Respondents
Do you Identify as a Person of Color?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 66

Figure 4. Survey participants by race.

Figure 5. Candidates’ occupations before joining the KGSE reaching residency.
Follow-up interviews were conducted with 10 teacher candidates who completed the
survey. Interview participants were prioritized by reviewing the quantitative data and ensuring
that the interview sample met the criterion of at least 60% identifying as people of color. In
particular, the researcher made sure that teachers from various racial groups were represented in
the sample to learn about the experiences and beliefs of candidates across racial subgroups. The
sample also purposefully included a diversity of previous occupations before enrolling at KGSE
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
Asian or Pacific
Islander
Black or African
American
Latinx Prefer not to
disclose
Two or more
races
White
Percentage of Survey
Respondents
Race
What is Your Race?
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
Employed in the
field of education
Employed outside
the field of
education
Other Student
Percentage of Respondents
Axis Title
What was your primary occupation prior to
applying to KGSE?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 67
to represent both diversity of age and diversity of experience. Additionally, the researcher
ensured that at a variety of KGSE campuses were represented to collect data about the student
experience across the institution. Ultimately, of the 10-person sample, 70% identified as
nonwhite, and the sample included seven different campuses from five geographic regions. Table
5 displays the interview participants by subgroup.
Table 5
Qualitative Participants and Subgroup Distribution
Name* Sex Race Region Previous
Occupation
Matt Male White Midwest Employed
outside of
education
Cameron Male Latinx South Employed
outside of
education
Alex Male Latinx South Employed
outside of
education
Joanna Female White Northeast Employed
in
education
Amber Female Black South Employed
in
education
Sarah Female White Southwest Student
Jessica Female Asian Northeast Employed
in
education
David Male Black South Employed
outside of
education
Melissa Female Two or
more races
South Employed
outside of
education
Stephanie Female Black South Student
*Pseudonyms replaced actual names, Region=part of the country where the candidate lives and
teaches.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 68
Findings
This chapter summarizes the findings related to research questions one to three. Within
each research question, the findings are organized by theme. The first portion of this chapter
addresses findings for the first research question that emerged from the qualitative and
quantitative data with respect to the number of teachers who entered KGSE’s residency program.
For the second and third research questions, the findings are organized using Clark and Estes’
(2008) gap analysis framework. The second section addresses research question two, which
focused on the knowledge and motivational influences related to achieving the goal. The section
that follows addresses the organizational influences present in research question three. Chapter
Four concludes by synthesizing the findings and explaining their significance. Chapter Five will
address the fourth research question and provide recommendations for the organization.
Research Question One
Research question one asked to what extent KGSE met its goal of recruiting 250 new
teachers, at least 50% of whom identified as people of color. To explore this, this section
discusses the quantitative data related to the number of teachers recruited, how teacher
candidates heard about the program, and the factors that drove their decision to apply to the
program. From this last idea, three themes emerged. First, teacher candidates who enrolled in the
program felt a strong mission alignment with KGSE. Second, financial factors like the
affordability of the program played an important role in decision-making. Third, additional
factors such as location and the components of the program also affected candidates. This section
concludes by synthesizing the findings for research question one.
KGSE recruited 221 candidates into the residency program to begin in summer of 2018.
Sixty-nine percent of those candidates identified as people of color, with 24% identifying as
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 69
Latinx and 40% as Black. While KGSE did not meet the target of the number of candidates
overall, the organization did meet the goal in terms of the representation of teachers of color in
the incoming residency cohort. Figures 6 and 7 show the recruited candidates by race and
identification as a person of color.

Figure 6. Recruited teacher candidates by race.

Figure 7. Recruited teacher candidate identification as a person of color.
29%
24%
40%
1%
3% 3%
0%
White Latinx Black Unknown Two or more
races
Asian American
Indian
Recruited Teacher Candidates by Race
69%
28%
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
People of Color White
Number of Teacher Candidates
Recruited Teacher Candidate Identification as
Person of Color
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 70
To evaluate KGSE’s progress toward its organizational goal, it is important to consider
the results of KGSE’s recruitment efforts in comparison to other teacher preparation programs.
While KGSE did not meet its organizational goal, the racial demographics of the new cohort
demonstrated that the KGSE cohort of new teacher residents was more racially diverse and
representative of K–12 student demographics than the national cohort. Of the residents recruited
by KGSE, 69% identified as people of color. Nationally, teacher preparation programs at
traditional schools of education enrolled 26% people of color, and alternative certification
programs based outside of institutions of higher education enrolled 41% people of color (U.S.
Department of Education, 2016). It is also important to consider the makeup of KGSE’s recruited
candidates as compared to the teaching population more broadly, especially in urban centers,
where KGSE primarily operates. Black and Latinx teachers comprised 8% and 9% of all
classroom teachers in 2014, respectively (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). In urban centers,
these figures were 12% and 13%, respectively (U.S. Department of Education, 2016) These data
demonstrate what while KGSE has not yet met its recruitment goals, the institution recruited
cohorts more racially diverse than the American teaching force at large, the teaching force in
inner cities, and cohorts at both traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs.
One measure of success for KGSE’s recruitment efforts was increasing the number of
applications overall, and specifically from people of color. When asked how teacher candidates
heard about KGSE before applying, two trends emerged. Teacher candidates learned about
KGSE through internet searches. In their interviews, teacher candidates said that they were
looking online for pathways of entry into the teaching profession and found the KGSE residency
as an option. Sarah, who identified as White, said, “I don’t think anyone actually told me about
it. I think I just came across it during a lot of internet research trying to find options.” Chris, who
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 71
identified as White, stated that when he was looking for teaching jobs the only alternative
certification program in his city offering a secondary math credential was KGSE, so, “I went to
the website and did a lot of looking through the materials.” Melissa, who identified as
multiracial, said she found helpful content online about, “what the philosophy is, what the
process is, what a lot of residents’ experience has been. Which is, to me, more real-life than just
like a promotional video.” Melissa also found Google reviews of the program helpful. Both
White teachers and nonwhite teachers of color found the program when conducting internet
searches for routes into the classroom.
The second trend that emerged from the qualitative data was that teacher candidates,
especially teacher candidates of color, heard about KGSE through strategic partnerships and
recruitment events. Alex, who identified as Latinx, said that he heard of the program “by chance”
through the partnership between KGSE and the school district where he lived. In addition to
partnerships, recruitment events reached a variety of teacher candidates. Joanna, a White teacher
candidate, heard about the program at an event targeted toward educators of color. She said, “I
was invited to . . . an Educators of Color Symposium. They had a lot of leaders from . . . this
general area at it, and I got to talking to one of the people to learn more about it.” Cameron, a
Latinx teacher candidate, learned about KGSE through a recruitment event at his undergraduate
institution. He said, “I actually came into contact with KGSE my final semester of undergrad,
and I was really enticed by the program.” While Chris wound up joining the program a year
later, he referred others based on what he had learned about the program. Chris said, “I went and
told my best friend about the program, and so he ended up doing it and was loving it.” Amber, a
Black teacher candidate, also heard about the program through word of mouth. She explained, “I
had interacted with a few people who were involved with [KGSE] . . . and had heard a lot of
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 72
good things about it and decided to conduct my own research.” Both word of mouth and
recruitment events targeted toward people of color helped drive candidates’ desire to join the
program. After candidates’ interest was piqued through meeting people affiliated with the
program and conducting internet research, they considered the institution’s mission as well as
practical factors like affordability and location when making their decisions to accept their offers
of admission.
Factors Affecting Candidates’ Decision-Making
An important measure of success in the recruitment process is converting applications
into accepted offers of admission. One theme that emerged from the qualitative and quantitative
data was that a wide variety of factors influenced teacher candidates’ decision to join KGSE’s
residency program. Candidates frequently referenced multiple factors in their decision-making
process. There were several factors that arose throughout the datasets that most substantially
affected recruitment of diverse teacher candidates into the residency program. Teacher
candidates were drawn to KGSE’s program because of their alignment with the mission and
practical considerations like affordability and teaching location. When asked which three factors
most drove the decision to accept the offer to join KGSE’s residency program, they answered
most often they were mission, salary and benefits, and program components. Figure 8 shows
which factors most influenced the decision to join the program.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 73

