University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Increasing the number of minoritized teachers in the Apex public schools: an evaluation study

(USC Thesis Other)

Increasing the number of minoritized teachers in the Apex public schools: an evaluation study

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MINORITIZED TEACHERS IN THE APEX PUBLIC
SCHOOLS: AN EVALUATION STUDY
by
Darrius C. Alati

A Dissertation Proposal 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

December 2020

Copyright 2020 Darrius C. Alati

ii
DEDICATION
To my mother, Wandra F. Alati who always said I’d become a teacher even when I was a small
child. I dedicate this accomplishment to your memory in fulfilment of my promise to you to
always be a tireless advocate for children everywhere.

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to my dissertation chair, Dr. Kimberly
Hirabayashi, for her support and guidance as I completed the dissertation process. I would also
like to thank the entire OCL faculty and staff at the USC Rossier School of Education for all of
their support. I would like to give a special acknowledgement to Mr. Reginald Ryder for all of
his assistance. You managed to get your name into another dissertation, buddy. I would also like
to say thank you to my classmates in Cohort 11 for their support. There are a few others who also
made this accomplishment possible: first, to my dad, Dominic Alati, Sr. for his constant wisdom
and guidance, my brothers and sisters by blood or by faith and also my children. Next, I would
like to acknowledge and express my sincere thanks to the people who have guided my career and
development as a practitioner and as a person: Mr. Richard Roberts, who chose years ago to
invest some of his considerable professional capital and expertise in K-12 teaching and leading
in a young Black male teacher and imparted an incalculable amount of his knowledge and
wisdom unto him. You turned me into an expert practitioner and I hope you will find that the
capital that you invested in me by way of that knowledge and wisdom has grown and has been
profitable for the teachers and administrators that I have and currently work with. I use all of
things that you taught me every day in furtherance of our combined mission to help create more
Black K-12 education professionals: more teachers, more principals, more superintendents and
more hope in the eyes of Black youth everywhere. Dr. Irving Jones, Sr. and Dr. Vera Blake, who
I met along this journey as I transitioned to consulting; thank you for your mentorship, your
friendship, your assistance and for your very strong encouragement that inspired me to finally
finish this terminal degree. To the thousands of students that I taught during the years when I was
in the classroom, the many teaching colleagues that I worked with in the trenches during that

iv
time and the many teachers and principals that I worked with when I was in administration;
thank you for an unforgettable experience and I sincerely hope that I may have impacted your
lives a fraction as much as you all have impacted mine. To coin a phrase that a very famous
person from my hometown once said; at the end of the day, I’m just another kid from Akron.
With that, I will close by saying peace to 1040.

v
Table of Contents
Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................x
Chapter One: Overview of the Study ...............................................................................................1
Organizational Context and Mission ...................................................................................2
Organizational Performance Status ................................................................................3
Importance of Organizational Evaluation ............................................................................3
Organizational Performance Goal ........................................................................................6
Description of Stakeholder Groups ......................................................................................6
Organizational Performance Goals ......................................................................................7
Stakeholder Group for the Study .........................................................................................7
Purpose of the Project and Questions ..................................................................................8
Methodological Framework .................................................................................................8
Definitions............................................................................................................................8
Organization of the Project ..................................................................................................9

Chapter Two: Review of Literature ...............................................................................................10
Lack of Minoritized Professional Staff in Apex Schools ..................................................10
Literature on Lack of Minoritized Teachers in Apex ........................................................11
History of Racial Segregation in Education .................................................................11
The Challenging Legacy of Brown v Board of Education ...........................................12
Racial Bias in K-12 Hiring ..........................................................................................12
Lack of an Adequate Talent Pool.......................................................................................15
College Enrollment and Graduation Rates ..................................................................15
Lack of Promotion Once Hired ....................................................................................16
Minoritized Teachers Leaving the Profession ...................................................................16
Minoritized Teachers Leaving the Profession After Induction Year ...........................16
Clark and Estes’ Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences Framework .....18
Knowledge and Skills ..................................................................................................19
Motivation ....................................................................................................................23
Organization .................................................................................................................27
Research Questions ............................................................................................................31
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Motivation
and the Organizational Context .........................................................................................31
Summary ............................................................................................................................35

vi
Chapter Three: Methodology .........................................................................................................37
Participating Stakeholders .................................................................................................38
Interview Sampling Criterion and Rationale ...............................................................38
Interview Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale ...............................................39
Qualitative Data Collection................................................................................................39
Interviews .....................................................................................................................40
Documents and Artifacts..............................................................................................42
Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................43
Credibility and Trustworthiness .........................................................................................44
Ethics..................................................................................................................................45
Chapter Four: Findings ..................................................................................................................48
Participating Stakeholders .................................................................................................48
Research Question One ......................................................................................................49
Knowledge Results ......................................................................................................49
Motivation Results .......................................................................................................56
Research Question Two .....................................................................................................60
Organizational Results .................................................................................................60
Summary ............................................................................................................................68
Knowledge Influence Summary ..................................................................................69
Motivation Influence Summary ...................................................................................69
Organizational Influence Summary .............................................................................70
Chapter Five: Recommendations ...................................................................................................72
Knowledge Recommendations ..........................................................................................72
Increasing the ADE Administration’s Knowledge About the Minoritized Teacher
Shortage .......................................................................................................................73
Increasing the ADE Administration's Knowledge of How to Implement Strategies
to Address the Causes of Teacher Turnover ................................................................74
Motivation Recommendations ...........................................................................................75
Increasing the ADE Administration’s Confidence That They Can Reach Their
Stated Goal ...................................................................................................................76
Organization Recommendations ........................................................................................78
Ensuring the ADE Administration Has the Data to See the Benefits of Teacher
Diversity .......................................................................................................................80
Ensuring That ADE Has the Training Support Needed to Increase Minoritized
Teacher Retention ........................................................................................................80
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan ................................................................81
Implementation and Evaluation Framework ................................................................81
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations ........................................................82
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators ......................................................................83
Level 3: Behavior .........................................................................................................84
Level 2: Learning .........................................................................................................88
Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................89
Evaluation Tools ..........................................................................................................92
Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation ............................................93
Data Analysis and Reporting .......................................................................................94

vii
Summary ............................................................................................................................95
Limitations and Delimitations ............................................................................................96
Future Research .................................................................................................................96
Conclusions ........................................................................................................................97
References ......................................................................................................................................98
Appendices ...................................................................................................................................106
Appendix A Immediate Evaluation Instrument ...............................................................108
Appendix B Delayed Evaluation Instrument ...................................................................109
Appendix C Interview Protocol .......................................................................................110

viii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Goals ............................................7
Table 2 Knowledge Influence, Knowledge Types, and Knowledge Assessment ..........................23
Table 3 Motivational Influences and Motivational Influence Assessments ...................................27
Table 4 Assumed Organizational Influences and Organization Influence Assessment .................30
Table 5 Summary of Participants ...................................................................................................49
Table 6 Need and asset Findings for Each KMO Influence ...........................................................68
Table 7 Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations ............................................73
Table 8 Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations .............................................76
Table 9 Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations ..........................................79
Table 10 Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes ..........................83
Table 11 Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation .................................85
Table 12 Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors .............................................................86
Table 13 Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program ..........................................91
Table 14 Components to Measure Reactions to the Program ........................................................92

ix
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 ADE Conceptual Framework ..........................................................................................34
Figure 2 Understanding Levels Immediately Following the PD Program Sequence and
Approximately Six Weeks After ....................................................................................................95

x
ABSTRACT
There is general agreement in the research that increasing the number of minoritized educators at
all levels of K-12 education would improve outcomes for both students and communities in
general. There is almost no state where this problem is more pronounced than in the state of
Apex (pseudonym). This study sought to measure the knowledge, motivation and organizational
influences of the Apex Department of Education (ADE) and the ADE administration to take
appropriate steps to help increase the number of minoritized teachers at Apex schools. This study
also sought to measure the knowledge, motivation and organizational influences at ADE and
among ADE administrators to reduce the rate of minoritized teacher turnover in Apex. The
findings indicate that ADE administrators need to better understand the factors that keep
minoritized applicants from earning a teaching credential as well as what causes them to leave
the profession. The ADE administration also needs to know how to implement strategies to
address the causes of teacher turnover. The ADE administration also needs to have confidence in
their ability to accomplish the performance goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to
10% from its current 23% level. Furthermore, ADE needs to be willing to collect and/or utilize
data to see how a diverse teaching staff supports better student outcomes along with providing
training and mentorship at all levels to help address its teacher turnover problem. This study is
instrumental for the ADE administration as they learn what strategies and skills to focus on and
receive insight into how to address the shortage of minoritized teachers in Apex. All of the
individuals as well as the organization that participated in the study are referred to in this work
using pseudonyms to protect their privacy and confidentiality.
Keywords: Teachers, Diversity, Educators, Intervention

1
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
According to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports, only 16.7% of K-
12 teachers are recognized racial minorities (Warner-Griffin et al., 2016). By contrast, racial
minorities make up just over 50% of the K-12 student population nationwide (Kena et al., 2016).
The NCES report asserted there is a shortage of minoritized K-12 teachers in the United States.
The report further asserted that, in some districts, the conditions that led to shortages have been
caused by the districts themselves. For example, D’amico et al. (2017) found that a large school
system in the Southeastern United States was trying to blame the lack of minoritized teachers on
a lack of interest among qualified minoritized applicants. They found those factors to have a
minimal role in minoritized teacher retention rates. The researchers also found that racial bias in
that district’s hiring practices contributed heavily to the shortage in some cases. The National
Education Association identified a yet-to-be-met goal to increase the minoritized teaching ranks
nationwide to reflect the level of minoritized student enrollment more closely within 10 years
(Achinstein et al., 2010; Lewis & Toldson, 2013).
Hobson et al. (2010) asserted that the state of Apex (pseudonym), the focus of this study,
was heavily affected by the aforementioned shortage, as over one-third of school districts in the
state face shortages in areas of critical need. Numerous studies support the assertion that one-
year and five-year retention rates for minoritized teachers fall behind those of their non-
minoritized counterparts (Achinstein et al., 2016; Irvine, 1988; Putman et al., 2016). For
example, Putnam et al. (2016) found that minoritized teachers often leave the profession soon
after licensure due to factors like a lack of administrative support and advancement
opportunities. They further found that minoritized teachers are often made to feel they do not
belong in the profession and were only hired due to government quota programs such as

2
affirmative action, which causes frustration and departure. As a result, minoritized teacher
retention problems persist. Such departures often lower students’ academic performance. Holt
and Papageorge (2016) found that minoritized students perform better and set higher
expectations for their academic performance when they are taught by minoritized teachers. The
aforementioned studies highlight the need to focus on the retention of minoritized teachers in
Apex. If more minoritized teachers can be retained, their numbers should increase steadily over
time.
Organizational Context and Mission
The organization I studied for my dissertation work was the Apex Department of
Education (ADE). The department has administrative authority over 150 local school districts
that serve 493,650 students. As an agency, ADE is led by political appointees at its highest level.
Those appointed leaders set the agency’s general direction and policy goals. The task of turning
those broad goals and objectives into policies that affect all of the educational stakeholders in
Apex falls to a group of career executives at the agency who, along with their key staff, are
collectively referred to in this work as the ADE administration. The ADE administration directs
teams of career specialists who assist local school boards and districts as well as the individual
professionals who work in Apex’s K-12 schools. According to their website, ADE supervises the
licensing and discipline processes of the state’s 37,600 K-12 teachers. They also assist
individuals seeking to obtain or renew their educator credentials. Apex has the 36th largest K-12
school population in the United States. It has 839 schools and learning centers with an average
enrollment of 3,629 students in grades PK-12. Its purpose, as stated by ADE, is to ensure
students are prepared for college and career. Among the students that ADE serves, 74% receive
free or reduced-price lunch, 13.5% receive some sort of special education services and 1.3% of

3
students receive services related to using English as a second language (ESL). The racial makeup
of the students is as follows: 49.47% are African-American and 44.02% are Caucasian (Non-
Hispanic). The remaining 6.51% of students are of other races. The mission of the ADE is to
provide leadership through the development of policy and accountability systems so that all
students are prepared to compete in the global community.
Organizational Performance Status
The teaching staff at Apex’s public schools is not diverse: 73.3% of the statewide
professional staff is Caucasian (Non-Hispanic), and 26.7% are identified as minorities. By
comparison, 55.98% of the K-12 student population identifies as being from a racially
minoritized group as stated by their website. ADE must develop a strategy to increase the
percentage of minoritized teachers and improve minoritized teacher retention in Apex’s K-12
schools. Failure to do so can result in mistrust between key stakeholders in communities across
Apex and the schools that serve those stakeholders. Sleeter (2017) asserted that failure to address
minoritized teacher retention issues in public K-12 schools can (sometimes unintentionally)
reinforce the notion of the superiority of non-minoritized interests even in urban school
environments. The top-tier leadership at ADE identified improved minoritized teacher retention
as a broad statewide goal. They asked the ADE administration to develop and implement policies
to help local school districts in Apex to accomplish that objective.
Importance of Organizational Evaluation
It is important to evaluate ADE’s progress toward the performance goal of improving the
percentage of minoritized teachers statewide from 25% to 36% by 2025. If ADE continues to lag
behind other states in making its teaching staff more diverse, achievement rates among
minoritized students will continue to remain flat or experience a downward trend. A longitudinal

4
study of nationwide K-12 data found that minoritized teachers in minoritized students’ education
have a nominal but very meaningful impact on student measurables such as standardized test
scores (Goldhaber et al., 2015). However, when one reviews non-test related outcomes such as
subjective evaluations and projected dropout rates, the impact minoritized teachers have on
minoritized students nationwide is very significant and equally impactful. That data supports the
need for ADE to improve minoritized teacher retention rates in Apex.
A growing body of evidence suggests that improving minoritized teacher retention would
have a very positive impact on all school stakeholders. Kafele (2012) found that minoritized
students have higher levels of academic achievement and general self-esteem and confidence
when minoritized professionals are present and visible in their schools. Research indicates that
minoritized students should be exposed to minoritized teachers as early as possible in their
education. A nationwide study of kindergarten student data by Wright et al. (2017) found that
minoritized kindergarteners who had a minoritized teacher received higher social-emotional
ratings than kindergarteners who had non-minoritized teachers. Those findings are significant
because low social-emotional ratings are often a precursor to placing students in special
education programs, often unnecessarily. Even when students are properly identified as requiring
special education services, they will most likely be working with a special education staff that
does not look like them. Scott (2016) asserted that the ability for special education teachers to
relate culturally to their students is critical to student success as well over half of all special
education students in the United States are minoritized.
Additionally, Warikoo et al. (2016) asserted that teachers treat students differently
depending on their ethnic background. They further asserted that racial disparities in teacher-to-
student ratios have a direct impact on student achievement and overall school effectiveness.

5
Studies have also shown that, when minoritized teacher retention improves, important data points
such as dropout rates improve. A study of Wisconsin K-12 schools by Cheng (2019) found that
an increase in minoritized teacher rates as small as 1% dramatically reduced suspension and
expulsion rates for minoritized students. Cheng also found that students who were suspended less
often had much lower dropout rates than students who had been frequently suspended.
Student performance also benefits from diverse teaching staff. A study of how Tennessee
K-12 teachers are assigned to classrooms by Gershenson et al. (2018) found that, when classes
composed mostly of minoritized students were assigned a teacher who is also minoritized, the
performance of those students improved over a set baseline. Ancillary factors such as attendance
and discipline records also were drastically improved when a minoritized teacher was leading the
class (Gershenson et al., 2018). A longitudinal review of public-facing nationwide K-12
demographic data by Gershenson et al. (2016) found that minoritized students who are assigned
minoritized teachers have higher self-expectations of their own academic performance. As a
further complement to the findings, the researchers also found that minoritized teachers tend to
expect more of the minoritized students under their care. A study of teacher expectations by
Gershenson and Papageorge (2018) found that non-minoritized teachers often had much lower
expectations of their minoritized students than minoritized teachers held for the self-same
students. They further asserted that the low student attainment rates in relation to those
expectations are significant, as over 49% of non-minoritized students went on to earn a college
degree as opposed to less than 29% of minoritized students. Monitoring the organization’s
performance will enable stakeholders to gather formative data to inform staffing decisions and
progress toward the performance goal while achieving its mission.

6
Organizational Performance Goal
ADE has reported being aware of the minoritized teacher retention problem and pledged
to address it. Department leaders committed to monitoring minoritized teacher retention levels as
an overarching goal and set metrics for increasing their retention according to their website.
They also expressed a desire to improve the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide from
25% to 36% by 2025 (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). ADE uses a percentage over
baseline method to track progress toward increasing minoritized teacher retention rates because it
enables them to easily compare data over time.
Description of Stakeholder Groups
At ADE, the stakeholders (along with their roles) include the ADE’s political appointees,
the ADE administration (and key staff), ADE career staff members (who report to the ADE
administration), school districts supervised by ADE, schools supervised by ADE and individual
education professionals. Licensure candidates also fall under the administration of ADE. All of
the stakeholders involved in this study have an impact on minoritized teacher retention. Political
appointees run ADE at its highest level. However, day-to-day operations fall to career
professionals who are known in this work as the ADE administration (along with their key staff).
The ADE administration supervises another set of career staff members at ADE who work with
districts, schools, and educators. The political appointees have set an overarching goal to
improve minoritized teacher retention rates. That overarching goal has been adopted and placed
into action by the ADE administration as well as their key staff and subordinates. Of those
stakeholders, the ADE administration was identified as the stakeholder that has the most impact
on ADE reaching its performance goal of improving the percentage of minoritized teachers
statewide from 25% to 36% by 2025.