Figure 8. Factors most important when choosing to accept their offer of admission to KGSE.
The following sections explore the subthemes of teacher candidate decision-making.
First, teacher candidates were attracted to the program because of alignment with its mission.
Second, financial considerations were central to candidates’ decision-making. Other factors like
program length and the cohort feel also swayed some candidates’ decisions.
Alignment with Program’s Mission
Teacher candidates across racial lines were excited to work toward KGSE’s mission.
Sarah, a White teacher candidate, said that one of the reasons that she decided to join the
program was “the idea of closing the opportunity gap . . . wanting to be really grounded in social
justice and be culturally responsive.” To Sarah, the mission of closing the opportunity gap was
“a really big factor” in her choice. Jessica, an Asian teacher candidate, explained that she was
inspired by “KGSE’s hope to close the opportunity gap in high-needs areas.” David, a Black
teacher candidate, explained it was “attractive” to him that the program was working to benefit
graduate students coming from the same types of schools that the program currently serves. For
Amber, a Black teacher candidate, KGSE’s “ideals aligned very specifically with what I wanted
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Mission Location Components Salary/Compensation Reccomendations Other
Number of Responses
Which of these factors were most important to you when choosing to
accept your offer of admission to KGSE?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 74
to do as an educator.” For several candidates, closing gaps between White students and students
of color was an important factor in their decision-making.
Candidates also voiced alignment with KGSE’s goal of recruiting a racially diverse
population of teachers. David explained his perspective on the nexus between the program’s
mission and its affordability. He voiced that the program was oriented toward recruiting minority
teachers and elaborated: “I think that was even reflected in . . . the price of it . . . if you’re going
to recruit teachers from certain backgrounds like from urban centers or people of color . . . . they
might come from different socioeconomic statuses.” This statement demonstrates David’s view
that the affordability of the program is directly tied to its mission of diversity and social justice.
The following section details further findings related to the affordability of the program.
Financial Factors
Teacher salary and benefits and the affordability of program tuition affected teacher
candidates’ perceptions of their financial standing while participating in the program and
significantly influenced their decision to join the program. To illuminate the financial
considerations, out of five write-in responses to the survey that had candidates delineate their
decision-making factors for joining the program, four were related to the low tuition and
affordability of completing KGSE’s program.
Financial considerations were central to the decision-making process for several
candidates of color. Jessica said that she was considering several different teaching programs,
but that “affordability is really, really big.” She continued by saying that while she considered
other aspects of the program like the convenience of online classes, that, “price was very, very
up there in the decision-making process.” Several other candidates described the importance of
financial considerations. Melissa stated that receiving a salary during the residency program was
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 75
helpful and she found the tuition to be competitive. She stated, “A lot of times if you’re doing
your master’s, and maybe having to get two or three pat-time jobs just to maintain . . . with a
salary income, it just creates that stability so that I can focus on school and learning.”
Additionally, Stephanie explained that she knew she was going to need to use the FAFSA form
to apply for federal financial aid, but that financial considerations were still important to her in
joining the program. For Cameron, the financial considerations helped him feel better about
pursuing his passions. When voicing what was most central to his decision-making process, he
stated, “It’s gonna sound awful, but the financial aspect was great.” When choosing KGSE’s
residency, thinking through finances including salary and tuition were an important part of the
decision-making process.
For teacher candidates who were supporting families, the financial considerations were
especially paramount. John, a White teacher candidate, explained that having come from the
consulting field, “I’m coming from a different universe in terms of compensation. So I needed a
way to soften the blow for our family to make that transition.” John further explained that his
first consideration was salary at the school site, and his second consideration was affordability of
KGSE’s tuition. David, who identified as Black, was also supporting a family and considering
offers from multiple teaching residency programs. He stated that making more money through
KGSE’s program was a big factor and that when he considered making less money in the other
program, “I didn’t want to put my family in that position.”
Change in salary was a concern for all career changers, not only those supporting
families. Cameron, who identified as Latinx, described the difficulty in explaining his decision to
stop pursuing a degree in finance to his family and friends: “It was a very dark time in my life to
try and convince people that this was the right decision and I knew what I’m doing, I’m not
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 76
having my quarter-life crisis.” Cameron went on to explain that he worked to assuage their
concerns by discussing the tuition grants and the master’s degree that he was going to receive.
Teacher candidates had a challenging time with the financial ramifications of choosing a career
in teaching and that the affordability of KGSE was important in making this choice.
Another financial factor that influenced decision-making was student debt. When
discussing tuition, David said, “You can get a master’s, but it can be at a discounted cost. So
you’re not adding onto your student loans.” Amber also expressed satisfaction with not having to
take out additional loans for her degree. She stated, “I certainly did not want to go into any more
debt for the sake of education.” Additionally, Sarah noted, “Just the fact that I could do this
program, get a master’s in teaching without going into further debt when going into the world of
education played a big role in my decision.” Teacher candidates were averse to the idea of going
to further debt; being able to earn a master’s at KGSE at an affordable price significantly
affected decision-making.
Additional Factors Affecting Decision-Making
While they were not as strong as themes of mission, program components, and financial
considerations, there many other factors affected teacher candidates’ decision-making that KGSE
should consider in future recruitment efforts. Candidates appreciated having flexibility in
teaching location and being able to remain where they were previously living. For example,
Alex, who was changing careers, mentioned that he wanted to stay in his Southern city. If he
were offered a position in another city, he said, “I probably would have opted out.” Sarah, who
had just finished her undergraduate degree, voiced that location was one of her top factors
because many residency programs are on the East Coast and she wanted to stay in the Southwest.
For her, the campus location was a “big draw.” Amber was considering moving home to the
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 77
Midwest or staying in her Southern city in which she completed her undergraduate degree. She
decided to stay in the South after learning that the certification requirements in her home state
were “a lot more strenuous.” Relocating was a strong consideration for teacher candidates.
The length of the program was another consideration, particularly for teacher candidates
of color. David, who identified as Black, voiced shared that the other programs he was
considering were longer, and that affected his decision-making both financially and in terms of
his passion for the job. He stated, “I wanted to be prepared, but I didn’t want to take 2 years to
become a teacher of record. One year would be great. And then the second year, being able to
earn my master’s, that was appealing to me.” For different reasons, Jessica, an Asian teacher
candidate, was also drawn to the length of the program. She was not sure that she wanted to go
into teaching long-term, and appreciated the limited commitment. She explained, “I kind of
wasn’t sure where I would be in a couple years, so that it was kind of brief, and in 2 years over,
was very appreciated.” Conversely, Cameron, who identified as Latinx, wanted to make sure that
the preparation was sufficient. He said, “Well, education isn’t that simple. It’s not a field where
you can just get a degree and then get in and you’re this great teacher. There’s a lot of prep for
it.” To Cameron, the length of the training and the fact that the degree was a masters in teaching
not in education was appealing. Teacher candidates felt that the program was the right length of
time in terms of becoming prepared to be teachers while not having a lengthy commitment
afterward.
Additionally, it was important to teacher candidates to become certified teachers as a part
of the residency program. For candidates new to teaching, credentialing was an important part of
entering the profession. David expressed that he wanted to become certified to be a “qualified
educator.” He also appreciated a program structure that allowed him to become certified while
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 78
participating in the program as opposed to having to work at a job outside the field of education
while studying for certification exams and preparing to enter the field of teaching. For others
who had taught previously, credentialing was a pathway to a stronger career trajectory within
teaching. Joanna felt that she would have “more opportunity” as a result of getting certified “the
right way.” She was excited to know that after obtaining certification she would be able to teach
anywhere in the state as opposed to only private schools, which she felt was “very limiting.”
Chris also had previous experience in private schools and for him the credential was the “first
foundational thing” because he wanted to be able to teach in any public school. Teacher
candidates considered the certification process when deciding to join the program both because
they wanted to be qualified educators and because they were eager to have expanded career
opportunities in the future.
In considering progress toward KGSE’s goal of recruiting 250 new teaching residents, at
least 50% of whom identified as people of color, there were several factors that drove teacher
candidates’ decision-making. In addition to mission alignment and affordability were practical
factors like teaching location, program length, and credentialing. An additional factor important
to candidate decision-making was the structure and content of the residency program.
Declarative knowledge of residency program components will be discussed in further detail with
the findings for research question two.
Research Question One: Findings Synthesis
While KGSE did not meet its goal of recruiting 250 new teaching residents, at least 50%
of whom identified as people of color, the cohort of teaching residents that KGSE recruited for
2018 was more racially diverse with a higher proportion of teachers of color than other teacher
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 79
preparation programs. KGSE is also exceeding the clause of the goal dedicated to racial
representation, with over 50% of recruited applicants identifying as people of color.
The study revealed a range of different factors that drove teacher candidate decision-
making and therefore affected the success of KGSE’s recruitment system. Mission alignment
was one of the driving factors that aligned both with candidates’ decisions to apply to the
program and with their decision ultimately to enroll. Along with alignment of values, teacher
candidates strongly considered the financial implications of joining the program. Particularly for
those supporting families and for those changing careers, the financial limitations of teaching
resident salaries along with graduate school tuition were important considerations. For many
candidates, subsidized graduate school tuition contributed to their decision to join and helped
them reconcile the idea of earning a lower salary. Logistical considerations like avoiding
relocation and not having to sign on for a multiple-year commitment to earn the master’s degree
also attracted candidates to KGSE’s program. Recommendations for how the organization should
revise future marketing and application materials to align with these drivers of teacher candidate
decisions will be addressed in Chapter 5. The following section focuses on research question two
and will describe key findings with respect to knowledge and motivation influences on teacher
recruitment.
Research Question Two
Research question two explored what knowledge, motivational, and organizational
influences that affected achievement of the organizational goal of recruiting 250 teachers to the
residency program, at least 50% of whom identified as people of color. This section focuses
primarily on the knowledge and motivational influences. Organizational influences will be
further detailed in the following section for research question three. Some of the knowledge and
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 80
motivational influences were validated by the findings of the study; others were not supported.
This section details the findings of the study related to knowledge and motivational influences.
Knowledge Influences on Teacher Recruitment
As discussed in the findings for research question one, the structure and programmatic
components of KGSE’s residency were driving factors behind candidates’ decision to join.
However, candidates’ knowledge of the components of residencies and what was most important
to them about these components varied. One additional knowledge influence was validated in the
data: varying state requirements and previous experiences with certification led to different
perceptions of the conceptual knowledge necessary to pass certification exams. Both influences
will be discussed in this section.
Limited declarative knowledge of residency programs. When applying to the
residency program, teacher candidates had limited declarative knowledge of what residency
programs were. Alex, a Latinx male, stated, “I’ve only heard of alternate certificate [lead
teacher] programs. And I had never heard of residency programs before. So when looking into it,
I thought it was a really unique opportunity.” He also voiced that his mother, a teacher, was
surprised by the benefits the program offered. He recounted her asking, “Are you sure it’s not a
scam? That sounds too good to be true. You’re telling me they’re going to give you a master’s . .
. [and] hands-on experience? They’re gonna give you a job and you’re gonna get certified.”
Joanna, a White resident, discussed hearing about the residency at a symposium for educators of
color. While she had not heard of residency programs before, when she learned about the
program from current residents, she said she thought, “You know what? This is exactly what I’m
looking for because it’s a great alternative for certification that I need.” Teacher candidates
shared the sentiment that after learning about KGSE’s residency program, they found it to be a
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 81
strong match for what they were looking for among options for entering the teaching profession.
After learning more about what the residency program entailed, one of the aspects that teacher
candidates found most compelling was the ability to gain significant hands-on experience in
teaching, especially when compared to other routes into the profession. All teacher candidates of
color expressed their desire for the practical experience that the program offered. Alex was
considering other alternative certification programs in which he would have been a lead teacher
right away. He said that he transferred into the residency program for the “hands-on experience”
that he would not have received in the other program. Jessica wanted to be “getting the real-time
experience from the start.” For Stephanie, the practice and in the moment feedback delivered the
program were appealing. She stated that “majoring in education and then going through the
KGSE program is totally different because you’re getting in the classroom.” Melissa also voiced
the desire for classroom experience in stating that when applying and learning about the
program, the residency did not seem “fluffy” and that it contained “real-life, practical tools that
you can use in the classroom.” David framed his desire for hands-on experience by naming how
the program would help him learn better: “I’m going to be learning these things, and putting
them into practice so that they solidify and I understand them better.” He said that he felt that
this practice was lacking in other programs. When learning about the structure of the residency,
candidates were eager to gain practical experience in the classroom.
Another appealing component of the program was the gradual release of responsibility as
they spent the year preparing to take on roles as lead teachers. Several candidates had heard
about the challenges of being a first-year teacher from others and were eager to have a different
experience. Sarah captured this idea: “I really like the idea of a residency model because I’ve
heard that the first year is just one of the hardest years of teaching. I really like that idea of taking
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 82
classes while also working alongside an experienced teacher and gradually progressing in a way
that would be a little bit more in depth than a traditional student teaching model.” Candidates did
not want to be thrown into full-time teaching roles, but rather wanted the experience of having
the time to learn the role. Sarah wanted to take things more slowly than other alternative
certification models offered. She appreciated the idea of an “extended student-teacher role . . .
being underneath a full-time teacher and getting to take everything in in a low-pressure
environment and gradually build up the responsibility.” Joanna also appreciated the differences
from other models in saying, “When I learned that KGSE kind of did something very different in
that . . . you spent a whole year in one classroom, I just thought, wow! This is much better than
any of the alternative routes that I had looked into.” David expressed the desire to have
significant training before taking on a role as a lead teacher because he wanted to be adequately
prepared. He wanted to have the “opportunity to learn from someone else” so that he wouldn’t be
a “detriment to the kids.” The idea of a gradual release was important to the teacher candidates
so that they had the time to learn the craft. Gradual release was one of the components that
separated KGSE’s residency programs from other programs during the decision-making process.
When making the decision to join KGSE, the interviewees found these program components
important factors in deciding to join the program.
In the survey item asking candidates to rank the options that drove their acceptance of
their offers of admission, “program components” was the most popular choice. When asked to
rate their level of agreement with the statement, “Teacher residency programs are more effective
than other pathways of entry into the teaching profession,” 84% agreed or strongly agreed.
Across racial groups, Asian and Latinx students had 100% rates of overall agreement, while
Black teacher candidates demonstrated 76% agreement, and White teacher candidates
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 83
demonstrated 78% agreement. The components emblematic of residency programs were often
cited when candidates were asked to explain their responses. One candidate of color who
strongly agreed shared that residency programs allow people to learn “basic and foundational
skills to become an effective teacher, to work out your ‘why’ of teaching in a safe context and
realistically evaluate if a teaching career is suitable for you.” Another candidate of color said,
“The first years of teaching are notoriously difficult, but a residency year offers a practical way
to gradually take on responsibility and enter the profession.” Several candidates compared
residencies to other alternative certification programs and expressed that the residency program
was more supportive because of the gradual release.
For candidates who did not agree that residency programs were inherently more effective,
this perspective was explained further by comments like, ‘I think it highly depends on the type of
preparation, resident/mentor relationships, the school pedagogy.” Candidates generally agreed
that residency programs were more effective, but those that did not cited variability of
implementation as a factor in the effectiveness of the program.
State certification requirements and race. Teacher candidates expressed variable
experiences with the certification process. Out of the survey respondents, 85% were still working
toward state certification, and 15% were certified. When asked if they were prepared to meet
certification requirements, 87% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed. There was variability
by race in the responses to this question. Figure 9 shows the responses to the question of the
extent to which candidates felt prepared to meet certification requirements by race. While 61%
of White teacher candidates strongly agreed that they were prepared to meet state certification
requirements, only 37% of the overall respondents strongly agreed. Twenty-two percent of both
Black and Latinx teacher candidates strongly agreed that they were prepared. As discussed in
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 84
Chapter 2, certification requirements have been a barrier to entry into the teaching profession for
teachers of color. This barrier is validated by the findings of the study.

Figure 9. Teacher candidates’ preparedness for state certification by race.
When asked which factors most affected preparedness to obtain certification,
preparedness to pass certification exams was the biggest factor that arose in the data. Figure 10
shows the factors that contributed to candidates’ feelings of preparedness in the certification
process. While one student cited financial factors as a challenge, the data were concentrated
around preparedness to pass certification exams, with 48% of students overall citing this as the
biggest factor affecting their progress with obtaining state certification. Twenty percent of
candidates said that they needed more time to complete the requirements, and 29% selected
100%
0%
87%
13%
77%
23%
75%
25%
88%
12%
Prepared/Somewhat Prepared Unprepared/Somewhat Unprepared
Teacher Candidate Preparedness for State
Certification by Race
Asian or Pacific Islander Black or African American Latinx
Two or more races White
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 85
understanding of certification process logistics as the barrier.

Figure 10. Factors affecting teacher candidates’ preparedness for certification.
Preparedness to pass exams was the biggest barrier for White, Black, and Asian teacher
candidates, and was tied for the biggest barrier among Latinx participants. When asked to share
more, they primarily said the desire to prepare for exams. Anonymous survey participants
mentioned the need to “complete my mathematics studying,” “difficulty finding time to
sufficiently prepare for the Praxis two exam,” and wanting “to be sure I am properly prepared to
take the Praxis” as challenges in the certification process. This topic was also discussed during
interviews. Melissa, who identified as multiracial, voiced, “Since I’ve been out of school for a
while now, I think it’s just, getting the test-taking strategies, working through those blocks . . .
it’s a tight deadline depending on how long you’ve been away from school.” Teacher candidates
felt that they needed more time to study to build and demonstrate the knowledge necessary to
pass their exams. Perceptions of preparedness to pass certification exams affected candidates’
experience with the certification process, particularly for teacher candidates of color. When
asked about the conceptual knowledge necessary to pass certification exams, data also varied
100%
48%
22%
30%
33% 33% 33%
25%
50%
25%
61%
11%
28%
Financial factors Preparedness to pass
certification exams
Time to complete
requirements
Understanding of
certification process logistics
Which of the following factors most contributed to your
preparedness to pass state certification exams?
Asian or Pacific Islander Black or African American Latinx Two or more races White
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 86
based on race. Eighty three percent of teacher candidates agreed or strongly agreed that they had
the subject-specific knowledge to pass their certification exams. However, all 10 candidates who
disagreed or strongly disagreed with this question identified as people of color, with seven of the
10 identifying as Black and two as Latinx. Math was the most challenging subject for interview
participants, with two teachers of color discussing that they needed to devote extra study to the
math portion. Amber, who identified as Black, shared, “I need to retake the math portion . . . I’m
in the middle of getting tutored for that because math was not my strongest subject.” When asked
about their conceptual knowledge as related to their knowledge of teaching necessary to pass
certification exams, they again strongly agreed, 76% of teacher candidates agreeing or strongly
agreeing that they had the teaching-related knowledge to pass the exams. A similar trend arose in
the racial breakdown of the data. Of the 14 teacher candidates who disagreed or strongly
disagreed that they had the necessary knowledge, all 14 identified as people of color, with 10
identifying as Black, three Latinx, and one multiracial. Figures 11 and 12 show candidates’
perceptions of their subject-specific and pedagogical knowledge necessary to pass certification
exams by race.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 87

Figure 11. Candidates’ perception of their subject-specific knowledge necessary to pass
certification exams.

Figure 12. Candidates’ perception of their teaching knowledge necessary to pass certification
exams.
67%
70%
78%
100% 100%
33%
30%
22%
Asian or Pacific
Islander
Black or African
American
Latinx Two or more races White
Race
I have the subject-specificknowledge (i.e. math/history
content knowledge) necessary to pass certification exams.
Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
100%
57%
66%
75%
100%
43%
33%
25%
Asian or Pacific
Islander
Black or African
American
Latinx Two or more
races
White
Race
I have the teaching-related knowledge and skills that are
necessary to pass certification exams.
Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 88

Teacher candidates demonstrated varying levels of both knowledge and self-efficacy with
respect to preparedness in the certification process. The data varied by race in that teacher
candidates of color, particularly those who identified as Black, had higher rates of disagreement
with their perception of their preparedness to pass certification exams. While this study did not
collect individual pass rates on certification exams, these data align with trends about barriers to
entry for teachers of color discussed in Chapter Two in that teachers of color struggle
disproportionately with certification exams (Ingersoll & May, 2011).
Motivation Influences on Teacher Recruitment
Two assumed motivation influences were discussed in Chapter Two of the study. The
first was that teacher candidates needed to see the utility of completing a residency program. The
second was they needed to attribute their success in the hiring process to their own hard work
and effort. The data revealed that teachers saw the utility of the residency program with respect
to the program helping them meet their short- and long-term goals both within and outside of
teaching. Teachers generally felt efficacious during the hiring process and thought that being
hired was within reach, but their level of confidence varied based on their perceived expectations
of the hiring manager at the school partner.
Utility of the residency program. Overall, teacher candidates felt strongly that
completing a residency program would help them meet their long-term career goals. Ninety-
seven percent of candidates agreed or strongly agreed that the residency would help them meet
their long-term career goals, with 60% strongly agreeing. Figure 13 shows candidates’ responses
to the question of where they see themselves in 5 years. With respect to their 5-year plans, the
vast majority of survey respondents saw themselves still in the field of education, with 57% of
survey respondents responding that they planned to be classroom teachers, and 31% saying that
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 89
they planned to hold other roles in education.