7
Organizational Performance Goals
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Goals
Organizational Mission
The mission of the Apex Department of Education (ADE) is to provide leadership through the
development of policy and accountability systems so that all students are prepared to compete
in the global community.
Organizational Performance Goal
ADE seeks to increase the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide to 36% by the year
2025. By January 2024 the ADE administration will establish baseline data and identify
barriers to educator licensure and retention for minoritized groups
Stakeholder Goal
Decrease year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level by
2025.

Stakeholder Group for the Study
While the joint efforts of all stakeholders will contribute to the achievement of the overall
organizational goal of improving the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide from 25% to
36% by 2025, it is important to see where ADE is currently regarding that performance goal.
Therefore, the stakeholder group for this study was the ADE administration. The ADE
administration provided the best window to examine barriers and issues surrounding licensure
and retention due to their 360-degree view of both processes. The criteria and procedures for all
approvals and extensions of educator licenses in Apex are determined by the ADE
administration. According to their website, the ADE administration also tracks teacher retention
rates for all of Apex’s K-12 schools. Failure to accomplish the stated goal will lead to continued
regression in the area of minoritized teacher retention. In addition, minoritized students and their
families will continue to suffer being denied the academic and developmental benefits that a
diverse professional staff brings to any school district (Sleeter, 2017).

8
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the areas of knowledge and skills, motivation,
and organizational resources necessary to reach the ADE administration’s organizational
performance goal. The evaluation began with a list of possible needs and systematically
examined them to focus on actual or validated needs. While a complete evaluation would focus
on all stakeholders, for practical purposes the stakeholder to be focused on for this evaluation
was the ADE administration.
As such, questions that guide this study are the following:
1. What are the ADE administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of
decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture, context, and the ADE
administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of decreasing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
Methodological Framework
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis, a systematic, analytical method that helps to clarify
organizational goals and identify the deficiency between the actual performance level and the
preferred performance level within an organization, was adapted for this evaluation. Assumed
knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs were generated based on personal knowledge
and related literature. Some of those needs were validated by using interviews and document
analysis. Research-based solutions were recommended and evaluated comprehensively.
Definitions
This section will provide a list of key terms that were used in the study and their
definitions as they apply to the context of the problem of practice.

9
Administrator: A professional staff member in a school district who supervises a school
building, learning center, grade level, or individual program.
English as a second language (ESL): A student in a school district whose language at
birth was not English.
Learning center: A school facility in a school district that is not organized primarily by
grade level or offers services beyond traditional K-12 education.
Professional staff: Employees of a school district who are charged with the preparation,
planning, and/or delivery of direct instructional services to students.
Organization of the Project
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provides the reader with key
concepts and terminology commonly found in a discussion about ADE minoritized retention
rates. The organization’s mission, goals, and stakeholders and the framework for the project were
introduced. Chapter Two provides a review of current literature pertaining to the scope of the
study. Topics of minoritized retention practices, the history of minoritized persons in education,
barriers to retention, and effects on students were addressed. Chapter Three details the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements to be examined as well as the methodology
when it comes to the choice of participants, data collection, and analysis. In Chapter Four, the
data and results are assessed and analyzed. Chapter Five provides solutions, based on the data
and literature, for closing the perceived deficiencies as well as recommendations for an
implementation and evaluation plan for the solutions.

10
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This literature review will examine the root causes of deficiencies in the retention of
minoritized teachers in the Apex K-12 schools. The school districts, schools, and school
personnel in Apex are regulated by the ADE. The review begins with general research on the
importance of having a diverse professional staff in any K-12 school setting. This is followed by
an overview of the literature on the origins of the shortage of minorities in K-12 education. The
review will present an in-depth discussion on scientific studies that have been conducted on the
impacts of minoritized teacher retention rates in the K-12 public schools on communities across
the United States. This section includes current research on teacher minoritized retention rates in
the United States. Following the general research literature, the review turns to Clark and Estes
gap analytic conceptual framework, specifically, knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences on the ability of the ADE administration to implement a plan to decrease year-by-year
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level by 2025.
Lack of Minoritized Professional Staff in Apex Schools
Kafele (2012) found that having a diverse professional staff in a K-12 school helps to
build confidence and improve outcomes for minoritized students. According to an NCES report,
only 6.2% of K-12 teachers were minorities. By contrast, minorities make up 46% of the K-12
student population nationwide (Hill et al., 2016). This work will discuss the history of racial
segregation in the United States as it relates to K-12 education. Studies are presented on the
presence of racial bias in K-12 district hiring practices. The loss of minoritized educational talent
since reconstruction and its impact will also be discussed. Numerous research studies have found
that the aforementioned bias exists (D'amico et al., 2017; Irvine, 1988). Historical data
demonstrates the steady decline of minoritized teachers in the years following landmark court

11
actions such as the Brown v Board of Education decision in 1954 (Ethridge, 1979). The
applicable research also shows that, due to a general drop in high school graduation rates for
minorities, not enough are enrolling in teacher preparation programs. In addition, if a minoritized
individual enrolls in and completes a teacher preparation program, the chances of them being
hired are less than those of their non-minoritized counterparts. Finally, once hired, the
opportunities for advancement and promotion in the profession are few and far between. All of
those factors contribute to the fact that there are not enough qualified applicants to properly meet
the number of minorities needed to properly balance the racial makeup of school professional
staff (DeAngelo et al., 2011; Harper & Davis, 2012; Hill et al., 2016). The aforementioned data
inform the assertion that minorities often leave the K-12 education profession within five years
of entering at an alarmingly high rate that has a negative impact on minoritized teacher retention
rates.
Literature on Lack of Minoritized Teachers in Apex
History of Racial Segregation in Education
Racial bias in K-12 hiring practice has a background that runs deep into the tapestry of
American history. Irvine (1988) asserted that, after efforts to desegregate the nation’s K-12
schools were seriously initiated in the 1950s and 1960s, many minoritized teachers were left
without jobs or a reasonable way to continue their teaching careers. As non-minoritized schools
were forcibly integrated, administrators and school boards in those non-minoritized districts
refused to hire minoritized teachers as their schools were being shuttered. Many minoritized
teachers had to choose alternative careers as there were no available teaching jobs, leading to a
generational shift in the number of minoritized teachers.

12
The Challenging Legacy of Brown v Board of Education
The landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education ordered the
immediate desegregation of public K-12 schools in the United States. However, the ruling did
not offer a way forward toward accomplishing that task. Ethridge (1979) asserts that the ruling
created a system of one-way integration that saw minoritized children transferred on a wholesale
basis to all non-minoritized schools. At the same time, no non-minoritized children were
transferred to all-minoritized schools. An estimated 31,000 minoritized teachers across 17 states
lost their jobs in the nationwide rush to comply with the Brown decision.
Racial Bias in K-12 Hiring
The educational system in the United States has been segregated by race since its
inception. Starting with the period just following the Civil War, non-minoritized children and
minoritized children attended separate schools as a result of de facto (by law) segregation. In the
1950s, school systems were ordered to integrate, but, after decades of effort, remain mostly
segregated by custom or choice. Since that time, educational researchers have determined that
there has been definite racial bias in the hiring and promotion of K-12 teachers throughout the
United States (Ethridge, 1979).
Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017) found that, when school leaders look to hire excellent
teachers, they often look to people who look the most like themselves. They further asserted that
the vast majority of those school leaders are non-minoritized. Bruno and Strunk (2019) asserted
that some larger urban school districts have become increasingly efficient at screening applicants
in the early application stages. An integrative review of nationwide data sets by Smith (2016)
found that, despite significant gains in several areas of society, minoritized applicants continue to
be denied access to senior-level K-12 teaching positions. When minoritized teachers apply, they

13
face an automatic disadvantage compared with non-minoritized applicants of similar
backgrounds and qualifications. D’amico et al. (2017) conducted a detailed regression analysis of
the hiring practices of a large school district in Virginia. That analysis found that the district’s
assertions that they could not find suitable minoritized applicants to hire were wholly inaccurate.
The analysis uncovered a clear racial bias in the district’s hiring practices where qualified
minoritized candidates were routinely passed over for hire and promotion in favor of non-
minoritized candidates.
A study of the hiring practices of principals in the Chicago Public Schools by Engle and
Finch (2015) found that hiring for higher-performing schools (curriculum and instruction) was
measurably different than hiring for lower-performing schools (classroom management). The
candidates for higher-performing schools tended to be non-minoritized and hired via personal
referral while lower-performing schools tended to hire minoritized candidates via the central
office applicant pool (Engel & Finch, 2015). Even when school systems attempt to streamline the
teacher hiring process by placing hiring in the hands of building-level principals, racial biases
cannot be avoided. A regression analysis of K-12 principals with building-level hiring authority
conducted by Engel et al. (2018) found similar biases toward non-minoritized applicants as
districts that hire teachers using central-office-based hiring protocols, which presents a barrier to
improving minoritized teacher retention rates.
One example of how racial biases in hiring affect the performance of K-12 schools can be
found in New Orleans, Louisiana. Barrett and Harris (2015) performed an extensive study of the
New Orleans school system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The school system
fired all teachers and let their collective bargaining agreement expire without renewal,
essentially disbanding the New Orleans Teachers Union. The school board converted 93% of the

14
city’s K-12 schools into privately run charter schools while eliminating certification
requirements for the teachers who would work there. The newly created charter schools were
staffed by organizations like Teach for America and The New Teacher Project. The researchers
found that the minoritized teacher makeup in the city’s schools dropped from over 71% (pre-
Katrina) to under 49% (post-Katrina). The researchers asserted that the companies that manage
the aforementioned charter schools struggled to explain the massive drop in the minoritized
teacher population. They also found that the vast majority of participants in limited engagement
teacher programs such as Teach for America are non-minoritized. Barrett and Harris found the
city’s K-12 schools' overall performance post-Katrina had remained in the C-/D range based on
the state of Louisiana’s school rating system. The researchers further assert that the data show a
need for teachers to relate to their students both racially and culturally. They concluded that New
Orleans did not help themselves in that endeavor as they worked to reimagine their K-12 school
system in the post-Hurricane Katrina era.
Another critical hurdle that new teachers must clear to begin their careers is the high
stakes pre-service teacher assessment process. Petchauer et al. (2018) found that minoritized
applicant passage rates on assessments like the Praxis are significantly lower than the pass rates
of non-minoritized teacher candidates. They further asserted that a clear statistically significant
racial bias is present in the screening process for pre-service teachers in the United States.
Graham (2013) found that students seeking admission into teacher training programs often
suffered from cultural stereotype bias as they worked to pass the Praxis I series of exams.
Petchauer (2012) found that, as a gatekeeper to teacher training, Praxis I questioning protocols
present as racially biased, which places minoritized candidates at an immediate disadvantage.
Such biases prevent minoritized candidates from reaching the teacher training phase.

15
Lack of an Adequate Talent Pool
College Enrollment and Graduation Rates
The number of minorities enrolling in college has been steadily decreasing in recent
years. When they do enroll, they avoid education-related majors. DeAngelo et al. (2011) found
that only 23% of the minoritized population in the United States has a college degree. They
further asserted that one of the causes of the low degree rate among minorities is the fact that
considerably fewer minorities enroll as freshmen in 4-year degree programs than their non-
minoritized counterparts. In addition, minorities complete 4-year degrees at a rate of 24%
nationwide as opposed to the 44% degree completion for non-minoritized students. A qualitative
study of teacher hiring patterns in New Orleans, Louisiana, schools by Jabbar (2018) found that
over one-third of the district’s teachers have to be sourced from programs such as Teach for
America. Jabbar further asserted that pulling teachers from such programs and their majority
non-minoritized participant pool restricts opportunities for local minoritized candidates, further
discouraging their pursuit of careers in teaching. Finally, minoritized candidates for college score
lower on the SAT/ACT exams than non-minoritized candidates.
Even in cases when minoritized students gain admission and earn 4-year degrees, fewer
and fewer are choosing K-12 education as a major. A study of college students by Harper and
Davis (2012) found that many minoritized college students do not view majoring in education as
an effective remedy to solve socioeconomic inequities. That sentiment is held due to the poor
quality of education in urban K-12 schools. Finally, they asserted that the inequalities present in
K-12 school systems throughout the country have a direct impact on minoritized children. All of
the aforementioned factors contribute to the lack of an adequate talent pool from which to draw
new minoritized teachers.

16
Lack of Promotion Once Hired
When minorities do enter the teaching profession, their chances of being promoted to an
administrative role are not as high as those of their non-minoritized counterparts. Blackwell
(1988) identified six factors that are critical in understanding why there is a shortage of
minorities in administrative roles in K-12 schools: minoritized teachers often do not receive the
proper support from all levels of administration at the start of their careers. A revolving door of
building-level administrators destabilizes the teaching environment which increases frustration
with the job. Some districts restrict minoritized hiring, which creates a culture of tokenism. He
further asserted that district-level administrators sometimes work in concert to keep minorities
from inter-district administrative opportunities due to perceived unsuitability for promotion.
Some districts and buildings have created a culture of failure that has resulted in a
demonstrated lack of efficacy on the part of new minoritized teachers. Smith et al. (1998) found
that cultures of failure have a heavy impact on the number of minorities who complete teacher
training, complete the new teacher induction process, develop the compulsory teaching
proficiencies, and then eventually advance to the principalship.
Minoritized Teachers Leaving the Profession
Minoritized Teachers Leaving the Profession After Induction Year
Minoritized teachers leave the profession after one-year and five-year teaching intervals
at a higher rate than their non-minoritized counterparts. Ingersoll et al. (2019) found that
minoritized teachers were twice as likely to depart the profession within the first three years of
their careers than non-minoritized teachers. History instructs us that the aforementioned finding
has not developed only recently. Putnam et al. (1995) found that non-minoritized teachers remain
in the classroom post-induction at a rate of 93% compared to a minoritized post-induction

17
retention rate of less than 50% and that they leave the profession soon after their induction years
for reasons such as lack of building-level support and job dissatisfaction. Per the authors,
minoritized teachers are often made to feel that they do not belong in the profession and only
received a teaching position due to a government quota program such as affirmative action
Putnam et al., 1995). The result of high attrition rates is a “revolving door effect” of a constant
stream of new minoritized individuals coming into the teaching profession, as those who came in
less than two years ago are leaving the profession permanently.
Bastian and Marks (2017) found that first-year teachers who receive intensive mentoring
and coaching in their first year in the classroom are twice as likely to remain in the classroom at
the three-year mark (post-licensure). They further found that minoritized teachers remain in the
classroom at just as high a rate, or slightly higher, as the general population (Bastian & Marks,
2017).
Another factor that impacts whether a teacher remains in their position post-induction is
job satisfaction. That fact is especially true for minoritized teachers and such data could help to
further inform why more minoritized teachers leave the profession early in their careers. A
teacher job satisfaction study by Tack and Patitu (1992) found that minoritized teachers often
leave the profession due to a practice known as pigeonholing. Pigeonholing happens when a
teacher is assigned to teach subjects the district thinks the teacher would be most comfortable
with based on race or culture. They further cited examples such as assuming all minoritized
teachers want to also be coaches or assigning Asian teachers to teach math or finance. In some
cases, school districts asserted that their community stakeholders would not accept minorities in
specialized subjects such as language arts or science. Those practices often lead frustrated
minoritized teachers to become disillusioned and leave the teaching profession altogether.

18
Minoritized teachers do not receive the same level of support that new non-minoritized
teachers generally receive, which leads to higher than normal attrition rates. A study of general
and special education K-12 teachers by Billingsley et al. (2019) found that the highest
concentrations of minoritized teachers are generally found among those in the early stages of
their careers. However, as the careers of those teachers progress, their populations are becoming
increasingly non-minoritized. An analysis of urban K-12 teachers in Northern California based
on critical race theory (Kohli, 2018) found that teachers who opted to engage their students in a
cultural sense were often punished for it. For example, Latinx teachers were given lower
performance reviews if they frequently used Spanish to teach students.
With the advent of public/private charter schools, data do not support the notion that
minoritized teachers working in those schools face similar conditions with regard to cultural
sensitivity and overall job satisfaction. A study of minoritized teachers in New York City’s
charter schools by White (2018) found that they face very similar barriers to cultural inclusion as
public K-12 teachers. White also found that the more corporate environment and culture that
charter schools operate in can produce school policies that sometimes inhibit increased cultural
awareness and sensitivity and as a result, minoritized teachers get frustrated and leave the
profession.
Clark and Estes’ Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences Framework
Clark and Estes (2008) relate knowledge to the engine and transmission in a car. Without
knowledge, we cannot even get on the road towards motivation and organizational factors. In
addition, they found that employee knowledge and skills are among the three main causes of
performance deficiencies in an organization. Krathwohl (2002) generally described knowledge
as the ability to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create using information

19
learned. The authors further asserted that people need to know how to achieve their performance
goals to be successful in reaching them. Mayer (2011) found that experience brings about
learning because it changes the individual’s knowledge base. Clark and Estes also asserted that,
if people in an organization have not achieved a goal similar to the organizational performance
goal, they may need more knowledge about the goal or the problem that the goal addresses.
The knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs of the ADE as they work to meet
their performance goal of decreasing year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its
current 23% level by 2025 can be analyzed using elements of Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap
analysis. Positive and negative influences on ADE stakeholder performance goals were
examined first. However, it will also be important to examine the influences on the motivation of
ADE stakeholders toward meeting the aforementioned goal. To complete a full evaluation, it was
also necessary to study the potential influences that ADE as an organization has on the
stakeholder performance goal. Chapter Three will provide the methodology to properly examine
the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that stakeholders may have on the
performance of ADE.
Knowledge and Skills
The ADE administration must have the knowledge and skills necessary to correct the
performance deficiency regarding diversity and meet the specific goals set forth by ADE. If the
ADE administration does not have experience solving a similar problem in the past, then they
must take steps to increase their knowledge about the problem. A study published in the Harvard
Educational Review found that a district had a shortage of minoritized building-level teachers
that could be directly linked to explicit biases in retention practices. The shortage can be directly
attributed to a deficiency of minoritized teachers to promote from (D'amico et al., 2017).

20
Knowledge Influences
Several factors influence knowledge in individuals as well as in organizations. Krathwohl
(2002) found that there are four main types of knowledge: factual knowledge deals with the
terminology and elements of a subject; conceptual knowledge deals with the classifications,
theories, and structures of a subject; procedural knowledge deals with subject-specific skills; and
metacognitive knowledge deals with strategic and self-knowledge. Clark and Estes (2008) assert
that there are several ways that an organization can improve their knowledge regarding
deficiency in performance. One of those ways is the use of interviews to collect data on the
problem. The ADE administration will need to deploy a strategy to collect data that will help
them to know the causes of teacher turnover and the barriers that help cause it. Developing that
information will better inform them of performance deficiency for which they are developing a
strategy.
The main influencers for ADE were factual at first. However, procedural knowledge will
also play an important role due to the very procedural nature of running school districts. In many
ways, that procedural nature is part of the reason the aforementioned study found bias in hiring
procedures (D’amico et al., 2017). For the ADE administration to achieve the aforementioned
performance goal, it is necessary to analyze the knowledge influences that are most impactful as
the ADE administration moves to achieve the goal. It is also necessary to properly categorize and
classify those influences to determine the best strategies for assessing progress toward reaching
the stakeholder goal. The following sections will detail the three knowledge influences that are
most impactful in reaching the stated performance goal.

21
Developing Knowledge of the Causes of Teacher Turnover
A conceptual knowledge influence on the ADE administration as it works to reach its
performance goal is developing knowledge about the causes of teacher turnover and the barriers
that prevent new teachers from entering the profession. To craft and implement truly impactful
policies regarding diversity, the ADE administration needs to understand the factors that keep
minoritized applicants from gaining a teaching credential in Apex. Clark and Estes (2008) found
that people are often not aware that they lack knowledge about a particular subject. Honig (2006)
asserts that the urgency for districts and state departments of education to implement updated
diversity policies further makes the case for developing knowledge of ADE policies. Earl (2001)
states that effective knowledge management practices are essential for developing positive
outcomes in organizational initiatives. The ADE administration could deploy work gain a better
understanding of barriers like the Praxis series of exams that present a barrier to licensure for
minoritized candidates and how those barriers affect the diversity of the state’s teachers as a
whole. The next section will address the need for the ADE administration to know how to
implement strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover.
Translating the Agreed Strategy Into Concrete District Policies
From a procedural standpoint, the ADE administration needs to know how to implement
strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover on a statewide level. Cuban (1984)
emphasized the need for clarity when crafting department of education policies as they relate to
set strategies. In a longitudinal study, Quartz et al. (2008) found that improving minoritized
teacher retention rates is a vital component of achieving better diversity in urban schools.
Therefore, the ADE administration must use its knowledge of the causes of the state’s lack of
diversity to craft official policies that promote diversity and longevity of minoritized licensees at

22
the district level. This will be especially true as a newer and more diverse teaching staff is being
hired all over the state. D’amico et al. (2017) asserted that departments of education should have
clear diversity policies that are based on a sound overall diversity strategy. That would be a
critical component to help prevent newer minoritized teachers from leaving the profession out of
frustration. The next section will address the need for ADE to know how to collaborate with
other community stakeholders to reduce teacher turnover.
Knowing How To Collaborate With Other Community Stakeholders
There is also a need for the ADE administration to understand how to collaborate with
other community stakeholders to reduce teacher turnover. When implementing new or updated
policies and procedures, state departments of education need to develop synergies with other
community stakeholders. Such collaborations would help to guarantee the necessary buy-in that
will help the changes and reforms to be durable. A 3-year quantitative study by Honig (2006)
determined that state departments of education that implement large change initiatives need to
put supports or “bridges” in place to increase stakeholder confidence in the changes. Those
supports will help to gain the small community buy-in that will be critical for success. The ADE
administration would need to partner with non-profit organizations around the state to help local
school districts and communities adjust to the revised diversity policy.
As the policy rollout continues, the ADE administration could utilize its community
partnerships and collaborations to keep the public engaged on the progress of the reforms. The
public must be kept informed because community perceptions of race and diversity differ.
However, the benefits of diverse professional staff in public schools are numerous and
indisputable. Kafele (2012) found that the presence of minoritized professional staff role models
improves outcomes for all minoritized children. He further asserts that the presence of minorities

23
on the professional staff in urban schools has a direct positive impact on the desire of those
young students to pursue careers in education themselves. The ADE administration must identify
appropriate community partners for collaboration to make the policy rollout a success. They
must also be ready and willing to make appropriate adjustments as the rollout unfolds, which will
further ensure the rollout’s success.
Table 2 shows the organizational mission, organizational global goal, stakeholder goal,
knowledge influence, knowledge type, and knowledge influence assessment.
Table 2
Knowledge Influence, Knowledge Types, and Knowledge Assessment
Organizational Mission
The mission of the Apex Department of Education (ADE) is to provide leadership through the
development of policy and accountability systems so that all students are prepared to compete in the
global community.
Organizational Global Goal
ADE seeks to increase the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide to 36% by the year 2025.
Stakeholder Goal
Decrease year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level by 2025.
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence Assessment
The ADE administration needs to
know the causes of minoritized teacher
turnover and the barriers that help to
cause it.
Conceptual Interview Selected ADE
administration Members
The ADE administration needs to
know how to implement strategies to
address the causes of minoritized
teacher turnover.
Procedural Interview Selected ADE
administration Members.
The ADE administration needs to
know how to collaborate with other
community stakeholders to reduce
minoritized teacher turnover.
Procedural Examine relevant public-facing
ADE documents.

Motivation
After examining the ADE administrators’ knowledge and ability to craft and implement a
strategy and policies to make the state’s teaching staff more diverse, it becomes necessary to
examine whether the ADE administration actually wants to perform such tasks. Mayer (2011)

24
generally defines motivation as the act of initiating and maintaining goal-directed behavior from
within. Grossman and Salas (2011) found that motivation is a major factor in the transfer of
knowledge in a training setting. That factor would be very applicable to an organization such as a
public school district because most policies and procedures are primarily conveyed in a
professional development setting. That fact makes successful training transfer very important.
Employees need to actually want to pick up the new skill or knowledge to complete the transfer.
ADE employees at all levels must be motivated to achieve higher minoritized teacher
retention rates in all areas of the district. Irvine (1988) found that public school districts post-
reconstruction had very little motivation to promote any real diversity in their professional staff.
That fact existed despite thousands of qualified minoritized educators being available for
immediate employment because many majority minoritized schools and districts were closed
down in the aftermath of Brown v Board of Education. The students were largely absorbed into
mostly non-minoritized districts post-Brown. However, those districts had no interest in taking
on their minoritized teachers. They had no motivation to do so because a non-minoritized public,
already aggravated by the necessity to integrate student populations, would not extend that
diversity to the teaching staff.
Clark and Estes (2008) identified motivation as influencing the acts of choosing to work
toward a goal, continuing to work toward a goal until it is achieved, and determining the level of
mental effort that needs to be invested to complete the goal. They further asserted that motivation
is a major factor when diagnosing performance deficiency in an organization. A great deal of the
performance deficiency within ADE about improving minoritized teacher retention can be
attributed to motivation. The component of motivation that is critical to the ADE administration

25
as they work to reach their performance goal is self-efficacy. The following sections will focus
on self-efficacy.
Self-Efficacy Theory
The aforementioned motivation factors fit into a discussion on efficacy. Bandura (2000)
defined self-efficacy as a belief held by a person in their ability to produce a desired outcome
while avoiding undesirable outcomes. Self-efficacy can also have an impact on how groups work
together because people working together in a group tend to develop a collective efficacy. That
finding fits neatly into the task that the ADE administration must undertake to develop,
articulate, and implement more effective teacher diversity policies in the state.
Pajares (2006) asserts that self-efficacy is (or can be) derived from four primary sources:
mastery experience (personal experience), vicarious experience (the experience of others), social
persuasions (feedback from others), and positive or negative physiological reactions (anxiety or
stress). In the case of the ADE administration, vicarious experience and social persuasions would
be the most informative to the goal of achieving higher minoritized teacher retention rates.
However, mastery experience and physiological reactions still have a role in undertaking the
goal. Emery et al. (2018) found that people who want to develop mastery skills genuinely want
to understand and avoid misunderstanding a task or goal. Once the self-efficacy for reaching the
performance goal is understood, it is then necessary to further understand why the ADE
administration would undertake the action.
Expectancy Value Theory
While efficacy addresses whether one has the ability and confidence to accomplish a task,
expectancy value helps deal with the question of whether one wants to accomplish a task. Eccles
(2006) asserted that expectancy value is a primary component of perceived value. Eccles further

26
asserted that expectancy value addresses two primary questions: whether one can do the task and
whether one wants to do the task. Chiu and Wang (2008) assert that expectancy value can project
predictability of an individual’s intentions toward reaching a goal. The ADE administration has a
goal of improving the states’ retention rate for minoritized teachers within a specific timeframe.
That goal may not be a priority for all of the members of the ADE administration. However, all
of those individuals have a desire to improve the retention of minoritized teachers. That level of
desire can be an informative predictor of what the stakeholders involved will do to solve the
problem at hand. Lewis and Toldson (2013) found that state departments of education and
districts around the United States as a whole did not truly want to present the districts in their
states as diverse. Instead, they chose to emphasize overall quality in their educator staff. They
further asserted that the minoritized teaching population did not appear to be a top concern
during the study period. However, they did find evidence that the issue is receiving more
attention as state departments of education realize the notion that a state’s teaching staff must
look like the stakeholders it serves. That increased stakeholder awareness could increase a state
department of education’s sense of community duty and motivate them to make an honest effort
to improve minoritized teacher retention rates. Table 3 shows the organizational mission,
organizational global goal, stakeholder goal, motivational influences, and the motivational
influence assessment.

27
Table 3
Motivational Influences and Motivational Influence Assessments
Organizational Mission
The mission of the Apex Department of Education (ADE) is to provide leadership through the
development of policy and accountability systems so that all students are prepared to compete in the
global community.
Organizational Global Goal
ADE seeks to increase the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide to 36% by the year 2025.
Stakeholder Goal
Decrease year by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level by 2025.
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivational Influence Assessment
Self-Efficacy (can we accomplish the goal?)
The ADE administration needs to have confidence in their
ability to accomplish the performance goal of decreasing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23%
level.

Interview relevant selected ADE
administration members and inquire
about their level of confidence that the
diversity goal can be met by improving
minoritized teacher retention rates and
why?
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivational Influence Assessment
Expectancy Value
(do we want to accomplish the goal?)
The ADE administration needs to have a desire to
enhance outcomes for students in Apex by improving
minoritized teacher retention.
Interview relevant selected ADE
administration members about their
level of desire to achieve the
minoritized teacher retention rate
goal.

Organization
Organizational Influences
Several factors influence organizations. Erez and Gati (2004) found that the culture of an
organization has a direct influence on how the organization established its processes. Some
organizations are influenced culturally to establish top-down processes that flow from
management down to the workers while others develop bottom-up cultures that are more
adaptive because the workers who set the cultural norms. Data also have a profound influence
and impact on how organizations develop and grow. Langley et al. (2009) found that meaningful
organizational change must be supported by data to be effective. They further asserted that the
aforementioned data must be tested to refine the idea and minimize the cost of implementation.

28
Rath and Conchie (2008) examined trust in leadership from a follower’s perspective and
found that, with organizations, people value trust, compassion, stability, and hope were valued
above all other leadership traits. Isaac-Mostovicz, et al. (2011) identified trust as one of four
pillars that organizations must pay attention to along with transformation, accountability, and
tone. A study on worker engagement by Berbary and Malinchak (2011) found that workers in an
organization achieve full buy-in into an organizational mission when they feel meaningfully
empowered by its leaders. They further assert that such empowerment can be achieved by
providing relevant training and support while developing communities of practice among team
members. Finally, they also found that establishing a culture of mentoring broadens the horizons
for the team members mentored. The ADE administration will need to be willing to collect data
to see how a diverse teaching staff in its schools supports better student outcomes. That data will
allow them to be better informed about the performance deficiency for which they are
developing a strategy and the organizational influences on the deficiency. The main influencers
for ADE involve both cultural models as well as cultural settings. Gallimore and Goldenberg
(2001) identified a cultural setting as an environment where two or more people come together
over time to accomplish an organizational goal. They identified a cultural model as tools for the
mind that encourage shared ways of thinking and responding to the adaptive challenges that an
organization may face.
For the ADE administration to achieve the aforementioned performance goal, it is
necessary to analyze the organizational influences that are most impactful as the ADE
administration moves to achieve the goal. It is also necessary to properly categorize and classify
those influences to determine the best strategies for assessing progress toward reaching the

29
stakeholder goal. The following sections will detail the three organizational influences that are
most impactful in reaching the stated performance goal.
Developing Data that Illustrates the Benefits of Diversity
An organizational influence on the ADE administration as it works to reach its
performance goal is gathering data that illustrates how a diverse teaching staff benefits student
outcomes in Apex. To craft and implement truly impactful policies regarding diversity, the ADE
administration needs to understand what the resulting data mean and take appropriate actions
based on that data (Langley et al., 2009). Harvey (1988) asserted that, even when adequate data
are collected to analyze a problem, organizations frequently take actions contradictory to that
data, which compounds the original problem. The ADE administration could use interviews and
document examination to acquire the aforementioned data on what stakeholders are thinking
about diversity and its impacts on the district as a whole. The next section will address the need
for ADE to develop trust with relevant stakeholders as they develop a plan to address its
minoritized teacher turnover problem.
Providing Empowerment and Support to Personnel
There is also a need to empower the personnel responsible for implementing the
minoritized teacher retention policies that the ADE administration develops. Alper et al. (2000)
found that empowered organizational teams can be effective. However, they also provide a
couple of important provisions to that assessment. While empowerment is good, sometimes the
ADE administration will need to monitor teams for potential conflicts and work quickly to
resolve them. Another consideration is the fact that teams cannot be expected to automatically
feel empowered and confident. Isaac-Mostovicz et al. (2011) assert that training is a key
component of any plan to change the culture of an organization. A 3-year quantitative study by

30
Honig (2006) determined that state departments of education that implement large change
initiatives need to put supports or “bridges” to increase stakeholder confidence in the changes.
The next section will deal with the need for ADE to provide cultural sensitivity training to key
personnel that will be involved in the implementation of its minoritized teacher retention
policies.
Providing Cultural Sensitivity Training to Licensure Personnel
The ADE needs to establish and deploy a team of mentors to help its licensure
professionals adjust to the revised minoritized teacher retention policies. Berbary and Malinchak
(2011) asserted that mentoring is a key part of the organizational engagement process. They
further asserted that high-quality mentoring broadens the horizons of those who are mentored.
Such mentoring will help professionals feel more comfortable and empowered as they reassure
the districts and educators they regulate that the minoritized teacher retention plan is being
executed well. As the policy rollout continues, the ADE administration must keep its employees
and the districts they regulate engaged about their progress.
Table 4 shows the organizational mission, organizational global goal, stakeholder goal,
assumed organizational influences, and organization influence assessment.
Table 4
Assumed Organizational Influences and Organization Influence Assessment
Organizational Mission
The mission of the Apex Department of Education (ADE) is to provide leadership through the
development of policy and accountability systems so that all students are prepared to compete in the
global community.
Organizational Global Goal
ADE seeks to increase the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide to 36% by the year 2025.
Stakeholder Goal (If Applicable)
Decrease year by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level by 2025.

31
Assumed Organizational Influences Organization Influence Assessment
Cultural Model Influence 1:
ADE needs to be willing to collect the necessary data to
see how a diverse teaching staff supports better student
outcomes.
Examination of relevant public-facing
documents.
Interviews with relevant ADE
Administration members and key staff.
Cultural Setting Influence 2:
The ADE needs to provide training and mentorship at all
levels to help address teacher turnover. It could also
consider an induction year support program.
Examination of relevant public-facing
documents.
Interviews with relevant ADE
Administration members and key staff.
Cultural Setting Influence 3:
ADE needs to provide cultural sensitivity mentorship for
personnel who handle the licensure of
professional staff level teachers.
Examination of relevant public-facing
documents.
Interviews with relevant ADE
Administration members and key staff.