Figure 13. Teacher candidates’ 5-year plans.
All teacher candidates interviewed voiced the desire to stay in the field of education.
Teacher candidates had varying long-term career goals, both inside and outside of schools. Of
those seeking to leave schools, Amber, a Black teacher candidate, sought to continue her studies
by earning a PhD and affecting large-scale change in education reform. Cameron, a Latinx
teacher candidate, also said the desire to work in education reform on things like assessment
policy or potentially joining the Peace Corps. He voiced, “I think that having the MAT is a really
good bridge for what I want to do in terms of international education.” For other teacher
candidates who wanted to stay in education, some expressed the desire to stay in the classroom,
whereas others wanted to take on other leadership roles like instructional coach, mentor, or
guidance counselor. Joanna was eager to become an advisor for future participants in the
residency program. Alex voiced the desire to apply his learnings as an instructional coach. He
shared, “I definitely believe in the pathology behind a certain type of instruction . . . .and I just
really want to help build those mindsets in other instructors.” The qualitative data demonstrated
57%
3%
31%
2%
5%
2%
Classroom
teacher
School
administrator
Other role in
education
Graduate schoolOther role not in
education
Other
Where do you see yourself in five years?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 90
teacher candidates’ strong desire to remain in the field of education. Teacher candidates felt that
the skills and knowledge that they learned during the residency program would aid them in
achieving their long-term goals and in being successful with the roles that they sought to take on
in the future. For Alex, the modeling of strong instructional coaching was something that he
wanted to leverage in future years. He explained, “I’ve gotten really great feedback from my
advisors . . . all those resources, and all those experience, I want to utilize that as part of my
instructional coach opportunity.” For Joanna, the practicality of the program would help her
achieve her long-term goals of being a teacher and mentor for new residents. She shared, “I’m
getting knowledge beyond the textbook and I think that’s so important . . . to achieve my goals in
10 years, having had KGSE as the way I learned how to do things, I’ve already seen a huge
affect . . . ” Cameron also appreciated the practical training and said that KGSE provides the
opportunity not only to enter the profession and get a master’s degree, but that through the
program, “You get exposed to it to see if it really is what you want to do.” He shared that for his
long-term goals of working in education policy, “having this background and this experience is
gonna be very essential and foundational.” For teacher candidates, the utility of the program was
evident both in terms of learning how to be effective teachers, and in gaining the experience to
be successful in other roles.
Personal effort and KGSE assistance. Once accepted into KGSE’s residency program,
candidates needed to secure a job as a teaching resident at a local school partner. KGSE worked
to set candidates up on interviews at partner schools. Ninety-one percent of teacher candidates
agreed or strongly agreed that they had enough time to prepare for school interviews. Seventy-
eight percent of candidates attributed their success to their own efforts in the interview process
and agreed or strongly agreed that they secured school-based positions due to their own hard
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 91
work. Survey respondents mentioned “showing up to my interviews early,” “doing “research on
the schools I was interviewing with, and working hard “prepping” for interview. Also, teacher
candidates repeatedly mentioned the assistance that they got from KGSE in the hiring process.
Survey respondents who elaborated on their responses to the question about attributions in the
job search mentioned KGSE’s arranging the interviews and getting “a lot of support from
KGSE.”
Several teacher candidates mentioned KGSE’s mock interviews. One survey respondent
shared that the “mock interview was so helpful.” Alex appreciated the support of mock interview
questions and stated, “I love the feedback that they gave me on whether the responses would be
something that administrators would take into account when determining hires.” Stephanie also
appreciated the practice questions and said that she was prepared for the real interviews because,
“even though it’s not the same question, you lay out all of your ideas and you know what you
want to say, how you want to say it.” Alex shared that practicing the demo lesson during
KGSE’s interview process was helpful because, “I had to do it at least once before the real
interview.” When reflecting on their success in the interview process, teacher candidates
acknowledged both their own preparation as well as the support that they got from KGSE.
Self-efficacy with school interviews. When interviewing with schools, teacher
candidates had varying perceptions on the rigor of the interview process, and this affected their
feelings of preparation. Some felt that the interview process was minimally rigorous and the
school partner was almost certainly going to hire them, either out of necessity or because the
candidate had previously been vetted by KGSE. One survey respondent shared, “Although I
think that I definitely worked hard and gave my best, the school chose me out of necessity of
more residents.” Jessica, who works in a smaller urban district in the Northeast, shared that the
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 92
process “was a little intimidating” and that she was “not the most prepared.” However, she felt
that she was “prepared enough for what I believed their expectation was.” These statements
demonstrated that while Jessica did not feel that her skillset was in a place where she felt
confident taking on a role without previous teaching experience, she felt that her ability matched
what the school was looking for in terms of hiring teaching residents. Sarah, who was hired in
the Southwest, shared that the process was less rigorous than what she was expecting. She
expressed that she was “a little bit surprised because it was a lot more informal than I was
expecting.” She said that she was prepared to walk into the interview and state her case for why
she should be hired, but that she was instead asked questions to see which school would be a
strong fit for her within the charter network.
Conversely, some teacher candidates felt that the process was significantly more rigorous
and felt anxiety about getting hired. Several candidates stated that they would have appreciated
more information on the specific school that they were going to be interviewing with. Alex stated
that he would have liked to do more background research because he believes that “as a
candidate, you should have some sort of background knowledge of who you’re interviewing
with.” He did not have the opportunity because he was not told which specific school he would
be interviewing with in advance. Melissa shared the sentiment. She wanted more information
about the school, its mission, and demographics because “each school has different goals, and
different targets. Probably in my first two [interviews] I did well. But with the CEO, I will admit,
it was a little bumpy.” For Matt, who was hired in a large, urban district in the Midwest, the
expectations of the demo lesson felt challenging. Though he had been a teacher before, he did
not feel prepared to be interviewing in a different school context from where he had taught
because he wasn’t clear on the criteria for success. He shared that KGSE could improve its
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 93
interview supports in that, “If there are folks locally who have worked with these partners before
and they know what they’re looking for, then it would be really helpful to say, ‘People in the past
who’ve done well in this interview process, this is what it looks like.’”
Matt expressed that there was a disconnect between his preparation and what the school
was looking for in terms of lesson planning and teaching style. Matt was not offered a job with
that charter network and wound up being hired through KGSE’s partnership with the local
district. The interview and hiring experiences were variable, and candidates’ self-efficacy in the
process ranged with teacher candidates’ perception of their alignment with the expectations of
the partner organization.
Research Question Two: Findings Synthesis
The data from the surveys and interviews revealed that most teacher candidates had
strong declarative knowledge and investment in the components of the residency program after
beginning the program, and that this investment contributed to viewing the utility of the
residency program with respect to meeting both short- and long-term goals. There was increased
variability with respect to teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge and skills related to
certification and hiring. These aspects of the recruitment process varied more substantially by
state and campus than by the components of the program. The study revealed that self-perception
of the knowledge necessary to pass certification exams varied by race, with White teacher
candidates feeling more confident in their knowledge and teacher candidates of color feeling less
confident. With respect to the hiring process, candidates’ views varied based on their experiences
with specific partner organizations. The following section discusses organizational influences on
teacher recruitment.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 94
Research Question Three
Research question three explored the organizational influences and their impact on
teacher candidate knowledge and motivation with respect to KGSE’s achieving its goal of
recruiting 250 teacher candidates into its residency program, 50% of whom identified as people
of color. The findings for research question three concur with the findings for the first two
research questions in that candidates demonstrated strong alignment with the organizational
mission of KGSE. The organizational influences in the study further explored teacher
candidates’ beliefs and values with respect to teaching in communities of color. This section
details findings related to the organizational influences of the study.
Organizational Influences on Teacher Recruitment
With respect to the organization’s cultural settings, candidates felt supported during the
application process and felt that they had the information needed to be successful. Regarding
cultural models, teacher candidates demonstrated strong mission alignment with KGSE in that
they desired to serve high-need communities. Teacher candidates also demonstrated a belief in
the importance of racial matching between teachers and students, though they questioned the
extent to which racial matching was necessary for student success. These findings will be
discussed in further detail in the sections that follow.
Teacher candidates felt supported. For KGSE to meet its goal of recruiting 250 new
teacher candidates into its residency program, at least 50% of whom identified as people of
color, applicants needed to navigate the application process. Teacher candidates across racial
lines felt that they were able to do so. Ninety-three percent of teacher candidates agreed or
strongly agreed that they were able to access the information that they needed to complete the
KGSE application including getting their questions answered and accessing the necessary online
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 95
portals. In their interviews, teacher candidates also said that the process felt intuitive and helpful
in terms of learning about the program. Cameron felt that the process was “sequential, so it was
like every round you kind of got more insight into the program.” With respect to logistics, he
also shared, “I always felt like I could get my questions answered” and that emails would not
linger for days or weeks. David agreed that the process helped him learn more about entering the
profession because he was told what he would be qualified to teach based on his transcript, and
he started to be able to think about which grade levels he was interested in. He voiced, “Man, I
think this is giving me more vision as I go along.” Candidates generally felt that the application
process went smoothly and that they had the information required to be successful. With respect
to areas of growth for the process, candidates like Sarah would have liked more “contact with
humans” via phone or in person as opposed to email and to have more open slots for calls outside
of traditional work hours.
High-needs schools. As discussed in the findings for research question one, teacher
candidates demonstrated strong mission alignment with KGSE. Candidates supported KGSE’s
mission of closing the achievement gap between White students and students of color. Some
expressed a desire to teach in high-needs schools in urban communities and to serve students of
color. Responses varied by race. Overall, 83% of teacher candidates agreed or strongly agreed
that it was important to them to teach in a community of color. This percentage was even higher
for Black and Latinx teacher candidates, at 96% (22/23) and 89% (8/9) respectively. For White
teacher candidates, this number was lower at 66% (12/18). Figure 14 shows teacher candidates’
agreement with the statement, “It is important to me to teach in a community where the majority
of students identify as people of color,” broken down by race.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 96

Figure 14. Importance to teacher candidates of teaching in a community of color.
Teacher candidates recognized that as part of KGSE’s program they would be working in
an urban district with a high population of students of color. Teacher candidates who identified
as White said that they welcomed this. Sarah said she knew she would be in a school that would
have primarily students of color and students who qualified for free or reduced price lunch. She
stated that being in a school with those demographics was important to her because “I am in a
program that wants to close the opportunity gap.” Similarly, Matt shared that he “knew going in”
that he would be placed in a school that was “majority nonwhite.” He added, “I think that was
important to me.” Additionally, a White teacher candidate who filled out the survey stated,
“People of color are systemically marginalized at every level in the United States. Having an
opportunity to be a part of changing the education process by serving communities that need
teachers is important to me.” Part of the reason that White teachers were driven to join KGSE’s
program was the belief that they would be teaching students of color and working to close the
achievement gap.
67%
96%
88%
100%
66%
33%
4%
12%
0%
33%
Asian Black or African
American
Latinx Two or More Races White
Race
It is important to me to teach in a community where the
majority of students identify aspeople of color
Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 97
Teacher candidates of color offered different reasons for wanting to teach in communities
of color, focusing on shared experiences with their prospective students. Amber shared that she
was “blatant” and “open” about preferring to teach students of color, specifically Black students.
She explained, “Because I’m a Black woman, I understand how important education is now . . .
that is something I want to impart to students of color.” Cameron, who identified as Latinx,
explained:
I’m a first-generation student. I’m an English language learner. I’m a child of immigrant
parents. I was also low income, so a lot of that really shaped the type of community I
wanted to be involved in . . . .I just felt like it would be more fulfilling and I’d be able to
relate more to my students if I went to a demographic that looked more like me.
Alex, who also identified as Latinx but did not identify as a person of color, shared that
while the racial demographics did not matter to him as much, he wanted to serve students who
were “at risk, low-income, affected by dropout rates” because they were demographically similar
to him. He stated, “I wanted to use [education] as a platform to help inspire other students in
similar circumstances.” Teacher candidates who did not identify as White were invested in
teaching students of color to have an impact on students whose demographics felt similar to
theirs.
Racial matching of students and teachers. Teacher candidates demonstrated high levels
of agreement when asked if students of color benefit from having teachers of color. Ninety-three
percent of teacher candidates agreed or strongly agreed that it is important for students of color
to have teachers of color. One hundred percent of White teacher candidates agreed or strongly
agreed with this statement. Of the candidates who disagreed, three identified as Black, and one
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 98
identified as multiracial. Figure 15 shows responses to this item broken down by race.

Figure 15. Teacher candidates’ agreement it is important for students of color to have teachers of
color.