Research Questions
1. What is the ADE administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of
decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture, context and the ADE
administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of decreasing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Motivation and
the Organizational Context
Maxwell (2012) defined the conceptual framework as a system of concepts, assumptions,
expectations, beliefs, and theories that supports and informs a study. He further described the
purpose of a conceptual framework as that of a stepping stone that informs the remainder of the
study’s design. The framework defines what the study was trying to find out and why. In
addition, it helps to justify why the research is important. Finally, he asserted that it introduces
the research problem. In the ADE study, the influencers presented are independent of each other.
However, they do not remain in isolation as all influencers exist within ADE. ADE as an
organization must interact and relate to the ADE administration as they work to craft policy for

32
districts, schools, and educators statewide. It is imperative to understand how the knowledge and
motivational influences of ADE and the ADE administration affect their ability to make the
statewide teaching population more diverse. Finally, it is critical to understand the cultural
models and settings that influence ADE as an organization.
The conceptual framework presented here describes the relationship between ADE as an
organization and the ADE administration which acts as the stakeholder for this study. A
conceptual knowledge influence on the ADE administration as it works to reach its performance
goal is the need to know the causes of teacher turnover and the barriers to its improvement. From
a procedural standpoint, the ADE administration needs to know how to implement strategies to
address the causes of teacher turnover on a statewide level. Cuban (1984) emphasized the need
for clarity when crafting school department of education policies as they relate to set strategies.
There is also a need to know how to collaborate with other community stakeholders to reduce
teacher turnover. As noted by Honig (2006), ADE will need to build supports to increase
stakeholder confidence
After completing an examination of the ADE administration’s knowledge and ability to
craft and then implement a strategy and policies that will make the state’s teaching staff more
diverse, it then becomes necessary to examine whether the ADE administration wants to perform
such tasks. One of the factors that motivate ADE as it works to achieve its organizational goal is
self-efficacy, which Bandura (2000) noted it is individuals’ belief in their ability to produce an
outcome. That motivational factor fits neatly into the task that the ADE administration must
undertake to develop, articulate, and implement more effective teacher diversity policies in the
state.

33
Figure 1, presented below, represents the relationship between ADE as an organization
and the ADE administration. The larger blue circle represents ADE as an organization and
contains the cultural models and settings relative to the organizational goal of increasing the
percentage of minoritized teachers statewide to 36% by the year 2025. The smaller gold circle
inside of the larger blue circle represents the ADE administration which is the main stakeholder
for this study. The knowledge and motivation influences on the ADE administration are listed in
the gold circle. The gold circle being inside of the blue circle indicates that the ADE
administration is a part of ADE as an organization. The small downward arrow below the larger
blue circle points to a yellow rectangle. That rectangle represents the stakeholder goal of
decreasing the year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level.

34
Figure 1
ADE Conceptual Framework

The knowledge and motivation influences of the ADE administration interact very neatly
with the organizational influences of ADE. ADE as an organization needs to be willing to collect

35
data on how a diverse teaching staff impacts student outcomes. Creswell and Creswell (2018)
asserted that data collection is an essential part of any study. At the same time, the ADE
administration needs to have that data. ADE as an organization needs to provide training and
mentorship at all levels to help address teacher turnover. It could also consider an induction year
support program. Stubbs and Cocklin (2008) asserted that organizations that achieve sustainable
business models must take their stakeholder’s needs and concerns into account. At the same
time, the ADE administration needs to analyze its ability to implement that plan as well as
examine the impact the plan will have on the state’s teachers and teacher applicants. ADE as an
organization needs to enable the personnel responsible for implementing its minoritized teacher
retention plan by providing them with appropriate professional development (training). At the
same time, the ADE administration needs to have confidence in the ability of that personnel to
execute the plan. ADE as an organization needs to provide cultural sensitivity mentorship to its
licensure staff.
Summary
This study sought to examine the lack of minoritized teachers in Apex. To emphasize the
need for this study, a variety of literature has been presented that illustrates that the lack of
minoritized teachers is a problem nationwide. The literature also identifies the many benefits to
communities that result from solving the problem. This review presented the knowledge and
influence factors of the ADE administration as the primary stakeholder. This review has also
presented the factors that influence ADE as an organization. The relationship between ADE as
an organization and the ADE administration as the primary stakeholder was demonstrated
visually in this chapter. The conceptual framework of the study was also presented. That
framework examined the interaction between ADE and the ADE administration as they relate to

36
knowledge, motivation, influences, and actions. Chapter Three will address the methodological
approach of this study.

37
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which ADE is achieving its goal
of improving the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide from 25% to 36% by 2025. The
evaluation will focus on knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements related to achieving
the organizational goals. The stakeholder to be focused on in this evaluation is the ADE
administration.
In this chapter the aforementioned study’s research design, methods for data collection
and methods for data analysis will be presented. As such, the questions that guided this study are
the following:
1. What are the ADE administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of
decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture, context, and the ADE
administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of decreasing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
This chapter will begin with an overview of the participating stakeholders. The criteria
for designing the research instrument will then be discussed. The strategy and criteria for
recruiting the study’s subjects will then be discussed along with the applicable rationale for such
selections. A discussion of the data collection and analysis methods will then be outlined and
discussed. A discussion of the credibility and trustworthiness of the data will follow. That will be
followed by an analysis of the ethical principles that guided the study.

38
Participating Stakeholders
At ADE, the stakeholders are the ADE administration, school districts supervised by
ADE, the individual schools, education professionals, and licensure candidates who fall under
the supervision of ADE. Of those stakeholders, the ADE administration was identified as the
stakeholder who will have the most impact on ADE reaching its performance goal of decreasing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level. The ADE administration
administers statewide licensure policies. The teachers and licensure candidates comply with
mandates prescribed by the ADE administration to either obtain or keep an education credential.
The ADE administration is the most appropriate choice for the stakeholder of focus for this study
because of its exclusive and overarching role in setting and implementing policies that affect the
retention of educators in Apex. The study participants were selected from the ADE
administration members and their top staff assistants.
The criteria that determined who was recruited to participate in an interview are closely
aligned with the purpose of the study. ADE administration (and key staff) members who have
direct involvement in the crafting and implementation of policies on the retention of professional
personnel in the Apex K-12 schools were identified as excellent candidates for recruitment. ADE
administration members and their corresponding staff members who have involvement in
addressing professional staff diversity also made excellent candidates for recruitment.
Interview Sampling Criterion and Rationale
Criterion 1. ADE administration members, along with selected top staff, with
responsibility for retention programs were interviewed because they have direct knowledge of
ADE knowledge and motivation factors regarding retention goals.

39
Criterion 2. ADE administration members, along with selected top staff, with
responsibility for school minoritized teacher retention were interviewed because they have direct
knowledge of ADE knowledge and motivational factors regarding the interaction of
organizational cultures and context with respect to the organizational goal of reducing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level.
Interview Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale
A request was made to ADE to make members of the ADE administration and key staff
available for interviews over a 2-day period. Johnson and Christensen (2015) describe interviews
as an interpersonal encounter and emphasize the need to develop a personal rapport with the
interview subjects beforehand. They suggest that interviewers be well trained and reflexive. That
rapport was built up as the ADE administration assisted with the process of getting members and
staff set up to be interviewed. The interviews were qualitative. A standardized open-ended
interview protocol was used. Johnson and Christensen (2015) describe the standardized open-
ended interview technique as asking each subject the same questions in the same order.
However, all of the questions were open-ended.
Qualitative Data Collection
The data for this study were collected through 10 interviews and an examination of
relevant, public-facing documents. Interviews were the appropriate data collection method for
the study because they allowed for a detailed examination of the ADE administration’s
knowledge and motivation to reach the organizational goal. The interviews they allowed a closer
examination of the interaction among organizational culture, context, and the ADE
administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of decreasing minoritized
teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) assert that

40
interviewing is necessary when we cannot efficiently observe behavior, feelings, or how people
think or feel about the world around them. The interview questions delved into the member’s
background in K-12, their experience working with ADE, their perceptions about ADE, and their
efforts to address minoritized teacher turnover. The question type supports the conceptual
framework of the study by addressing the cultural models and cultural settings within ADE. The
question type also supports the need in the study to explore the conceptual, procedural, and
factual knowledge as well as the self-efficacy of the ADE administration to reduce minoritized
teacher turnover. All of the KMO influences were explored through interviews.
In addition to conducting 10 interviews, relevant public-facing documents were examined
to collect data relevant to determining the knowledge and motivation to reduce minoritized
teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) describe
artifacts and documents as a ready source of data that can be easily accessed. They further assert
that document data can be useful whether found in a physical setting or an online setting.
The COVID-19 crisis in the United States had a significant impact on the structure and
execution of this study. ADE could not make all interview participants available as originally
intended. Travel restrictions resulted in interview procedure adjustments, as the in-person
interviews were moved to an online format. The crisis also limited the agency’s operating hours
and ability to make record specialists available for document collection. However, the agency
did provide enough documents to conduct the study.
Interviews
Interview Protocol. There are 20 members of the ADE administration. Interviews were
sought with just over half of the members and some key staff members who assist those
members. Patton (2002) asserted that interviews serve to find out information that cannot be

41
ascertained through observation. It would have been impossible to observe all 20 members of the
ADE administration and key staff for a sufficient amount of time to collect the same amount and
quality of data that could be collected in a single interview. A single formal interview was
conducted with each participant. The number of interviews was appropriate because
responsibility for teacher retention covered in this study is highly concentrated within the
leadership structure of ADE.
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) asserted that conducting interviews in a setting that is
familiar to the respondent will increase the respondent’s overall comfort level and enhance the
quality of their participation in the study. Due to the COVID-19 crisis that emerged in January
2020 all over the United States, all of the interviews for this study were conducted using the
Zoom video-conferencing application. All of the interviews were conducted by me in the role of
researcher. The interviews followed a semi-structured interview protocol. The semi-structured
interview protocol was chosen due to the subjective nature of educational systems’ operations.
Respondents needed the space to answer the questions from both an objective and subjective
viewpoint. They also needed the flexibility to expand on answers when necessary.
Interview Procedures. A request was made to ADE to make members of the
administration available for interviews. Bogdan and Biklen (2007) assert that interview requests
from college-based researchers typically get much better results from organizational gatekeepers
than other groups who routinely request access to persons and materials, such as the press. As
recommended by Weiss (1994), rapport was built with participants, as the ADE administration
and key staff assisted recruiting interviewees. The interviews were conducted between May 15,
2020, and June 20, 2020.

42
Each of the 10 interviews lasted approximately one to two hours. Each interview had 12
questions and allowed for approximately 10 minutes of discussion time per question. Weiss
(1994) describes the interview as a partnership between the interviewer and the respondent. With
that thought in mind, appropriate times were allotted so that the aforementioned partnership
would have the time and space needed to develop. The time took to conduct all interviews was
approximately 17 hours. The 10 interviews conducted were a combination of formal and
informal. The more objective prompts were formal. Examples are questions about the
respondent’s background and experience. The more subjective questions were more informal.
Examples are questions about how the respondent felt about efforts on the part of ADE to
address the minoritized teacher shortage. The interview protocol can be found in Appendix A.
The interview participants were interviewed from the convenience, comfort, and safety of their
own homes. The data from each interview were recorded on a digital audio recording device. An
additional digital audio backup recording device was also used for every interview in case the
first device malfunctioned.
Documents and Artifacts
Public-facing ADE documents that were examined were procured during the time that the
interviews were conducted. This was done primarily for convenience since the documents are
located in the ADE offices in Capital. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, ADE emailed the researcher
documents for examination.
Bowen (2009) defines documents and artifacts as tools that can be used for evaluation in
a study. Potential items can include meeting agendas, minutes of meetings, press releases,
institutional reports, survey data, and various public records. As a public agency, ADE keeps
data sets that are made available to the public as well as internal non-published educator and

43
school data. The documents that were collected from ADE in the course of completing the study
were public-facing documents. The documents that were collected contained data that relates to
school staffing across certain periods relevant to the study.
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) describe documents and artifacts as a rich source of data that
provide a three-dimensional perspective into communications that are meaningful to the
participants in the research setting. Apex has approximately 36,600 teachers spread across 150
unique school districts statewide. Some of the documents reviewed outlined teacher staffing
levels across all school districts in Apex with the data arranged by race. Other documents
outlined statewide school district vacancy retention trends. Those documents were relevant
because they contributed to answering the research questions. The motivation component was
covered primarily in the interviews. The collection of documents supported ADE’s knowledge of
the problem. That analysis aligns with the cultural models and settings for ADE that are
described in the conceptual framework. To properly evaluate progress toward reducing
minoritized teacher turnover, ADE must collect data on how statewide teacher diversity levels
evolve. They must also evaluate how a diverse teaching staff affects student outcomes. Merriam
and Tisdell (2016) also asserted that documents used in a study must be authenticated to ensure
the data contained in them are valid. All documents used in the study were generated directly by
ADE to ensure that the data contained in them is authentic.
Data Analysis
Data analysis began during data collection. Analytic memos were written after each
interview. The interviewer’s thoughts, concerns, and initial conclusions about the data were
documented in relation to the study’s conceptual framework and research questions. Once the
interviewer completed all of the interviews, the interviews were transcribed and the transcripts

44
coded. In the first phase of analysis, open coding was used to look for empirical codes while
applying codes from the conceptual framework. For example, if an interview subject made a
statement about teacher retention that was closely connected with the conceptual framework, a
general theme was created for that comment such as “knowledge of what is causing the turnover
problem in Apex.” Similar comments were also grouped under the same theme for that
interview. Once that process was completed, a second phase of analysis was conducted where the
empirical and a priori codes were aggregated into analytic/axial codes. In that phase, the themes
were grouped by which cultural model, cultural setting, knowledge or motivational category the
theme fit best under. In the third phase of data analysis, the patterns in the code were identified
and the themes that emerged in relation to the conceptual framework and study questions were
highlighted to get the study results. Documents were also analyzed for evidence consistent with
the concepts in the conceptual framework. The coding method described above was also used to
analyze all of the documents. For example, if a year-to-year hire/rehire report contained patterns
that fit into the conceptual framework, that pattern was identified as a theme for other similar
data patterns to be logged under.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
The credibility and trustworthiness of this study were maintained by using three
strategies: External validity was deployed during the study design process to ensure that a
sufficient amount of data were collected to address the research questions. The data collection
process was validated by triangulation. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) asserted that triangulation
happens when data from multiple sources are compared to ensure they are truly reflective of the
study’s research objectives. They further asserted that an acceptable form of triangulation would

45
be interviewing persons who can share varying perspectives of the research questions under
study. Triangulation of interview data was conducted after the completion of five interviews.
Data analysis was regulated using data coding as an internal reliability strategy. Merriam
and Tisdell (2016) describe data coding as a technique for processing raw research data by
sorting the data into set categories. They further state that data coding is very useful in a
qualitative study because it allows for a more intensive and organized study of the data that is
collected. Coding the data ensured that the data were consistent with the research questions and
conceptual framework. Finally, an external reliability process was utilized along with field and
process notes. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) describe keeping field and process notes as a way to
develop a thick description of the findings of a research study. Detailed process notes were kept
on all aspects of the study. Study notes were taken via a digital voice recorder and transcribed
later into the study journal notes. After every activity of the study, process notes were taken. For
example, after an interview or document review session, audio process notes were taken for later
transcription. The study notes helped ensure data analysis maintained an acceptable level of
reliability.
Ethics
In the planning and execution of my study, I spoke to members of the ADE
administration. As I planned the interviews, I followed the standards as outlined in federal
regulations on the protection of human subjects in scholarly research. Merriam and Tisdell
(2016) asserted that, no matter how closely any set of regulations are followed, true ethics in
research rely on the individual researcher’s values and ethics. First among the ethical
considerations I addressed as I planned my study was utilizing an information sheet. Glesne
(2011) asserted that research subjects must be fully informed about pertinent study details so

46
they may make a reasonable decision about participating in a study. The federal code describes
informed consent as a two-part process and includes the use of an information sheet as an option
for lower-risk studies. I provided all of the information about my study to potential respondents
in writing by utilizing an information sheet. I then documented that I indeed provided such
information to the respondents. The form concisely described the research questions that are
under study, disclosed that all answers would be kept confidential, and emphasized that
participation is voluntary.
Rubin and Rubin (2012) assert that researchers must show respect to their subjects by
being straightforward and honest about study details and their own background. The respondents
were advised that they could decline to answer any question that they did not wish to answer.
The information sheet was in a format that was easily understood by the respondents. I obtained
separate permission to record the interviews in writing and asked the respondents to
acknowledge at the beginning of the recording their clear and verbal consent for the interview to
be recorded. All study materials are stored in secure holding until the completion of the study
and will be destroyed after the study is completed per the code.
I currently work as an independent consultant to school districts all over the United
States. I usually mentor newly hired principals. For the past 21 months, I have been working
with a non-profit organization that contracted me to create a teacher intervention program for
ADE. My mandate is to assist with the teacher shortage in Apex by helping to remove barriers to
certification, such as the Praxis series of tests. I have no direct business relationship with ADE
and, therefore, no conflict exists in that area. There is a demonstrated lack of minoritized
professional staff in the Apex schools. In that respect, the results of this study will provide me
with some insight regarding the problem and how it may be solved. Rubin and Rubin (2012)

47
stressed the need for researchers to not pressure their potential research subjects or respondents.
The ADE administration and key staff were very supportive of the study and provided their full
cooperation. The informed consent process emphasized the voluntary nature of the study and
ensured that ADE employees and executives both knew that their participation, non-
participation, and responses had no impact on their employment status.
I am aware that some aspects of the study are racially sensitive. As a minoritized male, I
examined my own biases as they related to my experiences as an education professional. Weiss
(1994) asserted that the relationship and dynamic between an interviewer and a respondent are
more of a partnership. The interviewer must accept the role of a privileged inquirer when
conducting a study. I accepted that role and ensured that I did not let any of my biases impact the
collection of data or its interpretation.

48
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree to which ADE is achieving its goal
of improving the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide from 25% to 36% by 2025. One
way the goal can be achieved is by reducing the rate of year-by-year minoritized teacher
turnover.
The evaluation focused on knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements related to
achieving the department’s organizational goals. Chapter four presents the findings for the
following research questions:
1. What are the ADE administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of
decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture, context, and the ADE
administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the goal of decreasing
minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
Participating Stakeholders
Ten ADE administration members and key staff participated in the study. Four of the
participants were directly involved with licensing from an ADE administration policymaking
vantage point. Two of the participants had roles in the direct day-to-day administration of
educator licensure. The remaining four participants worked in the ADE administration in
educator licensee and retention support roles. All of the participants had direct K-12 educator
experience and an average of 26.5 years of experience.
I conducted 10 interviews, which was the number I expected to conduct. The COVID-19
crisis in the United States made it challenging to schedule interviews. However, ADE was as
accommodating as possible in making the participants available under the circumstances.

49
Pseudonyms are used for privacy and confidentiality for the organization as well as the
participants. Table 5 briefly discusses the role that the participants play in the ADE
administration.
Table 5
Summary of Participants
Years of Service Participant
20-30 Ms. Ricks
20-30 Mr. Taylor
20-30 Mr. Williams
20-30 Ms. Holko
20-30 Mr. Martin
20-30 Ms. Jones
30-35 Ms. Smith
20-30 Mr. Romano
10-20 Ms. Saal
10-20 Mr. Jennings

Research Question One
The first research question asked, “What are the ADE administration’s knowledge and
motivation with respect to the goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its
current 23% level?”
Knowledge Results
The ADE administration and key staff were assessed through interviews. Results are
presented in the following section for each assumed influence in the areas of conceptual and
procedural knowledge. Each assumed influence was determined to be either an area of need or an
asset based on the findings. Baselines were established to determine if a set of responses
represented an asset finding or a need finding. Response rates over seven were determined to
indicate a strong tendency toward either an asset or need based finding. Document examination
was not conducted for this influence.

50
Conceptual Knowledge (Minoritized Licensure)
Interviews were used to assess the conceptual knowledge of ADE administration and key
staff. Participants were asked about the knowledge they needed to better understand the factors
that keep minoritized applicants from gaining a teaching credential in Apex, what causes them to
leave the profession so soon after they gain a license, the causes of the state’s lack of minoritized
teacher retention, and how to collaborate with other community stakeholders to reduce teacher
turnover in Apex.
The conceptual knowledge finding was that the ADE administration does not appear to
have a clear understanding of the factors that keep minoritized applicants from gaining a
teaching credential in Apex and why those who manage to gain a credential leave the profession
soon after being hired.
The interview results indicated that all participants need more conceptual knowledge
about these factors. All of the participants emphasized the importance of diversity and longevity
in the teaching staff of Apex schools. However, each participant, in their own way, expressed
there is very little concentrated information about what causes minoritized teachers to leave the
profession so soon after they are hired. Such assertions on the part of the participants indicate a
definitive pattern that affirms the conceptual knowledge deficiency. For Example: Mr. Martin’s
statement that, regarding minoritized licensure rejections, they (the ADE administration) were
just throwing darts; one of the largest problems in public education across the nation is a lack of
focus on the problem. Mr. Martin was commenting on how ADE approaches major problems in
the performance of the public K-12 schools in Apex. While eight of the subjects spoke of the
need for ADE to better understand why minoritized teachers fail to gain a teaching credential in

51
Apex, they also spoke of the need for ADE to understand why so many leave the profession after
only a short time. Ms. Ricks stated,
I think one of the things is lack of outside is a lack of mentorship, strong mentorship, and
then sometimes it depends on where you are. I would really wonder if we really are really
interested in finding out why the teachers are leaving. Are we afraid of the answers that
we might get?
Ms. Ricks was explaining that the ADE administration may be shying away from discovering
some of the reasons minoritized teachers leave.
When participants attempted to venture deeper into minoritized teacher retention,
turnover, and barriers to licensure, the knowledge deficiency became more apparent. For
example, Ms. Jones stated,
It could be the unfair standardized testing that kicks applicants out or it could be a lack of
outreach. A lower percentage of those who get a license stay in the classroom. It’s
because of the lack of teaching support and they also leave because of the low salaries.
Ms. Jones was commenting on experiences that she lived through in her work at ADE as she
worked to revise the requirements for a teaching credential.
When speaking of why he thinks minoritized teachers leave so soon after earning a
credential, Mr. Taylor stated,
I think pressure of the classroom comes from three sides, from the student and the
parent’s side, and from the administration side that could be why they leave, but it is hard
to say for sure. We just have to do better.
Mr. Taylor was adding to a comment he made about the stress factors that can sometimes cause a
teacher to leave and how those stresses are multiples for minoritized licensees.

52
When the discussion transitioned back to what minoritized licensure candidates so often
fail to earn a teaching credential in Apex, Ms. Saal stated,
I think the main cause could be testing, you have to look at the Praxis test and maybe the
reading test as well. I know that some districts help the candidates. There could be other
causes like socioeconomic or maybe schooling factors.
Ms. Saal was making the point that the candidates could be to blame for their failures to earn
credentials in Apex.
The findings show that, despite a plethora of experience among its members, the ADE
administration does not appear to be clear on the key conceptual knowledge questions. The
participants were more than willing to speculate on possible reasons minoritized candidates fail
to earn a teaching credential and why those who earn one leave so soon. However, there was no
consensus that would indicate clear conceptual knowledge.
Procedural Knowledge (Implementing Strategies): Finding One
Interviews were used to assess the ADE administration and key staff' procedural
knowledge. Participants were asked about the knowledge they needed to know how to implement
strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover in Apex. The procedural knowledge finding is
that the ADE administration does not appear to have a clear understanding of how to implement
strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover.
Results were that all participants need more procedural knowledge about how to
implement strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover. All discussed the ancillary aspects
of teacher turnover. However, a consistent and concrete pattern of information on how to
implement strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover did not emerge. For example,

53
when asked to elaborate on how higher staff diversity could be achieved in Apex schools, Mr.
Taylor stated,
I wonder sometimes, and I've never asked this question, but I wonder if [the agency]
really drills down and finds out what we are not doing to address what is causing the
turnover and trust ourselves on how to put a plan in place and implement it. We really do
not know how to do that because we have been trying for years.
Mr. Taylor was clarifying an earlier comment about the ADE administration’s approach to
implementing strategies to address teacher turnover. When addressing a question about turnover
strategies, Ms. Jones stated,
There is no doubt that we have a big turnover problem. We need a restructure of how we
handle preventing minoritized teachers from leaving. We have been using some Teach
for America teachers who, you know, usually come and stay two or three, two years, that
maybe a two-year max or a three-year max.
Ms. Jones was expanding on a point that emphasized the need for the ADE administration to
implement an actual turnover prevention strategy instead of employing stop-gap measures like
deploying organizations such as Teach for America.
When discussing the implementation of strategies that deal with minoritized teacher
turnover in Apex, Mr. Martin stated that you cannot implement something that does not exist.
Mr. Martin was responding to a follow-up question about how the ADE administration
implements strategies to help reduce minoritized teacher turnover. He was making the point that
ADE does not have a strategy to speak of.
When answering a question about how the ADE administration implements strategies to
address teacher turnover, Ms. Holko stated that she felt like the ADE administration has had

54
some solid ideas but, about taking actual implementation, she did not see or hear much talk about
that. Ms. Holko was talking about the general conversation that she had observed over the years
about teacher turnover. When answering the same question, Mr. Jennings stated that it was not
that the ADE administration did not have ideas, but he had not seen how they put them into
action. Mr. Jennings was elaborating on an earlier comment that he had made about how the
ADE administration formulates strategy.
The findings show that the ADE administration does not appear to have a clear
understanding of how to implement strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover. The
participants were more than willing to speculate on ideas to address the problem. However, there
was no clear consensus that would indicate that they know how to implement their ideas or
strategies.
Procedural Knowledge (Stakeholder Collaboration): Finding Two
Participants were asked about the knowledge they needed to better understand how to
collaborate with other community stakeholders to reduce minoritized teacher turnover. The
second finding regarding procedural knowledge was that the ADE administration appears to have
an understanding of how to work with other community stakeholders to solve statewide
problems such as minoritized teacher turnover. All participants knew how to collaborate with
other community stakeholders to reduce teacher turnover in Apex. The participants by and large
demonstrated that they understand the school-community relations approach to solving issues of
teacher retention. Mr. Williams mentioned,
We worked with a community nonprofit that conducts Praxis workshops for area people
and a lot of local boards. A lot of districts get us to come in and of course, we're working

55
with teachers and potential teachers to help promote careers in teaching as well as
working to keep teachers in the classroom.
Mr. Williams was commenting on ways in which ADE collaborates with key stakeholders in
communities across Apex to solve problems with licensure and retention.
Another observation that came about from the interviews was the variety of collaborative
vehicles that the ADE administration employs to promote the aforementioned collaboration.
When asked to describe a key collaboration program that ADE recently initiated to improve
teacher retention, Ms. Smith stated,
We worked very closely with local regional districts to create our [Transition Program].
We collaborated with those districts to assist them in reaching out to corporations to
encourage professionals in targeted industries to consider transitioning to a career in
education. Orchard also assists teachers with resources that will help them to stay in the
classroom.
Ms. Smith was making the point that ADE in general has engaged with communities very well
on matters of retention in the over 30 years she has been working in education in Apex. When
addressing the same question about stakeholder collaboration, Ms. Ricks stated,
[ADE] provides professional development for free to teachers that are free of charge, so
they can stay in the classroom. We provide services to school districts that are
underperforming through the school board association. We also provide school training
for school leaders and new school board members and we even invite PTSA members to
observe that training. We are trying to empower community stakeholders so they can
keep their teachers and gain new ones.

56
Ms. Ricks was expanding on an earlier comment about how the ADE administration works to
collaborate with and assist local school stakeholders to solve statewide problems such as teacher
turnover. When answering the same question, Mr. Jennings stated,
I feel we do a lot to help stakeholders in the local districts out. Oh, ever since, you know,
No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, when we started this kind of national curriculum,
which was a great theory behind it, we have basic lesson plans already written for all core
subjects that all districts can use. That could reduce some stress on new teachers and
encourage them to stick their first year or two out.
Mr. Jennings was elaborating on a point that he was making about easing the path for newer
teachers and how that effort may ease their stress and encourage them to stay in the profession as
they complete their induction period.
When answering a question about collaboration with community stakeholders, Ms. Jones
stated,
I spend a good deal of time responding to community stakeholders. I have helped a
number of local communities to develop initiatives to address a number of issues such as
teacher retention, sexual harassment, and also our reading development programs.
Ms. Jones was answering a follow-up question about programs that she helped develop in
districts across Apex.
The findings show that the ADE administration, along with their key staff, appear to have
a very good grasp of what collaboration with community stakeholders looks like which indicates
an area of asset for this influence.
Motivation Results

57
The ADE administration and key staff were assessed through interviews. Results are
presented in the following section for the single assumed influence in the area of self-efficacy.
This assumed influence was determined to be an area of need based on the findings. Document
examination was not conducted for this influence.
Self-Efficacy
Interviews were used to assess the ADE administration and key staff members’
confidence in their ability to accomplish the performance goal of decreasing minoritized teacher
turnover to 10% from its current 23% level. The finding regarding self-efficacy was that the
ADE administration appears to lack confidence in their ability to accomplish the performance
goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level.
The findings of this study indicated that eight of the ADE administration and key staff
members interviewed need more confidence as a group that they can accomplish the
performance goal. All of the participants expressed a strong desire to see minoritized teacher
turnover decrease. However, as a group, the consensus centered around the notion that the ADE
administration does not possess a high level of confidence that the minoritized teacher turnover
rate can be reduced to 10%. For example Ms. Holko stated,
We have been trying to get the minoritized teacher turnover rate down since well before I
joined the agency years ago. When we meet with the legislative liaisons to try and
develop policies that might positively impact the turnover rate, most of the ideas that
emerge get shot down by someone in the room that was around when that idea was tried
before. Now, you repeat that process for a couple of hours, and, usually, the item ends up
being tabled until a future meeting, and the process I just described repeats from there.

58
Ms. Holko was responding to a follow-up question about what exactly happens when the subject
of minoritized teacher turnover coms up in high (or higher) level meetings within ADE. When
answering the same question, Mr. Martin stated,
If you ask me, as a group I don’t feel confidence when I think about our ability to work
together as a team to change the water cooler bottle in the breakroom, not to speak of
decreasing minoritized teacher turnover.
Mr. Martin was elaborating on a point that he was making about how difficult it is to work
within the ADE administration sometimes to solve problems. On the same topic, Mr. Taylor
stated that, to have confidence, you have to have a cohesive plan and a way to execute it,
otherwise you are just grasping at straws. He also said confidence is lacking. Mr. Taylor was
emphasizing his view that the lack of a plan precedes the lack of confidence.
When addressing a question about confidence in addressing minoritized teacher turnover
among the ADE administration, Mr. Romano stated that they were all trying really hard in the
ADE administration, but he would not “bet the farm” that they could get a grip on the problem
based on recent results. Mr. Romano was speaking in the context of confidence as it relates to the
intent and effort the ADE administration is putting forward to address minoritized teacher
turnover in Apex.
In contrast to the majority of the participants, two participants felt a measurable degree of
confidence that the ADE administration can address minoritized teacher turnover. For example,
Mr. Jennings stated that the ADE administration has a solution to the teacher turnover problem
and that they will solve the problem with the expertise that they have on their team. On the same
subject, Ms. Saal stated that she felt the ADE administration would find a way to solve the
problem with the resources that they had on hand in her opinion.

59
The findings show that the ADE administration has a pronounced lack of confidence that
they can bring about clear policies that will effectively reduce the minoritized teacher turnover
rate in Apex. The majority of the interview participants indicated that they did not feel the ADE
Administration has a clear path or any current policies that efficiently address minoritized
teacher turnover. The condition persists despite clear indications by the participants that the need
for clear policies dealing with minoritized teacher turnover is there. The participants are not
confident that the problem is being addressed.
Expectancy Value Theory
Interviews were used to assess the ADE administration and key staff members’
level of desire to reach the minoritized teacher retention goal. The finding regarding expectancy
value was that the ADE administration appears to have a desire to improve the minoritized
teacher retention rates. All interviewees had a desire to reach the minoritized teacher retention
goal. All of the participants expressed a strong desire to see minoritized teacher retention rates
improve. All seemed to have a good awareness of all of the stakeholder benefits that would be
gained by reaching such a goal.
For example, when asked to comment on how stakeholders around Apex would benefit
from an increase in minoritized teacher retention, Ms. Smith stated that the presence of a teacher
from year to year in a single classroom evokes confidence in the community and a sense of
regularity that will transfer to the students. Ms. Smith was speaking of continuity that would
eventually reach the student level. Mr. Romano drew that point out further when he stated that
students who have consistent teachers have confidence in the expectations. As siblings
matriculate through the schools, they advise their younger siblings on what a particular teacher

60
expects, so the younger sibling will be better prepared, which informs his desire to improve
minoritized teacher retention rates.
When answering the same question, Mr. Martin added that consistent retention of
minoritized teachers in urban schools would also strengthen relationships with students and their
families as the siblings rotate through the same, or very familiar, teachers year after year. The
remaining participant responses were substantially similar.
The findings show the ADE administration and key staff has a good understanding of
why it is both necessary and important to improve the minoritized teacher retention rate in Apex.
Research Question Two
The second research question asked, “What are the interaction between organizational
culture, context, and the ADE administration’s knowledge and motivation with respect to the
goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level?
Organizational Results
The ADE administration and key staff members were assessed primarily through
interviews. Results are presented in the following section for each assumed influence in the areas
of cultural models and cultural settings. Each assumed influence was determined to be either an
area of need or an asset based on the findings. Public-facing documents generated by ADE on
teacher demographics and district demographics were examined for this research question.
Cultural Model Influence – Access to Data
Interviews were used to assess the ADE's understanding of how a diverse teaching staff
supports better student outcomes. Data from public-facing reports were also examined for this
influence. The finding regarding the cultural model was that the ADE appears to lack the
necessary data to understand how a diverse teaching staff supports better student outcomes.