Teacher candidates echoed findings from the literature that teachers of color can be
strong role models for students of color because they can see themselves in the classroom’s
figures of authority (Atkins & Wilkins, 2014; Irvine & Fenwick, 2011; Pitts, 2007). Stephanie, a
Black teacher candidate, said:
I think in general it helps to see people who look like you in everything you see . . . .Just
to know that you can be that person, there aren’t specific parameters-because you are of
color you don’t do that, or you don’t get that job, that’s not for you.
Melissa, who identified as multiracial, shared that while teachers of color are important, when
that is not possible there should be someone of similar demographics as the students within the
school because it shows students, “You’re important. Look what I’ve done, you can do it to.”
She added that the curriculum and classroom environments need to celebrate the backgrounds of
100%
87%
100%
75%
100%
13%
25%
Asian Black or African
American
Latinx Two or More Races White
Race
It is important for students of color to have teachers of color.
Agree/Strongly Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 99
the students. Matt, a White teacher candidate, shared, “Yeah, I think it’s important for students to
at least have some people that they can identify as role models and examples of someone who’s
successfully navigated the formal education system and gotten to the point of being a teacher.”
David, who identified as Black, said that racial matching is “hugely important” and explained
this through his lens as a parent in saying that after having a child:
The first think I thought about was . . . .the type of people that I surrounded myself with,
because that would affect how my child saw himself . . . .if the only people of color that
he saw had . . . certain types of jobs, he would see himself as like, “Oh, I could grow up
to become this or that.”
Teacher candidates across racial lines felt that it was important for students of color to have
racially matched teachers to see and learn from successful role models of color.
Several teacher candidates also expressed that racial matching with their students helped
them in the relationship-building process. Alex, a Latinx male, stated, “before you’re able to
actually build a personal connection with students, their first impression is, the teacher looks like
me.” Cameron, who also identified as Latinx, explained, “Having the opportunity to look like my
students is really great because they ask me questions about my family and what I wanted to do,
and how I ended up in teaching. You know, if I could do it, they can do it.” Teachers who felt
racial affinity with their students felt that racial matching helped them in the relationship-
building process. Teacher candidates felt that relationship building with students was paramount
and that effective relationship building could be accomplished across lines of difference as well.
Alex shared that while it is easier for racially matched teachers to form relationship with
students, “I think any teacher, regardless of race, can get there after building a relationship with
students and families. But I think it’s more difficult for teachers of a different race than their
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 100
students to start with immediate bonding.” Amber asserted that race, “doesn’t mean anything. So
for [students], as long as they can feel that we love them, and genuinely love and care for them
that takes precedent over anything.” For Jessica, who identified as a person of color but did not
feel racial affinity with her students, her perspective changed after entering the classroom. While
she previously thought of racial matching as very important, she shared that after working in a
school, “I think I’ve just a little bit more of a renewed faith in teachers who aren’t of color
teaching in those areas . . . I just realized there’s so much more to be said about just experience.”
While teacher candidates believed in the importance of students’ being able to see themselves in
their teachers, they thought that the quality of relationships built was an important factor in both
student and teacher success regardless of race.
Summary
The quantitative and qualitative data from the study demonstrate variety in teacher
candidates’ perspectives about the value of residency programs and their preparation to join the
programs. It was clear from the findings from both the surveys and the interviews that teacher
candidates demonstrate strong mission alignment with KGSE and see the value in completing a
residency program. The study revealed that teacher candidates considered financial factors
substantially when choosing a path of entry into the field of teaching because they did not want
to accrue additional student debt to do so. The findings from the study echo research that
residency programs lessen the financial burden and can be more effective at recruiting teachers
of color (Papay, 2012).
While teacher candidates’ knowledge of residency programs was limited before applying,
they built both knowledge investment while learning about the program, during the application
process, and once joining. After enrolling in the program, teacher candidates needed to work on
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 101
their state certification requirements and get hired into a school-based position. Their experience
with certification exams varied by location, recent experience with college coursework and
exams, and race. White teacher candidates felt more confident in their knowledge to pass
certification exams than did teacher candidates of color. Teacher candidates’ experiences in the
hiring process varied as well. Overall, teacher candidates felt comfortable in the hiring process
and attributed their successes to both their own work and the assistance that they received from
KGSE. However, experience in the interviews themselves varied based on teacher candidates’
perceptions of the interviewers’ expectations and how high a standard they were holding for their
applicants. Teacher candidates were motivated by KGSE’s mission and felt that the program
would help them to meet their short- and long-term goals both within and outside of the field of
education. With respect to organizational influences, teacher candidates demonstrated strong
alignment with KGSE’s mission of wanting to teach in high-need urban areas. Teacher
candidates believed strongly in racial matching between teachers and students for students to see
strong role models of color in the classroom, but they questioned the extent to which racial
matching was necessary to build strong student–teacher relationships.
For KGSE to meet its future recruitment targets, the organization should leverage the
mission alignment described above while working to mitigate challenges faced by new teacher
candidates such as affording a graduate education and feeling successful during the certification
and hiring process. In Chapter Five, these challenges will be discussed, and recommendations
will be presented.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 102
Chapter Five: Recommendations

This study evaluated the knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences present
in KGSE’s efforts to recruit new teachers of color into its residency program. The previous
chapter detailed findings from the quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Chapter Five
addresses the final research question: How can organizational practice in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources be improved? Recommendations are context-specific to
KGSE and are research-based both to increase the likelihood of effective implementation and to
be transferrable to other new teacher recruitment efforts. This chapter describes how the new
world Kirkpatrick model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) will be used to implement
recommendations and evaluate their effectiveness. As in Chapter Four, the recommendations are
organized by knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences. After discussion of
recommendations, a framework for implementation and evaluation is suggested. The chapter
concludes by describing the strengths and weaknesses of the study and recommendations for
future research.
Recommendations for Practice
Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
The data from surveys and interviews yielded findings related to knowledge, motivation,
and organization. The recommendations based on these findings are outlined in the following
sections. Table 6 lists the knowledge influences for the study and their probability of being
validated. Interviews and surveys were conducted to learn about teacher candidates’ declarative
and conceptual knowledge. Recommendations for each influence are listed in Table 6 as well.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 103
Table 6
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Knowledge
Influence
Principle and Citation Context-Specific Recommendation
Teacher candidates
need to know about
the benefits of the
program that they are
choosing to decide
whether to accept their
offer of admission. (D)
Information learned
meaningfully and connected
with prior knowledge is
stored more quickly and
remembered more accurately
because it is elaborated with
prior learning (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006)).
Develop a series of documents and
webinars to build on applicants’ prior
knowledge of Residency programs to
educate applicants about the benefits,
career affect, and affordability of
KGSE’s Residency program.
Teacher candidates
need the pedagogical
and content knowledge
necessary to pass
certification exams in
the state in which they
seek to teach. (C)
Managing intrinsic load by
segmenting complex
material into simpler parts
and pre-training, among
other strategies, enables
learning to be enhanced
(Kirshner, Kirshner, & Paas,
2006).
Provide differentiated certification
exam supports upon acceptance into
the program and before matriculation
over the summer, including test
preparation workshops that segment
the material into separate chunks for
which participants can study.

Declarative Knowledge Solutions
Declarative knowledge consists of basic elements that stakeholders must know to learn
about a discipline or context and solve problems within it (Krathwohl, 2002). It includes
knowledge of terminology or knowledge of specific details related to a given concept
(Krathwohl, 2002). This type of knowledge is important in developing one’s basic competency
in a new context (Rueda, 2011). Teacher candidates lack declarative knowledge about teacher
residency programs that would aid them in choosing to undertake a residency program and invest
in its impact on their long-term career goals. Information learned meaningfully and connected
with prior knowledge is stored more quickly and remembered more accurately because it
elaborates prior learning (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). As such, the recommendation is for
KGSE to develop a series of documents and webinars to build on applicants’ prior knowledge of
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 104
residency programs to educate applicants about the benefits and career affect of KGSE’s
residency program.
Possessing declarative knowledge of residency programs can influence the decisions of
teacher candidates in terms of choosing a pathway to entering the teaching profession. An
individual’s knowledge and experience in a field are critical information in decision-making
about entering a particular career (Farinde et al, 2015). Teacher residency programs include
components such as a year-long model integrating theory and practice, having a school-based
mentor, and creating a professional learning community (Berry et al., 2008). Providing additional
educational resources to educate teacher candidates would aid in decision-making because
teacher candidates should better understand the residency program’s affect on their short- and
long-term goals. They would have increased knowledge of benefits of residency programs to
counteract common barriers like unpaid student teaching (Epstein, 2005) and lack of mentoring
(Berry et al., 2008). The findings from the study demonstrated that the affordability of the
program was a major issue. KGSE should strategically market its affordability and program’s the
credentials so that prospective candidates understand the financial affect of undertaking a
master’s program where they will earn a salary and tuition is heavily subsidized.
Conceptual knowledge also encompasses interrelationships of elements of a given
structure (Krathwohl, 2002). Teacher candidates often lack the conceptual knowledge necessary
to pass certification exams, preventing them from securing employment and state certification.
Managing an intrinsic load by segmenting complex material into simpler parts and pretraining,
among other strategies, enables learning to be enhanced (Kirshner et al., 2006).
The recommendation is to provide teacher candidates differentiated certification exam
support upon acceptance into the program and before matriculation over the summer, including
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test preparation workshops that segment the material into separate chunks for which participants
can study. Teacher candidates need to pass certification exams to obtain their credentials. For
teacher candidates of color, the conceptual knowledge to pass certification exams has been a
barrier of entry into the profession (Villegas & Lucas, 2004). Barriers to entry such as
certification exams typically disproportionately affect teacher candidates of color (Epstein,
2005). The data from the study demonstrated that teacher candidates of color felt less confident
in their knowledge necessary to pass these exams. By providing additional test preparation
resources, KGSE will be able to work to counteract this barrier to entry and help ensure that its
teacher candidates are set up for success with hiring and the future coursework that they will
take. KGSE can use its certification preparation strategy as an opportunity to counteract
stereotypical threats felt by students of color with respect to certification exams. Teacher
candidates felt particularly intimidated by the math portions of the exams and sought
differentiated support based on whether they taught elementary or secondary school. Test
preparation workshops should be differentiated accordingly.
Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Table 7 lists the motivational influences for this study and lists theory-aligned
recommendations for each influence.
Table 7
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Motivation
Influence

Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Utility value: Teacher
candidates need to see
the value of completing
a Residency program
and the potential affect
Include rationales about the
importance and utility value of
the task (Pintrich, 2003).
Provide teacher candidates with
marketing and onboarding
materials that include rationale
for the utility value of a
residency program and its
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on their long-term
career goals.
potential affect on candidates’
careers.
Attributions: Teacher
candidates should feel
that securing
employment is within
their control and due to
their own efforts.
Provide accurate feedback that
identifies the skills or knowledge
the individual lacks, along with
communication that skills and
knowledge can be learned,
followed with the teaching of
these skills and knowledge
(Anderman & Anderman, 2009).
During the interview process,
provide teacher candidates
instruction and feedback related
to partner-specific criteria for
success for interview best
practices.

Utility Value
To make the decision to enroll in the KGSE teaching residency, teachers must see the
utility value of the program in reaching their career goals. In building motivation, it is helpful to
include rationales about the importance and utility value of the task (Pintrich, 2003). Both the
quantitative and qualitative data from the study demonstrated that teacher candidates who
successfully enrolled in the program saw the utility of a teaching residency program in meeting
their long-term goals.
To build utility value in prospective candidates, teacher candidates should be provided
with marketing and onboarding materials that include rationale for the utility value of a residency
program and its potential affect on candidates’ careers. To accept their position in the KGSE
teaching residency, teachers must see its value in reaching their career goals. As a short-term
goal, residency programs offer the opportunity to learn the profession while getting paid a salary
(Berry et al., 2008). To build rationale for utility value marketing, materials should include the
affect of the program on being able to finance graduate study and the long-term financial benefits
of the program.
Additionally, residency programs seek to retain teachers in the profession long-term
(Berry et al., 2008). The findings of the study demonstrated that several teacher candidates had
aspirations to move into leadership positions both in schools and in the field of education more
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broadly. Marketing and onboarding materials should include the affect of completing a residency
on long-term teaching prospects as well as other leadership positions in education.
Attributions
Attributions theory is central to motivation because when individuals believe that success
or failure on a goal is not a permanent state but rather is within their locus of control and
correlated to the effort they put in, they are more likely to persist and dedicate increased effort to
the task (Rueda, 2011). To enter the residency program, teacher candidates needed to secure a
job placement at a partner school. The findings from the study demonstrated that teacher
candidates largely felt prepared for their interviews as a result of their preparation and the mock
interviews conducted with KGSE staff. However, there was some misalignment with candidate
preparation and expectations of school partners. To build motivation, Anderman and Anderman
(2009) recommend providing accurate feedback that identifies the skills and knowledge the
individual lacks, along with communication that skills and knowledge can be learned, followed
with the teaching of these skills and knowledge.
In addition to role playing with interview questions, KGSE should provide teacher
candidates with interview best practices including demonstration lesson preparation and
feedback on mock interview questions that are aligned to partner-specific context and
expectations. Providing instruction and feedback during the interview process will help teacher
candidates feel that securing employment is within their locus of control. Teacher candidates
who are willing to work in different settings and who believe that finding employment is within
their control are more likely to secure employment. Boyd et al. (2013) stated that teacher
candidates flexible with work environments are more likely to find jobs than those with
potentially stronger qualifications who are not. Given that KGSE serves hard-to-staff schools,
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teacher candidates who are prepared with the necessary interview skills should work with the
team to build confidence and self-efficacy with the interview process.
Organizational Influences and Recommendations
Table 8 lists the organizational influences for the study as well as aligned
recommendations.
Table 8
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Organization
Influence

Principle and Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation
Cultural Model Influence 1:
Teacher candidates need to be
committed to working in
communities of color.

Activate personal interest
by providing choices and
control, subsequently
building upon personal
interests
and prior knowledge
(Schraw & Lehman,
2009).

Activate teacher candidates’
interest with application
questions related to working in
communities of color.
Cultural Model Influence 2:
Teacher candidates need to be
more representative of the
communities they will serve
and committed to increasing
representation of teachers of
color in communities of color.
Activate personal interest
by providing choices and
control, subsequently
building upon personal
interests
and prior knowledge
(Schraw & Lehman,
2009).

Results are redundant to
cultural model influence 1.
Cultural Setting Influence 1:
Teacher candidates need to get
their questions answered by
KGSE’s team during the
application process so that
they are able to submit all
necessary materials by the
deadline.
Identify environmental
influences that affect
behavior. (Tuckman,
2009)

Ensure teacher candidates have
a clear point person dedicated
to answering application
questions within one business
day.
Cultural Setting Influence 2:
Teacher candidates need
Identify environmental
influences that affect
Continue to communicate
clearly about interview
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enough time to effectively
prepare for school interviews.
behavior. (Tuckman,
2009)

timelines and provide
opportunities to prepare.

Cultural Model Influences
Successful recruitment of teacher candidates of color at KGSE was predicated on the
belief in the importance of teacher candidates of color working in communities of color.
Representation of teachers of color has positive affects for all students, particularly students of
color, as they are able to see role models of color as authority figures in the classroom. (Atkins et
al., 2014; Irvine & Fenwick, 2011). Teachers of color can positively affect student achievement
(Egalite et al., 2015) and self-esteem (Kokka, 2016; Madkins, 2011). Personal interest in a given
topic is activated by providing choices and control and further building upon interests and prior
knowledge (Schraw & Lehman, 2009). The teacher candidates surveyed and interviewed
demonstrated strong alignment with this belief.
KGSE should continue to recruit aligned candidates. To both gauge and activate
candidates’ interest in serving communities of color, questions related to this topic should be
built into the application for KGSE’s residency. To develop teacher candidates’ mindsets,
teacher education institutions need to provide opportunities for reflection all through the
candidates’ programs (Schussler, Stooksberry, & Bercaw, 2010). Starting reflective practice
about mindsets during the application process will help KGSE gauge mission alignment.
Application questions related to working in communities of color will help activate candidates’
interest in this topic and build on their prior knowledge and interests. They will need to reflect on
this belief in their application process, which will help them to gauge if the program meets their
interests and to meet their long-term career goals. Through these application questions, KGSE
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will be able to assess candidates’ alignment with the values and mission of the organization and
start to gauge whether they have the mindsets necessary to be successful in the program.
KGSE’s application and school interview process. Candidates must navigate KGSE’s
application process to enter the program and the teaching profession. Access to information is
necessary for success (Clark & Estes, 2008). There are many barriers to entering the teaching
profession. KGSE’s residency seeks to break down these barriers, and part of that work is
successful navigation of the application process. To impact behavior, organizations need to
identify environmental influences that affect behavior (Tuckman, 2009). Accordingly, KGSE
should centralize advising related to application questions so that candidates are able to receive
answers efficiently. Representatives of an institution can strongly affect student success in the
higher education transition process, particularly for students from nondominant racial or socio-
economic groups (Dowd, Pak, & Bensimon, 2003). Centralizing application advisement would
help teacher candidates overcome barriers to success with the application. This recommendation
would help candidates focus on the content of the application as opposed to logistical steps and
aid them with successfully transitioning into the KGSE community. While the survey and
interview results showed that teacher candidates generally felt supported during the application
process, candidates occasionally voiced the desire to speak to a person and have access to KGSE
staff after hours. Centralized advisement would allow students to speak to a person during the
application process as opposed to relying on email. Additionally, candidates liked the amount of
time that they had for interviews. Centralized advisement during the hiring process would allow
teacher candidates to continue to have a clear line of communication with KGSE staff during this
process.

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Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The evaluation framework used to inform the implementation and evaluation plan is the
New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The New World Kirkpatrick
Model (NWKM) has its foundations in Kirkpatrick’s four-level model of evaluation (Kirkpatrick
& Kirkpatrick, 2006). The NWKM is used for evaluating the results of training programs.
According to the model, evaluation plans should start with the organizational goals and analyze
the four levels in descending order beginning with Level 4 (results) and continuing to Level 3
(Behavior), Level 2 (Learning), and Level 1 (Reaction). As such, Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick
recommend starting with the desired outcomes and aligning those to critical behaviors to verify
that the plan is on track to achieve the desired results. Subsequently, the organization should
evaluate the extent to which the individuals in the stakeholder group are able to transfer their
learnings (Level 3). After the critical behaviors are solidified, the evaluators can consider
stakeholders’ learnings and the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and commitments they took away
from the training (Level 2). Finally, the organization can evaluate reactions to the training
including participant satisfaction (Level 1). Leveraging this model for implementation and
evaluation helps researchers bridge immediate action steps with the larger organizational goals
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations
KGSE’s organizational goal was to recruit 250 teachers nationally, 50% of whom
identified as people of color. The stakeholder goal was for teacher candidates to begin KGSE’s
residency program, meaning they accepted their offers of admission and secured school-based
teaching roles. This project examined the knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences
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that affected teacher candidates during the application and enrollment process. The proposed
solution, increased clarity of application materials and targeted support throughout the
application process, should produce the desired outcome of an increase in the number of teacher
candidates of color successfully recruited to the teacher residency program.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 9 shows the proposed Level 4 results and leading indicators. These results reflect
outcomes, metrics, and methods delineated by both internal and external outcomes for KGSE. If
the internal outcomes are met as a result of the proposed implementation, the external outcomes
should also be met.
Table 9
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes

Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
Increase the number of
teachers of color entering the
teaching profession.
Racial demographic data of
new teachers.
Analyze national teacher
prep program data on entry
and completion rates for
teachers of color.
Internal Outcomes
Develop and implement
application questions related
to interest in working in
communities of color.
The number of application
questions targeting candidate
mindsets about working in
communities of color.
Annual application review to
analyze the organizational
influences represented in the
questions.
Designate point person to
field application questions
within 2 business days.
Response rate for application
questions
Analyze Zendesk response
rates monthly.

Level 3: Behavior
Critical Behaviors
The stakeholders of focus were teacher candidates in the KGSE teaching residency
program. The first critical behavior was that teacher candidates completed their application to
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KGSE before the deadline. The second critical behavior was to secure employment in a school.
The third critical behavior was to pass their state-specific certification exams.
Table 10
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1. Complete
application to
KGSE before the
deadline
The number of
completed
applications
The teacher candidates will
complete all steps of the
application and upload all
supplementary materials.
Monthly
throughout the
application
season.
2. Secure a job
placement
Number of teacher
candidates who
receive Offer
letters
Teacher candidates will
interview with local school
partners until offered a job.
Weekly after
acceptance into
the program.
3. Pass state-
specific
certification exams
Number of teacher
candidates who
pass the exams
Teacher candidates will self-
report a passing score.
Before campus-
specific
certification
deadlines.