61
The findings indicated that nine interviewees need more access to data that would help
them to see the benefits of a diverse teaching staff in Apex. Seven of the interviewees indicated
their belief the ADE maintains a vast amount of data on a variety of parameters concerning K-12
education in Apex and some of them indicate that they receive several basic data reports (number
of teachers, students, schools, etc.) regularly. However, the participants indicated that they did
not have access to more detailed data to help assess how ADE’s stakeholders could benefit from
increased minoritized teacher retention. For example, when asked how important a racially
diverse staff is in a K-12 school, Ms. Saal stated,
This probably seems or sounds simplistic, but children need to see people who look like
them in those positions of leadership. They also need to see people who don't look like
them so that they are not they don't grow up with a distorted view of what leadership
looks like. We need to see this picture from a statewide perspective. That is where data
may help us.
Ms. Saal also expanded the reach of her answer beyond the classroom:
It's not just the children who are going to benefit. It's also the adults who are going to
benefit. You should have people of all races represented in just about every area of
leadership possible and we must figure out how to do that and data could be the key.
Participants did appear to understand the importance of using data to solve problems such
as minoritized teacher turnover. Mr. Jennings stated,
Data is important, but it needs to be accurate data. The data definitely can drive a lot of
the decisions we make. And a lot of times, it'll surprise you. You pull something up. All
right, you don’t quite realize how the situation is. Then, you pull the data and you can be

62
completely surprised, either in a good way or a bad way. I don’t think we all see eye to
eye on that item.
When answering the same question about the availability of data, Mr. Martin stated,
We do not have the reports that we need to understand that question. I know they keep all
kinds of data in those computers they have down there, but we get no access. It’s like
they do not want us to have it.
Ms. Jones felt that ADE has the data they need right in-house:
We have all kinds of data in those computers downstairs in the data center. The system
we have is older and many of those reports are hard to read but I feel like I can get
information when I need it.
The findings show that ADE lacks the necessary data such as reports, community feedback and
educator data, to understand how a diverse teaching staff can help the students and other key
stakeholders in Apex.
Document Examination. Public-facing ADE generated documentary reports were
reviewed for this influence. A 2019–2020 report on instructional personnel in Apex
disaggregated by race and a report comparing the performance index of school buildings by race
and gender were reviewed. A detailed examination and analysis of the reports revealed critical
factors on how diverse schools perform versus schools that are not so diverse. For example, one
of the reports indicates that are between 8,000 and 10,000 minoritized teachers licensed to teach
in Apex. The report also provided the racial makeup of the teaching staff of every district in the
state along with that district’s performance indexes. The reports show a direct correlation among
the racial diversity of a school's staff, the racial diversity of the students, and the district's
performance index score.

63
The findings show that some of the data to assist ADE in understanding how a diverse
teaching staff supports better student outcomes does exist with its organizational boundaries.
Cultural Setting Influence – Turnover Interventions: Finding One
Interviews were used to assess the participants’ understanding of how ADE intervenes to
provide support, resources, mentoring, and training to its staff. There were two findings
pertaining to cultural influence. The first was that the ADE appears to lack clear interventions to
provide training and mentorship at all levels to help address teacher turnover such as an
induction year support program. Eight interviewees need to know how to effectively address
minoritized teacher turnover. The interview participants, as a group, had nearly completely
divergent views on what ADE might be doing to help address teacher turnover. For example, Mr.
Martin stated,
I can't tell you any intervention strategies that have worked, because since I've been in
education for 50 years, what has happened is the teacher shortage gets worse and worse
every year. I’m not aware of any significant programs the agency is doing right now.
Mr. Martin’s stance on ADE’s intervention, or lack of interventions, to help reduce minoritized
teacher turnover was a typical position for eight of the interview participants. However, two
participants did try to point out some interventions they thought ADE might be engaged in. Ms.
Holko stated,
Strategies? That would mean we are actually working on the problem. We have tried a
number of intervention initiatives to improve the teacher ranks. We have provided help to
districts from time to time. We have tried to help with retention, but those efforts have
not been directed toward any one particular race from my point of view.

64
Ms. Holko tried to recall any programs that ADE was currently engaging in specifically
addressing minoritized teacher turnover.
When asked to comment about what interventions the ADE administration is currently
doing to address teacher turnover in the Apex schools, Mr. Romano stated,
I guess we can sometimes see the lack of comfort on the part of some students and what
those looks may mean, like, Ok, the way a child learns can be impacted by how
comfortable they are in the learning environment. I saw a large building with only two
African-Americans teaching. Sometimes you know, it seems like we have a situation
involving [minoritized vs. non-minoritized] kids. So it is important to have interventions
but we don’t really have those.
Mr. Romano was expanding on his answer to a prompt that asked him if he thought the ADE
administration had a clear and cohesive view of what the lack of minoritized teacher retention in
Apex looks like.
While seven of the participants focused on in-classroom issues, three participants focused
more on teacher-specific quality of life issues, For example, Mr. Martin stated,
I think it's also a lot about working conditions. And until you can prove improve salary,
you improve working conditions. You know, I don't think you see any one thing that you
can say that we have tried or is being tried – not something that will work.
Mr. Martin is responding to a follow-up question on the subject of teacher minoritized attrition.
While salary came up as an out-of-the-classroom factor that participants speculated may
contribute to the lack of minoritized teacher retention in Apex, it was not the only external factor.
For example, when answering the same question, Mr. Taylor stated,

65
If a new teacher is 20 something years old. How will they handle conflict? How's she will
they handle it with a 16- or 17-year-old student? You know, it gets in conflict with her.
What kind of pressure and stress is that gonna be? We need to put something in place to
deal with that.
Mr. Taylor was explaining that a teacher right out of college will usually be younger and will
potentially generate external stresses because the students they are teaching will not be much
younger than they are. For example, later into that same exchange, he stated, “So when you're
looking at new teachers coming into the classroom, and they're young, and they're immature, and
they don't have that on-the-job training and the tough skin.” Mr. Taylor was explaining that the
lack of ADE and district tools sometimes will discourage a new licensee and cause them to seek
another career.
There was one participant who felt that the level of minoritized teacher retention in Apex
was at least adequate. When answering a question about interventions that deal with teacher
turnover in Apex, Mr. Williams stated that when she looks around the state, she believes that
ADE is providing some interventions that help deal with teachers leaving such as providing some
degree of support to individual districts in developing induction year protocols.
The findings show that ADE lacks current interventions that provide training and
mentorship to help address teacher turnover.
Cultural Setting Influence – Cultural Sensitivity: Finding Two
Interviews were used to assess the ADE’s’ general level of cultural sensitivity of the
personnel who handle the licensure of teachers within the organization. The second finding
regarding cultural setting was that the ADE appears to have adequate levels of cultural sensitivity
among the personnel who handle the retention of ADE personnel, teachers statewide. The

66
findings indicated that nine interviewees appeared to possess adequate levels of cultural
sensitivity. The interview participants all were asked about the importance of cultural sensitivity
in solving the minoritized teacher retention problem in Apex. Nearly all of the participants were
able to articulate the importance of cultural sensitivity in solving the problem. For example, Mr.
Romano stated,
Our students and teachers in Apex all come from different backgrounds, just like you
have students. They come from all different backgrounds. So, to have a teacher in a
classroom that can understand where a child that comes from, you know, an
impoverished area of where that child's parent may not be as attentive as the child's
parent from across, I just say from across the tracks, I think that's very important.
Mr. Romano was explaining how culture plays in the relationship between teachers and students
in the classroom. Other participants shared very similar sentiments about cultural sensitivity. Ms.
Smith answered,
A child may have a behavior problem because he's being abused at home. A child may be
having a behavior problem because they may be an only child and mom or dad is
nowhere to be found. You know, your mom works late. So I think being culturally
sensitive is extremely important and I think it's desperately needed in our classrooms.
Ms. Smith was recounting incidents that she had experienced in her career in education as they
relate to her time at ADE:
I've seen I read different stories about, you know, White teachers. You know, how they
treat Black students in their class. I mean, it could be coming from a point on them just
being out mean and hateful or could be coming from a point of them not being culturally
aware of culturally sensitive to that child.

67
Ms. Smith was recalling a specific experience she had when she was still at the building level
and how that experience, and those like it, have informed her perceptions and instincts about the
way culture impacts K-12 education in Apex. When answering a question about cultural
sensitivity in the Apex schools, Mr. Jennings stated,
I think every, every day about the young lives the decision we make have an influence
on. We must be there for all of our students, White, Black, red yellow, Native American
and so on. But more than that, we must continue to create bridges to all cultures within
our student and staff populations.
When addressing the same question, Ms. Saal stated,
Cultural sensitivity is the most important aspect of the work we do in the 21
st
century
when it comes to educating the children of [the state of Apex] in an equitable manner. It
is some of the most important work we do.
Two participants felt that ADE did not have adequate levels of cultural sensitivity and identified
that finding as an area of need. For example, when answering a question about the cultural
sensitivity level at ADE as an organization, Mr. Martin stated,
I may be considered an outlier amongst my colleagues here at ADE, but I have not felt an
aura of cultural sensitivity here. I’m not saying we can’t get to it, but I don't think we are
quite there yet.
Mr. Martin was expanding on a point that he was making about the general level of cultural
sensitivity at ADE when dealing with teachers. In explaining why he felt that way, Mr. Martin
expressed that ADE had taken up the subject of cultural sensitivity many times in the years he
had been with the agency, and he did not observe success with those efforts.

68
The findings show that ADE has adequate levels of cultural sensitivity within its
personnel who handle teacher retention.
Summary
The interviews and document examinations that were conducted in the course of this
study produced the following results in the context of knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences. Table 6 lists need and asset findings based for each of the KMO influences.
Table 6
Need and asset Findings for Each KMO Influence
KMO
Influence
Description

Asset or
Need
K-Conceptual The ADE administration needs to know the causes of
minoritized teacher turnover and the barriers that help to
cause it.
Need

K-Procedural

The ADE administration needs to know how to
implement strategies to address the causes of
minoritized teacher turnover.

Need

K-Procedural The ADE administration needs to know how to
collaborate with other community stakeholders to
reduce minoritized teacher turnover.
Asset
M-Self-
Efficacy

The ADE administration needs to have confidence in
their ability to accomplish the performance goal of
decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its
current 23% level.

Need
M-Expectancy
Value Theory
The ADE administration needs to have a desire to
enhance outcomes for students in Apex by improving
minoritized teacher retention.
Asset
O-Cultural
Model
ADE needs to be willing to collect the necessary
data to see how a diverse teaching staff supports
better student outcomes.
Need

O-Cultural
Setting

The ADE needs to provide training and mentorship
at all levels to help address teacher turnover. It
could also consider an induction year support
program.

Need

69
O-Cultural
Setting
ADE needs to provide cultural sensitivity
mentorship for personnel who handle the licensure
of professional staff level teachers.
Asset

Knowledge Influence Summary
When examining knowledge influences, it was determined that the ADE administration
needs to develop better conceptual knowledge of the factors that keep minoritized licensure
applicants from gaining a teaching credential in Apex as well as what causes them to leave the
profession soon after they do gain a license. That is evidenced by the data gathered during
interviews with ADE administration and key staff members. Eight out of 10 identified this
influence as an area of need.
The ADE administration also needs to develop better procedural knowledge on how to
implement strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover. That is evidenced by data
gathered during interviews with ADE administration and key staff members. Nine of them
confirmed the need for this influence.
Interviews with ADE administration members and key staff indicated that there is
sufficient knowledge about how to collaborate with other community stakeholders to reduce
teacher turnover. That is evidenced by the data gathered during interviews with ADE
administration and key staff members that showed nine interviewees indicating this influence as
an asset.
Motivation Influence Summary
When shifting the focus to motivation influences, the concept of self-efficacy was
examined. The ADE administration needs to develop better self-efficacy in their ability to
accomplish the performance goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover from the current

70
23% to 10%. That finding is evidenced by data gathered during interviews with ADE
administration and key staff members: seven identified this influence as an area of need.
On the concept of expectancy value theory, the ADE administration and key staff have a
high level of desire to improve the minoritized teacher retention rate in Apex. That finding is
evidenced by the interviews: all identified this influence as an asset.
Organizational Influence Summary
Finally, organizational influences were examined. In examining ADE as an organization,
one cultural model and two cultural settings were examined. ADE needs to be willing to collect
data on how a diverse teaching staff supports better student outcomes, which represents a
cultural model. That is evidenced by the data: seven interviewees identified this influence as an
area of need.
Public-facing ADE generated reports were examined for this influence. The results of
that examination further support the need for ADE to be more willing to provide data on how a
diverse teaching staff affects student outcomes, as some of the data they would need are in their
computer systems. It would just need to be put together or assembled in a more user-friendly
format.
ADE needs to provide training at all levels to help address teacher turnover, which
represents a cultural setting. That is evidenced by data gathered during interviews: eight
interviewees identified this influence as an area of need.
Interviews with ADE administration members and key staff indicated sufficient cultural
sensitivity among personnel who handle teacher licensure. That is evidenced by nine
interviewees who identified this influence as an asset.

71
Chapter Five examines the proposed solutions for each area of need or performance
deficiency. Each proposed solution utilizes evidence-based recommendations identified through
relevant academic literature. Proposed solutions will be shared with the ADE administration.

72
CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS
The study produced findings that indicated both assets and areas of need for ADE and the
ADE administration. This chapter will outline recommendations based on the findings. All
recommendations revolve around a customized professional development protocol that addresses
stakeholder conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, self-efficacy, and cultural as well as
areas of need with the organization.
This study uncovered a number of practical observations that identified possible
contributors to the problems this study sought to address. The structure of ADE is typical of state
departments of education in the United States. The friction between the department’s apolitical
appointees and its career professionals can sometimes unintentionally stifle efforts to address
systemic problems. The role that districts play as they put into practice the policies generated
within the department was also of significant note. The aforementioned observations and roles
are outside the scope of this study, but they are important to consider when reviewing the
findings. There are many dedicated career employees at ADE, and they want the schools in Apex
to improve and become more diverse in all areas. However, sometimes, the friction between
career professionals and political appointees cause each side to operate independently of each
other. Each side allows the other to operate without interference as long as neither side tries to
overreach on difficult topics or questions. Both sides agree that issues of diversity are difficult.
Knowledge Recommendations
Table 7 outlines knowledge influences that affect the stakeholder goal of decreasing year-
by-year minoritized teacher turnover. As previously mentioned, certain factors influence
knowledge. The chart below provides support to the assertion that, for the ADE administration to
effectively apply procedural knowledge on how to decrease year-by-year minoritized teacher

73
turnover, they must first develop conceptual knowledge about why minoritized applicants fail to
gain a teaching credential and why they leave the profession even when they do. Table 7 also
discusses specific knowledge principles and recommendations to address validated performance
deficiencies.
Table 7
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Knowledge
Influence
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
The ADE administration
needs to better understand the
factors that keep minoritized
applicants from gaining a
teaching credential in Apex as
well as what causes them to
leave the profession so soon
when they do gain a license.
(C)
Any knowledge held by a
person or person(s) is
conceptual by definition. The
facts and concepts that we learn
comprise the “meat” of our
experiences and inform our
actions moving forward (Clark
& Estes, 2008)

* concept-based approach
Provide specific ADE
administration members with
information that contains specific
and targeted data. That data will
provide a deep-dive into why
minoritized teachers leave after
only one year on the job. It will also
identify specific barriers that
impede the licensure of minoritized
candidates. The package will also
include successful strategies to
overcome specific barriers and their
related data.

The ADE administration
needs to know how to
implement strategies to
address the causes of teacher
turnover. (P)
Practitioners who engage in
reflective and collaborative
experiences will have an
excellent chance to develop
sound implementation
paradigms (Tichnor-Wagner,
2019).

*social cognitive theory
Provide workshop-based training
for the ADE administration that will
help them to develop and
implement strategies to address the
causes of teacher turnover. They
will also review successful
strategies that were generated in the
field prior to implementation using
attribution theory principles.

Increasing the ADE Administration’s Knowledge About the Minoritized Teacher Shortage
The findings of this study indicated that 85% of ADE administration and key staff
members need more conceptual knowledge about the factors that keep minoritized applicants
from gaining a teaching credential and why some of them leave the profession soon after they
gain a license. A recommendation based on a concept-based approach was selected to close this

74
conceptual knowledge deficiency. Clark and Estes (2008) found that any knowledge held by a
person is conceptual by definition and that the facts and concepts that people learn comprise the
essence of their experiences and informed their future actions. This would suggest that providing
the learners with additional factual information would support their learning. The
recommendation then is to provide the ADE administration (along with key staff) with an
organized report that contains specific and targeted data and information about barriers to
minoritized teacher licensure (such applicant performance as the Praxis series of exams and
unclear state licensure regulations) and the possible reasons why minoritized teachers leave early
in their careers such as lack of promotional opportunities and limited administrative support.
Ethridge (1979) asserted that historical data demonstrate a steady decline of minoritized
teachers in the years following landmark court actions such as the Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court Case in 1954. Honig’s (2006) assertion that the urgency for districts and state
departments of education to implement updated diversity policies further makes the case for
taking appropriate steps to increase the ADE administration and key staff knowledge about the
possible causes for the minoritized teacher shortage in Apex. Earl (2001) asserted that effective
knowledge management practices are essential for developing positive outcomes in organization
initiatives, which supports the need for the ADE administration to manage their knowledge of
the problem more effectively as they work to craft policies to counteract it. The evidence affirms
providing highly organized information that shows why minoritized teachers cannot achieve
licensure and why they leave soon after being licensed.
Increasing the ADE Administration's Knowledge of How to Implement Strategies to
Address the Causes of Teacher Turnover

75
The findings of this study indicated that nine ADE administration and key staff members
need more procedural knowledge of how to implement strategies to address the causes of teacher
turnover. That will allow them to craft official policies that both promote higher retention rates
for these teachers. A recommendation based on a procedural-based approach was selected to
close this knowledge deficiency. Tichnor-Wagner (2019) found that practitioners who engage in
reflective and collaborative experience will have an excellent chance to develop sound
implementation paradigms. This would suggest that providing learners opportunities for
collaboration and constructive planning would support their development of such strategies. The
recommendation is to provide a workshop-based training experience for the ADE administration
and key staff that will help them to review current strategies and develop new strategies to
address minoritized teacher retention rates in Apex.
A study of test groups who participated in various diversity training protocols by
Christensen (1989) found that the participants generally began with having limited knowledge of
cultural or ethnic groups unlike their own. However, as the training progressed, their
appreciation for diversity improved a great deal. Yutrzenka (1995) asserted that diversity training
has progressed from mostly individual intervention protocols to mostly group-based intervention
protocols. The evidence affirms providing collaborative, planning and self-reflective experiences
through a group workshop.
Motivation Recommendations
Table 8 outlines motivational influences that affect the stakeholder goal of decreasing
year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level by 2025. Several
factors influence motivation in individuals as well as in organizations. Mayer (2011) generally
defined motivation as the act of initiating and maintaining goal-directed behavior from within.