Required Drivers
Teacher candidates required support and clear guidelines from the KGSE admissions
team to submit their applications by the deadline. They also required support from the placement
team and motivation to secure job placements and meet state-specific certification requirements
to begin the residency program. Table 11 shows the recommended drivers to support critical
behaviors of teacher candidates.
Table 11
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical
Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing

Develop a series of documents and webinars to build
on applicants’ prior knowledge of Residency programs
Monthly, Project-
based connected to
admissions cycles
1,2,3
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to educate applicants about the benefits and career
impactof KGSE’s Residency program.
Provide certification exam supports upon acceptance
into the program and before matriculation over the
summer, including test preparation workshops that
segment the material into separate chunks for which
participants can study.
Monthly, Monthly,
Project-based
connected to
admissions cycles
3
Encouraging

Provide teacher candidates with marketing and
onboarding materials that include rationale for the
utility value of a residency program and its potential
impact on candidates’ careers.
Ongoing 1,2,3
During the interview process, provide teacher
candidates instruction and feedback from placement
liaisons related to the institution’s criteria for success
for interview best practices.
Monthly, Project-
based connected to
admissions cycles
2
Rewarding

Congratulatory notification to teacher candidate’s
school-based supervisor when KGSE enrollment and
certification and enrollment requirements are complete
Ongoing 2,3
Monitoring

Activate teacher candidates’ interest with application
questions related to working in communities of color.
Project-based 2
Ensure teacher candidates have a clear point person
dedicated to answering application questions within
one business day.
Ongoing 1

Organizational Support
To recruit teacher candidates, KGSE needed to support teacher candidates in meeting all
enrollment requirements. As such, KGSE needed to support teacher candidates in completing
their applications by the admissions cycle deadlines, finding a job placement, and completing
state-specific certification requirements.
To prepare for the next year of admissions, the admissions team will need to revamp its
marketing and recruitment materials before launch of the application. The team will also need to
revise the application before the start of admissions season to use targeted questions that will
allow teacher candidates to demonstrate the knowledge and dispositions necessary to obtain
employment at a partner school and successfully complete the program. The admissions team
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will leverage monthly team meetings to assess progress on the items listed above. Once the
admissions seasons launches, the team will meet weekly to assess progress, reflect, and adjust
implementation as necessary.
Level 2: Learning
Learning Goals
Upon completion of the solutions described above, teacher candidates will be able to:
• Articulate the components of a teacher residency
• Recognize the components of KGSE’s residency program
• Correctly complete their applications according to the guidelines
• Apply knowledge of pedagogy and content to pass certification exams
• Value the benefit of a residency program
Program
The learning goals listed above will be achieved through a training program that
familiarizes teacher candidates with the components and benefits of a teacher residency program
as a part of their application process. The teacher candidates will receive marketing materials and
attend webinars to build knowledge and investment in teacher residency programs. The
marketing materials will be distributed at career fairs and whenever candidates fill out interest
forms in the program. Webinars will take place at the beginning of each admissions cycle.
Additionally, there will be a point person available to answer all application questions within 1
business day to support teacher candidates with meeting the admissions deadlines.
Once accepted to the KGSE residency, the teacher candidates will be supported by the
training program through the certification and job placement process. Through asynchronous
webinars and virtual office hours, teacher candidates will learn about their state-specific
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certification requirements and resources available to prepare for their certification exams.
Teacher candidates will have the option of attending certification office hours to ask questions
related to certification requirements. The teacher candidates will also receive support with
finding job placements. They will attend synchronous interview preparation sessions with a
member of the placement team, and each candidate who does not get hired after their first
interview will have a one-on-one meeting with the member of the placement team to practice
their demo lesson and interview questions. During this time, candidates will receive feedback on
their interview skills and preparation. Learners should be able to demonstrate their newfound
knowledge coming out of the training by successfully meeting their certification requirements
and securing a teaching position. As such, Table 13 details the evaluation methods and timing for
these components of the learning process.
Evaluation of the Components of Learning.
Table 12
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”

Interview questions asking about the value of a residency During the application cycle
Application question certifying that the application is
complete
Upon submitting application
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”

Interview questions asking participants to simulate
components of KGSE’s Residency program
During the application cycle
Action step to upload passing exam scores Before beginning summer
coursework with KGSE
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”

Retroactive survey asking participants about the value of a
residency after the program webinars
At the end of the workshop
Discussion of the value of completing a residency program
versus other types of teacher training
During group interviews
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”

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Survey items asking about confidence passing certification
exams
After certification webinars
Reflection following practice and feedback During interview prep sessions
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”

Discussion on how to implement feedback from interview
prep
During interview prep sessions
Create an individual action plan for second interview (as
necessary)
After completing first interview

Level 1: Reaction
The final level of training described by Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) consisted of
participant reactions. Level 1 is the extent to which the participants find the training engaging,
applicable to their work, and favorable (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Level 1 data can be
collected during the training so that adjustments can be made during the training and after the
training. Table 13 lists the methods the researcher will use to determine how participants react to
the learning events.
Table 13
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement

Data analytics on the timing and frequency of
access to the application portal
Ongoing during application cycles
Completion of the application At the end of each application cycle
Attendance at informational webinars At the conclusion of the webinar
Attendance at interview prep webinars At the conclusion of the webinar
Relevance

Check in with applicants during interview prep
process
After each webinar
Survey on application and enrollment process Administered to each participant after
successful enrollment
Customer Satisfaction

Program evaluation Administered twice annually

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Evaluation Tools
Candidates will be surveyed about their experience in the application process to gauge
their perception of the support provided, particularly the efficacy of the support provided, in
helping them meet the organizational goal. For Level 1, correctly completed applications will be
tracked by the online portal and analyzed on a monthly basis by the team. Additionally,
attendance at webinars will be tracked. During the webinars, facilitators will also do pulse checks
of candidates’ progress and confidence with the hiring process. For Level 2, items assessing the
training program will ask participants to articulate the components of a residency program as
well as their belief in how a residency program will help them meet their long-term goals.
One month after the program webinars and again after the candidates have started the
program in September of the following school year, KGSE will administer a survey containing
open and scaled items to measure satisfaction with the training (Level 1), confidence and valuing
the training (Level 2), and application of the training (Level 3). The number of candidates
enrolled will be tracked in both of these instances to measure progress toward the organizational
goal.
Data Analysis and Reporting
The Level 4 goal of successfully recruiting teacher candidates, at least 50% of whom
identified as people of color, was measured by the number of teachers who secure teaching
positions and successfully enroll in KGSE. In order to monitor future progress, this number will
be tracked monthly by the Teacher Pathways team and shared with institutional leadership and
individual campuses. Dashboards will be created to track progress toward the goal of 250 and
will delineate which campuses candidates will be attending. Data will also be collected and
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shared relating to each critical behavior described above to further disaggregate progress toward
the Level 4 goal. Table 14 provides a sample dashboard
Table 14
Data Dashboard

May 2019
Totals
August 2019
Totals
2019-2020
Annual Totals
Number of teacher candidates successfully
recruited

Number of candidates who successfully
completed applications

Number of candidates who secured job
placements

Number of candidates who passed
certification exams

Summary
According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) data analysis should occur during and
after training so that adjustments can be made to increase efficiency. The four levels of NWKM
allow the trainer to gauge the efficacy of the training in multiple ways so that the trainer is able
to assess not only participant reactions, but also applicability to the work place and progress
toward critical behaviors. Analyzing and acting on the data allow the organization to
continuously increase its effectiveness and work toward its goals.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Approach
There are several strengths and weaknesses to the approach for this study. A strength was
the use of frameworks to analyze progress toward organizational goals. This study was based on
the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework, which provides a systematic approach to
analyzing gaps in performance related to knowledge, motivation, and organization. Use of this
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framework allowed the researcher to align the research questions and findings with progress
toward the organizational goal. The researcher also narrowed the focus of the study to a single
stakeholder group to best understand their specific knowledge, motivational, and organizational
influences and the progress made toward their goals. The NWKM (2016) was used to drive the
approach for recommendations and evaluation of their implementation. By using these two
frameworks, the researcher was able to track progress toward the organization’s goal and
develop practical recommendations. The researcher was also able to use several different types
of data to triangulate findings in this mixed-methods study. The researcher analyzed
demographic data collected by KGSE as well as surveys and interviews to evaluate progress
toward the stakeholder and organizational goals.
One weakness of the approach is that the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework
limited the study to knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences that affected
achievement of the organizational goal. The rigidity of this framework limited the research with
respect to exploring influences in other areas. Another weakness of the approach was that data
were collected from only one stakeholder group, which inhibited triangulation of data from
multiple involved stakeholder groups such as KGSE’s recruitment team. With respect to the
stakeholder group itself, data collection was limited to teacher candidates in KGSE’s residency
program, as not to emotionally harm candidates who were not accepted. However, speaking to
these candidates could have provided valuable insight into their beliefs and motivations and
helped assess progress toward goals as well as provide recommendations for further recruitment
efforts. Additionally, the NWKM outlines four specific levels that limit strategic thinking and
instead focus on shorter-term implementation and evaluation.

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Future Research
There are several opportunities for future research that emerged from this study. First, it
would be helpful to engage other stakeholder groups in answering the research questions of the
study. The perspectives of KGSE’s recruitment team and school partners would be helpful in
assessing KGSE’s progress toward its recruitment goals. Triangulating data from the
perspectives of these various stakeholder groups would assist in further exploring KGSE’s
recruitment efforts.
A second recommendation is to further explore teacher candidates’ beliefs and
experiences in the certification process. Certification has historically provided a significant
barrier for teachers of color (Epstein, 2005). The findings in Chapter Four demonstrated that
teacher candidates of color felt less confident than their White counterparts during the
certification process. Further research should explore why this was the case including comparing
candidates’ self-efficacy during the certification process to actual results with respect to passing
exams and obtaining certification, as well as exploring the impact of stereotype threat on teacher
candidates.
Third, in this study data were collected from teacher candidates during the first year of
the program. To better understand the effectiveness of KGSE’s recruitment efforts, it would be
valuable to study attrition and retention patterns of teachers of color recruited into the program.
Future research should focus on their progress in the program as well as their career choices after
the program to determine whether they are successfully progressing from their roles as teacher
residents into roles as lead teachers of record. Additional longitudinal research about candidates’
progress toward their 5-year goals would also help build on the findings from this study.

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Conclusion
As the demographics of American students change, it is critical for the demographics of
the educator workforce to shift as well. This study adds to the literature by exploring the
practices of an institution that is successfully recruiting cohorts of new teaching residents with
rates of teachers candidates of color that far exceed the national averages for schools of
education. By understanding what draws teacher candidates of color, as well as mission-aligned
White candidates, to this program, KGSE can continue to increase the effectiveness of its
marketing and recruitment efforts, and other teacher education programs can further consider the
factors that attract these sorts of candidates: affordability, credentialing and master’s degree
opportunities, and a gradual release of responsibility that heightens their chances of success and
happiness in their roles. By further understanding the barriers that still hold teachers of color
back from successfully entering the profession, such as credentialing and financial barriers,
teacher education programs can further tailor their support and programming to help their
students. Teacher residency programs like the one at KGSE have the potential to create a
pipeline of talented new teachers of color who stay in the profession longer.
This pipeline of talented new teachers of color will be challenging to build and sustain.
Teacher education programs are faced with the tension of simultaneously increasing the
selectivity of the teaching profession and diversity. Ensuring that every student has a qualified,
credentialed teacher in front of the room while concurrently increasing racial diversity and
working to undo the systemic inequalities perpetuated by U.S. schools that follow K–12 students
into adulthood will take time, as well as strategic and unyielding effort on the part of teacher
preparation programs. As successful recruitment efforts like KGSE’s residency program increase
in number and scale, attention must be dedicated to supporting and retaining teachers of color.
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Coordinated recruitment and retention efforts on the part of teacher education programs and their
school partners will help ensure that the next generation of students benefits from a qualified,
effective, and diverse teaching force.

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APPENDIX A
Survey Items

Demographics
1. What was your primary occupation prior to applying to KGSE?

Student
Employed in the field of education
Employed outside the field of education Unemployed
Other

2. Do you identify as a person of color?

Yes No

What is your race?
Black or African American
Latinx
Asian or Pacific Islander
White
Two or more races Prefer not to disclose

3. At which campus are you enrolling?

Please answer the following questions about the application and hiring process.
4. If you had to choose, which of these factors were most important to you when choosing
to accept your offer of admission to KGSE? Please select up to three responses. (K)
Mission
Salary and compensation
Teaching location
Program components
Recommendations from friends/family members
Other: __________

5. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. Completing a teacher
residency program will help me meet my long-term career goals. (M)

Strongly disagree
Disagree
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 133
Agree
Strongly agree

Optional: Please explain your answer to the question above.
6. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. Teacher residency programs
are more effective than other pathways of entry into the teaching profession. (M)
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

Optional: Please explain your answer to the question above.
7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Select one response. (M)
Classroom teacher
School administrator
Other role in education
Other role not in education
Graduate school
Other

8. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. I was able to access the
information (e.g. get application questions answered, access the portal, access necessary
documents) that I needed to complete the KGSE application.(O)

Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

9. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. I had the time I needed to
prepare for my school interviews. (O)

Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 134
10. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. I secured my position at my
school due to my own hard work and effort. (M)
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
I have not secured a school-based position

Optional: Please explain your answer to the question above.
11. What was the biggest challenge to securing employment at a school site? Select one. (O)
Timing
Certification requirements
Preparing for interviews
Interview logistics Finding a school culture fit I did not face significant challenges

Optional: Please explain your answer to the question above.

Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. The support that I received
from the KGSE team was helpful in securing a job.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

Optional: Please explain your answer to the question above.

Please answer the following questions about the certification process.
Do you currently hold state certification? (K)
Yes No

12. (If no) To what extent are/were you prepared to meet your state certification
requirements? (K)
Prepared
Somewhat Prepared
Somewhat Unprepared
Unprepared

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 135
Which of the following factors most contributed to your answer to the question above?
Select one. (O)
Understanding of certification process logistics
Preparedness to pass certification exams Financial factors
Time to complete requirements

Optional: Please explain your answer to the question above.

13. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. I have the subject-specific
knowledge (i.e. math/history content knowledge) necessary to pass certification exams.
(K)
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
14. Rate your level of agreement with the following statement. I have the teaching-related
knowledge and skills that are necessary to pass certification exams. (K)

Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

I have the test taking skills that are necessary to pass certification exams.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. (4 point Likert scale.
1-strongly disagree; 2-disagree; 3-agree; 4-strongly agree)
15. It is important to me to teach in a community where the majority of students identify as
people of color. (O)
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 136
16. Students learn better from people who are from similar cultures. (O)
17. It is important for all students to have teachers of color. (O)
18. It is important for students of color to have teachers of color. (O)
19. Students of color learn better from teachers of color. (O)

Further Participation: Are you willing to participate further in this study and share more about
your experiences in the application, hiring, and certification process? Yes
No

(If yes) Email address:

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 137
APPENDIX B
Interview Protocol
1. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. The purpose of this time is
to better understand your perspective on the interview and placement process with
KGSE’s Residency. Your responses will be kept confidential. Please feel free to share
your thoughts candidly. If it is alright with you, I will tape record this interview so that I
am able to give you my full attention during this conversation. As a reminder, your
responses will be kept confidential. The recorded responses will be transcribed to
compile all participant responses without any identifying information or reference to
individual interviews. Do I have your permission to record this interview? First, I’m
going to ask you some questions about your decision to enroll/not enroll in KGSE’s
Residency program. Why did you decide to apply to KGSE’s Residency program?
Potential probes: What appealed to you about this program specifically? What
other types of opportunities were you looking into?
Describe your decision-making process to accept your offer of admission to
KGSE’s Residency program. (K, M) Potential probes: How long did you take to
decide? What other options were you considering? Who did you consult?
When making your decision to join, what appealed to you about the program?
What did not appeal to you about the program? (K) Potential probes: Was there
anything that really swayed you to accept? Was there anything that almost
dissuaded you? What are your long-term career goals? (M) Potential probes:
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? What types of roles are you
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 138
most interested in pursuing? How have your career goals changed in the past
year?
To what extent does participating in KGSE’s Residency program help you pursue
your long-term career goals? (M) Potential probes: Do you see yourself pursuing
further graduate education? How will a teaching residency help you in ____ role?
2. We’re now going to transition to some questions about the certification and hiring
process. Describe the steps you have taken to work toward state certification. How
successful have these been? (K)
Potential probes: What steps have you completed? What steps do you have left to
complete? Where do you go with questions about the certification process when
you are unsure?
To what extent did state certification feel like it was an achievable goal by the
start of the school year? (M) Potential probes: What have the biggest challenges
been with the certification process? What has come easily? Have the exams felt
challenging? What resources did you use to prepare? What resources would have
been helpful?
What, if anything, did you do to work toward getting hired at a school site? (K)
Potential probes: Did you have ideas about where you wanted to work when you
applied to KGSE? Did you look up any schools/districts that you wanted to work
in? Did you have any contacts at school-based organizations? Did you update
your resume or prepare for interviews? How did the placement preparation
process support you in this endeavor?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 139
How did you feel heading into the interview and hiring process? (M) Potential
probes: How prepared did you feel to give a demo lesson? Did you consult others
in preparing for school-based interviews? What did you feel confident about?
What was nerve wracking?
Did the timing of the hiring process affect your ability to prepare for interviews?
Why/why not? (O) Potential probes: Did you have enough time to prepare your
demo lesson? Did you have enough time to look into the different organizations
where you were interviewing?
3. Finally, I’m going to ask you a few questions about your perspective on the American
teaching force. Interviewer Note: This portion of the protocol is designed to be less
structured and the researcher can probe as necessary to explore the participant’s
perspective on the organizational influences for the study. When you think about the
community that you work in/want to work in, what characteristics are important to you?
(O)
Potential probes: Do you seek to teach in a community similar to/different from
the community in which you grew up? When you think of where you seek to
teach did you consider the racial demographics? Class demographics? How?
4. The percentage of students of color in American school is growing much more quickly
than the percentage of teachers of color. What does that make you think? (O)
5. Potential probe: How does this relate to your experiences in school? To what degree do
you think students need to have teachers that they can relate to? (O) Potential probe: To
what extent do you think students need to have teachers who look like them? Why is
this/is this not important? What excites you most about becoming a teacher?
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 140
Thanks so much for your participation in this interview. I truly value your time and perspective.
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 141
Appendix C
Delayed-Evaluation Instrument: Matriculation Survey
1. Immediate Evaluation Instrument: Post-Application Survey The following questions will
be answered on a 4-point Likert scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. I had
the information that I needed to complete the application process. (L2: Declarative
knowledge)
2. I was able to successfully navigate the application on my own. (L1: Engagement) The
KGSE application team was responsive throughout the application process. (L1:
Customer satisfaction)
3. The webinars provided helped me complete my application successfully. (L1:
Engagement) KGSE’s residency program will help me meet my long-term goals. (L2:
Attitude)

Please answer the following questions.

Why did you choose to apply to a teacher residency program as opposed to other pathways into
teaching? (L2: Attitude)

Which components of the residency program do you believe most helpful? (L2: Confidence)

How will a residency program help you meet your long-term goals? (L2: Attitude)

Please answer the following questions:

Have you secured a job placement? If so, where? (Level 3: Critical behavior)

Have you passed your state certification exams? (Level 2: Critical behaviors)

The following questions will be answered on a 4-point Likert scale from Strongly Disagree to
Strongly Agree.
3. I am satisfied with the job search training that I got from KGSE (Level 1)
TEACHER RECRUITMENT 142
4. The job search training from KGSE helped me secure my job placement (Level 2)
5. I am satisfied with the application support that I got from KGSE (Level 1)
6. The application support from KGSE helped me complete my application successfully (Level
2).

TEACHER RECRUITMENT 143
Appendix D
Data Dashboard
Data Dashboard

May 2019
Totals
August 2019
Totals
2019-2020
Annual Totals
Number of teacher candidates successfully
recruited

Number of candidates who successfully
completed applications

Number of candidates who secured job
placements

Number of candidates who passed
certification exams

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study evaluated a teacher preparation program’s efforts to recruit new teachers of color into its teacher residency program. The researcher used Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis framework to assess knowledge, motivational and organizational influences on teacher recruitment. This mixed-methods study employed surveys and interviews with the primary stakeholder group of the study, teacher candidates who had recently enrolled in the institution’s teacher residency program. The results showed that teacher candidates who chose to enroll in the program did so for a variety of factors including mission alignment with the institution, the affordability of the program, and the components of the residency program including a gradual release to lead teaching responsibilities. Teacher candidates were motivated by the utility of completing a residency program. Teacher candidates had varied experiences with the certification and hiring process, which affected their feelings of self-efficacy in entering the teaching profession. The findings of the study emphasize the need for affordable and supportive modes of entry into the teaching profession including certification and hiring supports.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Wrightman, Naama (author)

Core Title Representation in the teaching force: recruitment of teachers of color

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 04/30/2019

Defense Date 03/06/2019

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag alternative certification,OAI-PMH Harvest,teacher recruitment,teacher residency,teachers of color

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Datta, Monique (committee chair), Picus, Lawrence (committee member), Robles, Darline (committee member)

Creator Email nwrightman@gmail.com,nwrightman@relay.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-160688

Unique identifier UC11662761

Identifier etd-WrightmanN-7356.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-160688 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-WrightmanN-7356.pdf

Dmrecord 160688

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Wrightman, Naama

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

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