76
Grossman and Salas (2011) found that motivation is a major factor in the transfer of knowledge
in training. That factor would be very applicable to an organization such as a public school
district because most policies and procedures are conveyed in a professional development
setting. ADE employees at all levels must be motivated to achieve and maintain high levels of
minoritized teacher retention. The chart below provides support to the assertion that, for the ADE
administration to decrease year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover, they must have the desire
to improve it. They must also have a belief in their ability to lower the minoritized teacher
turnover rate. Table 8 also discusses specific motivation principles and recommendations to
address validated performance deficiencies.
Table 8
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Motivation Influence* Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific Recommendation
The ADE administration needs to
have confidence in their ability to
accomplish the performance goal
of decreasing minoritized teacher
turnover to 10% from its current
23% level.
(Self-Efficacy)
Self-efficacy can have
an impact on how
groups work together
as well because
people working
together in a group
tend to develop a
collected efficacy
(Bandura, 2000).
Provide the ADE administration with
opportunities to engage with model
programs of similar size who have
achieved goals related to increasing
minoritized teachers. This will help in
developing a sense that the goal can be
achieved. Management will create
goals based on that experience and
follow-up with all staff on a schedule
that will ensure the goals are met on
schedule.

Increasing the ADE Administration’s Confidence That They Can Reach Their Stated Goal
The findings of this study indicated that eight ADE administration members and key staff
need more confidence as a group that they can accomplish the performance. A recommendation
based on a self-efficacy approach was selected to close this confidence deficiency. Bandura
(2000) asserted that, to have incentive to act, people need to believe the results they desire can be

77
produced through their actions while simultaneously preventing undesirable results. He further
asserted that the aforementioned finding is amplified in a group setting because, when a group of
people work together, they inherently develop shared efficacy. This would suggest that providing
a leadership group with opportunities to engage with leaders of similar organizations that have
successfully implemented programs with similar goals would support their combined self-
efficacy.
Wood and Bandura (1989) found that managers form a three-dimensional picture of their
efficacy through their experiences and the strength of their reciprocal experiences that are
directly related to their level of efficacy toward accomplishing any particular goal. Pajares
(2006) asserted that self-efficacy is (or can be) derived from four primary sources: mastery
experience (personal experience), vicarious experience (the experience of others), social
persuasions (feedback from others), and positive or negative physiological reactions (anxiety or
stress). In the case of the ADE administration, vicarious experience and social persuasions
acquired through engagement would be the most efficient path toward their goal of achieving
better racial diversity in the state because they will see their goals being achieved by a similar
organization, which will provide an exemplar that can be followed for success. Cabrera et al.
(2006) found that the exchange of ideas between knowledge communities can best be
accomplished through direct engagement between the parties. Such engagement involved a
number of unique, yet equally significant, organizational factors such as human and system-
related variables (Cabrera et al., 2006). Emery et al. (2018) found, that when professionals can
understand, appreciate or attribute the causes of past events, then they are better able to control
what happens with regard to future events. If the ADE administration can see other departments
of education meet goals that are similar to theirs and appreciate the reasons they did so, then they

78
should have greatly increased confidence that they can also control the circumstances at their
own agency that will allow then to accomplish the goals with confidence. The evidence affirms
providing opportunities to engage with leaders of similar organizations with similar goals. The
ADE administration will gain two primary ingredients for reaching their goal from the
aforementioned collaborative experience. They will gain knowledge from learning how the other
organization solved the problem and confidence from actually seeing the problem being solved.
Organization Recommendations
Table 9 outlines organizational influences on the stakeholder goal. Erez and Gati (2004)
found that the culture of an organization has a direct influence on how the organization
establishes its processes. Also, some organizations are influenced culturally to establish top-
down processes that flow from management down to the workers while other organizations
develop bottom-up cultures that are more adaptive because it is the workers who set the cultural
norms (Erez & Gati, 2004). Data also has a profound influence and impact on how organizations
develop and grow. Langley et al. (2009) found that meaningful organizational change must be
supported by data to be effective. They further found that the aforementioned data must be tested
to refine the initiative that is based on the data and minimize the cost of implementation. A study
on worker engagement by Berbary and Malinchak (2011) found that workers in an organization
achieve full buy-in to an organizational mission when they feel meaningfully empowered by the
leaders of their organization. Such empowerment can be achieved by providing relevant training
and support while developing communities of practice among team members (Berbary &
Malinchak, 2011). Establishing a culture of mentoring broadens the horizons for those team
members who are being mentored (Berbary & Malinchak, 2011). The chart below provides
support to the assertion that, for the ADE administration to decrease minoritized teacher

79
turnover, they must be willing to collect data on how a diverse teaching staff could improve
student outcomes. They must also provide training and mentorship at all levels of the
organization to help address the problem of teacher turnover in Apex. Table 9 also discusses
organizational principles and recommendations to address validated performance deficiencies.
Table 9
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Organization
Influence
Principle and Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation
Cultural Model Influence 1:

ADE needs to be willing to collect
the necessary data to see how a
diverse teaching staff supports
better student outcomes.
Meaningful
organizational change
must be supported by data
to be effective. Data must
be tested to refine the
initiative that is based on
the data and minimize the
cost of implementation.
Langley et al. (2009)
Provide the ADE
administration department
heads with a subject-matter
expert who will help develop
a dashboard tool that will help
them to collect, test and
deploy data on a regular basis.
This data will also include
measurements that indicate
student outcomes.
Cultural Setting Influence 2:

ADE needs to provide training at
all levels to help address teacher
turnover. It could also consider an
induction year support program.
Workers in an
organization achieve full
buy-in to an
organizational mission
when they feel
meaningfully empowered
by the leaders of their
organization. Such
empowerment can be
achieved by providing
relevant training and
support while developing
communities of practice
among team members.
Berbary and Malinchak
(2011)
Provide the ADE
administration with a
workshop that will allow them
to better understand how to
best mentor and train their
respective staff on how to
sufficiently address teacher
turnover.

80
Ensuring the ADE Administration Has the Data to See the Benefits of Teacher Diversity
The findings of this study indicated that seven administration and key staff members need
more access to data that would help them to see the benefits of a diverse teaching staff in Apex.
A recommendation based on a cultural model approach was selected to close this organizational
performance deficiency. Langley et al. (2009) found that meaningful organizational change must
be supported by data to be effective and that the aforementioned data must be tested to refine the
idea and minimize the cost of implementation. This would suggest that providing ADE with the
means to procure the inter-agency data along with strategies that will allow them to get the
maximum benefit from the data would support them in reaching their organizational goal. The
recommendation is to provide ADE with a subject-matter expert who is well versed in the
collection and interpretation of data that ADE may be already producing so that they can see the
benefits of teaching staff diversity.
Rosswurm and Larrabee (1999) asserted that practitioners need resources to appraise,
synthesize, and diffuse the best evidence into practice, and data is one resource an organization
can use as evidence. A study of longitudinal survey data by Battilana and Casciaro (2012) found
that properly collected and analyzed data can be an asset when working to bring about change in
an organization, which supports the need for ADE to collect and then properly analyze data on
how diverse teaching staffs positively impact student outcomes. The evidence affirms providing
a subject-matter expert who is well versed in the collection and analysis of organizational data.
Ensuring That ADE Has the Training Support Needed to Increase Minoritized Teacher
Retention
The findings of this study indicated that just eight administration and key staff members
need to know how to effectively address minoritized teacher retention. A recommendation based
on a cultural setting approach was selected to close this organizational performance deficiency.

81
Berbary and Malinchak (2011) found that workers in an organization fully buy into an
organizational mission when they feel meaningfully empowered by its leaders, which can be
achieved through relevant training and support while developing communities of practice. This
would suggest that providing ADE with the means to determine which actions to take would
support them in reaching their organizational goal. The recommendation is to provide ADE with
a workshop on how to best mentor and train staff on how to sufficiently address minoritized
teacher turnover and minoritized teacher retention.
A study of organizational training groups by Choi et al. (2003) found that the vast
majority of individuals who participated in organized training protocols reported an increased
level of skill in accomplishing the task they were being trained to do. The most pronounced skill
increase occurred most often in participants who participated in cross-level training processes as
opposed to individual-level processes (Choi et al., 2003). A study of organizational training
programs by Gao and Mager (2011) found that providing an organized training experience for
staff members helps to generate a change-positive culture, which supports the need for ADE to
provide training at all levels to help address teacher turnover. The evidence affirms providing the
ADE administration with a workshop that will allow them to better understand how to best
mentor and train their respective staff on how to sufficiently address teacher turnover and
minoritized teacher retention.
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The New World Kirkpatrick Model (NWKM) was used to implement and evaluate the
aforementioned solutions. The Kirkpatrick Model of training evaluation was originally
developed from the work of Donald Kirkpatrick in the 1950s at the request of an organization

82
that was looking for a way to evaluate its training programs. Each article discussed one of four
separate principles of training evaluation: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Level One,
reaction, evaluates whether participants in a training experience found the training to be
favorable, engaging, and relevant to their work roles. Level Two, learning, utilizes a training
participant’s level of engagement in the training experience to determine the acquisition level of
certain training objectives. Level Three, behavior, evaluates the degree of application that
training participants engage in post-training. Level Four, reaction, evaluates the outcomes of the
training against pre-established support and accountability parameters. Those principles were
adopted across the world of business and were eventually rechristened as “levels.” Together,
they came to be known as The Kirkpatrick Model. The Kirkpatrick Model was updated in 2010
and rechristened again as the NWKM (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations
The mission of the ADE is to provide leadership through the development of policy and
accountability systems so that all students are prepared to compete in the global community.
ADE seeks to increase the percentage of minoritized teachers statewide to 36% by the year 2025.
The ADE administration seeks to decrease year-by-year minoritized teacher turnover to
10% from its current 23% level. While the joint efforts of all stakeholders contribute to the
achievement of the overall organizational goal, it is important to see where ADE is currently in
terms of that performance goal. Therefore, the stakeholder group for this study was the ADE
administration. The ADE administration provided the best window to examine barriers and
issues surrounding licensure and retention due to their 360-degree view of both processes.
The criteria and procedures for all approvals and extensions of educator licenses in Apex
are determined by the ADE administration. According to their website, the ADE administration

83
also tracks teacher retention rates for all of Apex’s K-12 schools. Failure to accomplish the stated
goal will lead to continued regression in the area of statewide minoritized teacher retention. In
addition, minoritized students and their families will continue to suffer being denied the
academic and developmental benefits that a diverse professional staff brings to any school
district (Sleeter, 2017).
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
The ADE administration will need to achieve measurable outcomes that would indicate
that they are achieving the outcomes they desire. Those outcomes include increasing the number
of minoritized teachers who remain in their positions from year to year, increasing stakeholder
confidence that the schools in Apex are becoming more diverse, improved tracking of licensure
approvals, improved coordination between departments with ADE to promote teacher diversity,
and increased confidence in the agency’s ability to make the statewide teaching staff more
diverse in Apex. Observation measurements include regular collecting and reporting of data
along with meetings. Table 10 discusses the desired outcomes for the ADE administration as
well as the metrics and methods that were used to measure them.
Table 10
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
Increased satisfaction on
the part of minoritized
licensure applicants that
their applications will be
treated fairly.
Increased satisfaction scores on
surveys administered application
post-experience.
Monthly survey data reports
Increase community
stakeholder confidence
that the minoritized
teacher retention rate is
improving statewide.
Number of citizens
expressing concern about
minoritized teacher
retention around the state.
Press releases, email survey
feedback, town hall meeting exit
ticket data

84
Internal Outcomes
Improved tracking of
license approvals, license
denials and the reasons for
each outcome.
Number of license approvals.
Number of licenses denials.
Data on reasons for both.
Collect applicant data weekly
via report developed by ADE
administration
Improved coordination
between departments
within ADE in promoting
minoritized teacher
retention in Apex.
A joint minoritized teacher
retention improvement plan
created and tracked by an
interdepartmental task force
made up of ADE career
employees who handle retention
as well as senior management.
Hold two task force meetings
per month.
Increased confidence in
ADE’s ability to make the
teaching staff across Apex
more diverse.
Internal online surveys
distributed to all employees who
are directly involved in the
licensure process.
Compile quarterly survey data

Level 3: Behavior
Critical Behaviors
The ADE administration will need to exhibit key behaviors to demonstrate that they have
achieved the desired outcomes of this study. There is a clear and direct connection to licensure
approvals and improving minoritized teacher retention. If the ADE administration can better
understand why minorities teaching license applicants are failing to obtain teaching credentials at
such a high rate, they can take corrective action to reverse the trend. That would result in more
minoritized teachers entering service in Apex, which will result in a much larger pool of
minoritized teachers to start with. Factoring in normal and natural teacher attrition scenarios such
as moving out of state and medical leaves, the ADE administration and key staff will have a
much better opportunity to achieve their desired outcome in increasing minoritized teacher
retention. Staff members will need to have access to regular, specialized reports detailing
minoritized teacher retention rates. Reports will also have to address the reasons a credential was
not approved. Department heads will need to organize and provide regular training experiences

85
for their staff that will be utilized to create and refresh statewide minoritized teacher retention
plans. Department heads will need to organize excursions for their staff to visit other state
departments of education of similar size that have increased their levels of minoritized teacher
retention. They will need to form cross-organization and cross-role working relationships. The
work-product of those relationships will be a list of ADE goals and how the other organization
solved them.
Table 11
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
Staff member requests a
specialized report from
the IT director that
specifically indexes
licensure application
and their outcomes.
Staff general list of
licensure
applications.
The list is sorted by
the race of the
applicant. The report
will also state the
reason(s) for denial if
the application was
denied.
IT and licensure
managers compare
staff generated lists
to IT generated lists
to identify any
patterns that may be
present.

Every month
Department heads hold
training with their staff
to create plans to
increase minoritized
teacher retention.
Number of individual
department
minoritized teacher
retention plans
created.
Minoritized teacher
retention plans are
filed with the ADE
executive director’s
office, which tracks
implementation of
all plans.
Quarterly
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
Department heads
organize excursions for
their staff members to
visit similar sized state
departments of
education that have
increased their level of
minoritized teacher
retention and form
cross-role working
relationships with them.
ADE staff generated
list of minoritized
teacher retention
goals with
completion and
progress dates.
Compare ADE
goal/progress list
with the cross-
organizational
goal/progress list.
Every Six Months

86
Required Drivers
To reach the ADE administration’s goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover, they
will need to better understand why some minoritized license applicants fail to gain a teaching
credential and why many those who are approved leave the profession soon after entering
service. They also need to know more about what is causing the state’s general lack of
minoritized teacher retention so they can better craft policies to try and counteract the trend. To
make real progress on reaching their goal, the ADE administration needs to be willing to collect
and then analyze the necessary data to see how a diverse teaching staff will support better student
outcomes in Apex. They also need to be willing to provide training at all levels of the agency
that will help address minoritized teacher retention. Finally, the ADE administration needs to
have confidence in their ability to accomplish the performance goal. Table 12 discusses the
motivation and organizational influences that will drive the achievement of the desired ADE
administration outcomes.
Table 12
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Department head works with the IT
director and the IT consultant to create
an inter-office application that will
make ordering complex reports easier.
Ongoing 1
Department head meets with their staff
to brainstorm and plan cross-
organizational excursions.
Monthly 3
Department head creates an inter-
departmental blog that the staff can use
that will allow them to have a free and
open forum to exchange ideas and give
each other feedback about potential
diversity intervention initiatives.
Ongoing 2

87
Encouraging
ADE department heads organize a
Zoom conference for their staff with
their cross-organizational counterparts
to discuss teacher diversity program
implementation successes.
Monthly 3
Rewarding
ADE executive director recognizes
agency staff and department heads as
they reach their minoritized teacher
diversity and turnover rate goals at the
monthly governor’s management
conclave, which the governor always
attends.
Monthly 1,2,3
Monitoring
All department heads meet in the
executive director’s suite to compare
performance data to baseline data and
to update cross-agency diversity plan
implementation progress.
Monthly 1,2,3

Organizational Support
ADE will support the ADE administration’s critical behaviors by providing critical
infrastructure and communication resources. ADE’s IT department will provide a specialist to
the administration to help design, build, and implement informational aids that will assist staff in
ordering complex reports. IT will also support the administration by assisting in the design of a
private inter-agency blog to promote the free exchange of ideas. ADE will provide organizational
support to the administration so they may establish cross-organizational relationships with
similar organizations that have accomplished similar goals to the administration’s goals. ADE
can also supply an IT specialist that can connect the administration’s employees with their cross-
organizational counterparts so they may discuss diversity program success.

88
Level 2: Learning
Learning Goals
In the interest of helping ADE to improve minoritized teacher retention, the following learning
goals have been established:
1. Recognize the factors that are keeping minoritized applicants from gaining a teaching
credential in Apex so the pool of new minoritized teacher licensees can be increased,
which will give ADE a better opportunity to improve minoritized teacher retention.
2. Understand why those who manage to gain a credential leave the profession soon after
being hired, (C)
3. Create and implement strategies to improve minoritized teacher retention in Apex, (P)
4. Demonstrate confidence in their ability to decrease minoritized teacher turnover to 10%
from its current 23% level, (Confidence)
5. Apply understanding of utilizing data to ascertain how a diverse teaching staff supports
better student outcomes, (P-M)
6. Create and deploy clear interventions that will increase staff confidence that minoritized
teacher retention can be improved in Apex. (M)
Program
The learning goals will be achieved with a professional development program that
explores barriers to licensure for minoritized applicants and also analyzes the reasons why
minoritized teachers leave the profession and facilitates the creation of strategies to address each
condition. The learners, ADE administration and key staff members, will engage in a number of
activities on understanding what improved minoritized teacher retention looks like, how it
benefits stakeholders and how tools such as data can be utilized to develop and deploy strategies

89
that will improve the level of minoritized teacher retention while reducing minoritized teacher
turnover. The majority of the program will be synchronous. Learners will be working in peer
groups or with a consultant (who will act as a facilitator) for the majority of the interventions.
The learners will also engage in a limited number of asynchronous learning experiences. Those
experiences will revolve around data analysis and will be offered on the agency’s already
existing learning management system (LMS). The learners will then have a field experience by
visiting a nearby department of education that has accomplished similar goals to those adopted
by the ADE administration. The total time for completion between synchronous, asynchronous,
and field experience activities will be 2,820 minutes (47 hours).
During the synchronous learning activities, learners will engage in the following
facilitated professional development segments:
Data Analysis
Learners will be provided with detailed data packets that will be prepared in cooperation
with the agency’s in-house IT professionals. The sessions will be facilitated by a consultant who
is a subject-matter expert in organizational data acquisition and analysis. The data packet will
contain reports to help the learners understand barriers to licensure and why minoritized teachers
leave the profession. The facilitators will also cover how to structure data reports to meet specific
objectives. Learners will experience direct instruction as a whole group and then be placed in
breakout groups to complete specific data identification and analysis activities. All activities will
be followed by a debriefing session. The total time for completion of this activity will be 480
minutes (8 hours).
Data Mining and Report Crafting Activity
Learners will be provided an asynchronous activity that will be made available on the
agency’s already existing LMS. Learners will be presented with three modules: The first module

90
will explain report types available from the agency’s IT department. The second module
introduces how to structure an order for a particular report, and the third module will be a primer
on how to read the coding that appears in the data streams. A quiz will be given at the end of
each module. The total time for completion of this activity will be 180 minutes (3 hours).
Diversity Awareness
Learners will attend and participate in a synchronous professional development workshop
that will be facilitated by a consultant who is a subject-matter expert in organizational diversity
and inclusion. During the workshop, the learners will explore the trigger factors that could lead
to professional environments that are less than diverse. They will also complete group work to
create and present an organizational diversity plan that will act as their work-product for the
workshop. All activities will be followed by a debriefing session. The total time for completion
of this activity will be 1,080 minutes (18 hours).
Field Experience
Learners will travel to a state department of education that is of similar size and that has
recently accomplished similar diversity goals. The learners will participate in a field experience
in which they will be paired with someone from the other organization that performs a similar
role as the learner. Learners will participate in a professional development experience that covers
the following themes: sharing for diversity, diversity in action, and joint action-planning for
diversity. All activities will be followed by a debriefing session. The total time for completion of
this activity will be 1,080 minutes (18 hours).
Evaluation of the Components of Learning
Demonstrating conceptual knowledge is necessary because it generally deals with the
classifications, theories, and structures of a subject. Procedural knowledge deals with how

91
conceptual knowledge will be placed into definite action. Thus, it is important to delve into the
classifications, theories, and structures of diversity and then how the ADE administration can
best enact them. Learners must value both the professional development experience as well as
the information that they learn from that professional development experience. That will allow
learners to gain the maximum benefit from the overall experience, have confidence in the
knowledge that they gained and that will better empower them to apply what they have learned
to their everyday work. Table 13 lists the evaluation methods and timing for these components of
learning.
Table 13
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Quick Write At start of workshop and at the end
Group Activity/Discussion Periodically during the workshop
Quiz Scores (Asynchronous) At the end of each module
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Action plan construction/presentation exercise During the workshop
Gallery Walk Periodically during the workshop
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Discussion/reaction to presented multimedia During the workshop
Entry/Exit Tickets Beginning and End of the workshop
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Group Work During the workshop
Facilitator/Management check-ins During and after the workshop
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Discussion (as a class) - Debriefings During and at the end of the workshop
Reporting of progress (action plan) After the workshop

Level 1: Reaction
The learners’ reactions to the professional development protocol will be examined to
gauge the learners’ engagement level, relevancy level, and favorability level in relation to the

92
professional development experience. The engagement level measures how actively involved the
learners are in the professional development activities. The relevance level measures the level to
which the learner will be able to utilize what they learned in the professional development in
their actual day-to-day work. The customer satisfaction level measures the direct correlation to
what is learned during the professional development activities and can be connected to the
identification and removal of barriers to learning by the organizers and facilitators of the
professional development experience. Table 14 lists the components that will be used to measure
reactions to the professional development experience.
Table 14
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Group Participation/Presentation During the workshop
Attendance - all components of the PD At the beginning of each component
Discussion Participation (whole class) During the workshop
Knowledge Review (Asynchronous) At the end of each module
Relevance
Exit Tickets/Final Evaluation At the end of the workshop
Job specific action plans/Next Steps During the workshop
Customer Satisfaction
Observer feedback At the end of each component
Participant surveys (Overall PD/Facilitator) End of component/End of workshop

Evaluation Tools
Immediately Following the Program Implementation
To evaluate the in-person portions of the training sequence, a five-level survey will be
implemented to assess Levels 1 and 2. Participants will be asked to rate a series of statements
using a sliding range from strongly agree to strongly disagree. For Level 1, PD participants will

93
be asked to rate two statements that will gauge their reaction to the PD sequence: their ability to
construct a diversity action plan and a statement on the facilitator’s responsiveness level to the
learning needs of the participants during the PD program sequence. For Level 2, PD participants
will be asked to rate a series of four statements that will gauge what they have learned: their
ability to understand the issues of teacher diversity and minoritized turnover through group work
activities, the facilitator’s responsiveness level to the day-to-day feedback that the PD
participants provided during the course of the PD program sequence, their ability to order a data
report using the web-based data report ordering application (CDROT) developed by the agency’s
IT department, and whether they have a clearer action plan to help address the issues of teacher
diversity and minoritized teacher turnover as a result of participating in the PD program
sequence. In the asynchronous, LMS-based portion of the PD program sequence, the participants
learned about the types of data reports that the agency’s IT has available and how to order them
using a custom made web-based report ordering tool that has been provided throughout ADE.
The LMS will provide data on the length of time each participant spent working through each of
the three modules in the training sequence along with their end of module quiz scores.
Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation
Approximately six weeks after the entire PD sequence is completed, and then again at 12
weeks, the ADE administration will implement a five-level survey instrument to their team
members and key staff. Participants will be asked to rate a series of statements using a sliding
range from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Survey participants will be asked to rate a single
statement for each of the four Kirkpatrick training evaluation levels. For Level 1, PD participants
will be asked to rate a statement that will gauge their reaction to the PD sequence. They will also
be asked to rate their level of encouragement and empowerment. Finally, they will be asked if

94
they feel like they can design and implement a plan to improve the level of teacher diversity and
turnover in Apex based on their arranged interactions with their counterparts at a state
department of education with similar size and goals.
For Level 2, PD participants will be asked to rate a statement that will gauge what they
have learned as a result of their participation in the PD sequence: their ability to understand how
teacher diversity and turnover impacts the students and other key stakeholders in Apex as a result
of their participation in the PD program sequence. For Level 3, PD participants will be asked to
rate a statement that will gauge how their behavior has been impacted as a result of their
participation: their ability to use the comprehensive data report ordering tool (CDROT) to order
customized reports from ADE’s IT department as a result of their participation in the PD
program sequence. For Level 4, PD participants will be asked to rate a statement that will gauge
their results in being able to achieve targeted professional goals: their understanding of the
factors that cause so many minoritized educator licensure applicants to fail to gain a license in
Apex and their ability to design interventions to reverse that trend.
Data Analysis and Reporting
The Level 2 goal of being able to better understand the issues of teacher diversity and
minoritized teacher turnover in Apex will be measured by survey results that will be
administered by the ADE administration to their respective internal team members via the
agency’s intranet. Every six weeks, administration members will direct their supervisors to
conduct the survey. The angular gauge style fusion data charts pictured in Figure 2 shows how
the increase (or decrease) in understanding will be measured and tracked over time. The choice
of data display will allow for fast comprehension and response by the ADE administration.
Similar angular gauge style fusion data charts will be created to monitor Levels 1, 3, and 4.

95
Figure 2 represents a snapshot of what the angular gauge style fusion data charts could look like
for capturing the understanding level of the ADE Administrative staff
Figure 2

Understanding Levels Immediately Following the PD Program Sequence and Approximately Six
Weeks After

Summary
The results, behavior, learning, and reaction levels of the New Kirkpatrick Model were
instrumental in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the professional development
program that was developed for ADE and the ADE administration in furtherance of meeting their
respective organizational and stakeholder goals. Like any useful tool, it will only be as valuable
as the skill of the practitioners who wield it. It will be essential that ADE continually examine
whether the professional development program is meeting the set expectations and then
determine why or why not. Through everything, I must keep in mind that my primary mission is
to seek the truth through assessment and analysis. Finally, as positive change begins to take hold,
it will be important that ADE find ways to propagate that change throughout every corner of
ADE as an organization. In that sense, the proposed interventions represent a tremendous
potential return against the expectations that have emerged from this study.

96
Limitations and Delimitations
One limiting factor of the study was the low number of participants. That limitation
cannot be helped, as there are only 20 people on the ADE administration. A major limitation was
the onset of the COVID-19 crisis that foreclosed any opportunity to conduct in-person interviews
and document collection at ADE headquarters. Another limitation was the busy workflow of
ADE, which limited who would be available for interviews as well as the quality and depth of
some participant’s answers during the interviews themselves. Personnel who were even more
knowledgeable were not available due to their expanded duties as a result of the COVID-19
crisis. Personal opinions and conflicts within ADE did color some participants’ responses. In
some cases, participants may have been saying what they felt I wanted to hear, which presented
an additional limitation on the overall research. The interview questions were designed to
explore the participants’ educational background, roles with ADE, impressions of the current
state of racial diversity of the teacher population in Apex’s K-12 schools, and their views on
ADE’s efforts to improve on that diversity. Those points of exploration are in line with the
conceptual framework of the study and lent themselves to helping to determine both knowledge
and motivation. Some participants may have placed more emphasis on one or more of those
points of exploration than others. Another limiting factor was the overall quality and accuracy of
the documents examined.
Future Research
The following recommendations are made for future research in identifying the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences of the ADE administration as they work to
improve minoritized teacher retention. Future research could explore higher levels of
management at ADE such as at the executive director and state superintendent levels with

97
respect to the research questions. This would explore the problem from the more political
vantage point of the top two positions at ADE. Further data could be collected at levels below
ADE. Local districts could gather a great amount of data that could guide future research. In
addition, an expanded look at the factors that could limit minoritized teacher retention could be
explored as future researchers take on the problem. Lastly, researchers could conduct interviews
with school superintendents around the state to investigate whether certain parts of the state are
more susceptible to a lack of minoritized teacher retention than others. This could help to provide
opportunities for more intensive interventions that could be adapted to help promote improved
minoritized teacher retention and reduce their turnover.
Conclusions
Minoritized teacher retention is a very complex and challenging issue to solve. There is a
very high level of expectation placed on all stakeholders to improve the state’s performance in
this area. The ADE administration must continue to look for ways to improve knowledge of and
motivation to continue to work to solve this problem. ADE as an organization will need to
continue to ensure that its key working teams have access to appropriate resources so that it may
both assess and then craft interventions to improve minoritized teacher retention. Local
stakeholders look to ADE for direction as they work to improve the K-12 schools in their
respective areas. If ADE takes conscientious next steps based on research it will ensure the
success of all stakeholders as they all work to improve the K-12 schools in Apex.

98
REFERENCES
Achinstein, B., Ogawa, R. T., Sexton, D., & Freitas, C. (2010). Retaining Teachers of Color: A
Pressing Problem and a Potential Strategy for “Hard-to-Staff” Schools. Review of
Educational Research, 80(1), 71–107. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309355994
Alper, S., Tjosvold, D., & Law, K. S. (2000). Conflict management, efficacy, and performance in
organizational teams. Personnel Psychology, 53(3), 625–642.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb00216.x
Bandura, A. (2000). Cultivate self-efficacy for personal and organizational effectiveness. IN E.
A. Locke (Ed.), Handbook of principles of organization behavior (2nd ed., pp. 179–200).
Wiley.
Barrett, N., & Harris, D. (2015). Significant changes in the New Orleans teacher workforce.
Education Research Alliance for New Orleans. http://educationresearchalliancenola.org/
publications/significant-changes-in-the-neworleans-teacher-workforce
Bastian, K., & Marks, J. (2017). Connecting teacher preparation to teacher induction: Outcomes
for beginning teachers in a university-based support program in low-performing schools.
American Educational Research Journal, 54(2), 360–394.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217690517
Battilana, J., & Casciaro, T. (2012). Change Agents, Networks, and Institutions: A Contingency
Theory of Organizational Change. Academy of Management Journal, 55(2), 381–398.
https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.0891
Berbary, D. F., & Malinchak, A. A. (2011). Connected and engaged: The value of government
learning. Public Management, 40(3), 55.

99
Billingsley, B., Bettini, E., & Williams, T. (2019). Teacher racial/ethnic diversity: Distribution of
special and general educators of color across schools. Remedial and Special Education,
40(4), 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932517733047
Blackwell, J. (1988). Faculty issues: The impact on minorities. The Review of Higher Education,
11(4), 417–434. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1988.0013
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to
theories and methods (5th ed.). Allyn and Bacon.
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a research method. Qualitative Research Journal,
9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Bruno, P., & Strunk, K. O. (2019). Making the cut: The effectiveness of teacher screening and
hiring in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Educational Evaluation and Policy
Analysis, 41(4), 426–460. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373719865561
Cabrera, Á., Collins, W., & Salgado, J. (2006). Determinants of individual engagement in
knowledge sharing. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(2), 245–
264. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190500404614
Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what
we can do about it. Learning Policy Institute.
Chiu, C. M., & Wang, E. T. (2008). Understanding Web-based learning continuance intention:
The role of subjective task value. Information & Management, 45(3), 194-201.
Cheng, D. A. (2019). Teacher racial composition and exclusion rates Among Black or African
American students. Education and Urban Society, 51(6), 822–847.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124517748724

100
Choi, J., Price, R., & Vinokur, A. (2003). Self-efficacy changes in groups: Effects of diversity,
leadership, and group climate. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(4), 357–372.
https://doi.org/10.1002/job.195
Christensen, C. P. (1989). Cross-cultural awareness development: A conceptual model.
Counselor Education and Supervision, 28, 270–289. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-
6978.1989.tb01118.x
Clark, R. E., & Estes, F. (2008). Turning research into results: A guide to selecting the right
performance solutions. Information Age
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (5th ed). SAGE.
Cuban, L. (1984). Transforming the frog into a prince: Effective schools research, policy, and
practice at the district level. Harvard Educational Review, 54(2), 129–152.
https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.54.2.m07133p087795h38
D’amico, D., Pawlewicz, R. J., Earley, P. M., & McGeehan, A. P. (2017). Where are all the
Black teachers? Discrimination in the teacher labor market. Harvard Educational Review,
87(1), 26–49. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-87.1.26
DeAngelo, L., Franke, R., Hurtado, S., Pryor, J. H., & Tran, S. (2011). Completing college:
Assessing graduation rates at four-year institutions. Higher Education Research Institute,
UCLA.
Earl, M. (2001). Knowledge management strategies: Toward a taxonomy. Journal of
management information systems, 18(1), 215-233.
Eccles, J. (2006). Expectancy-value theory. http://www.education.com/reference/ article/expectancy-
value-theory

101
Emery, A., Sanders, M., Anderman, L., & Yu, S. (2018). When Mastery Goals Meet Mastery
Learning: Administrator, Teacher, and Student Perceptions. Journal of Experimental
Education, 86(3), 419–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2017.1341863
Engel, M., Cannata, M., & Curran, F. C. (2018). Principal influence in teacher hiring:
Documenting decentralization over time. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(3),
277–296. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-05-2017-0061
Engel, M., & Finch, M. A. (2015). Staffing the classroom: How urban principals find teachers
and make hiring decisions. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 14(1), 12–41.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2014.983131
Erez, M., & Gati, E. (2004). A dynamic, multi‐ le v e l model of culture: From the micro level of
the individual to the macro level of a global culture. Applied Psychology, 53(4), 583–598.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2004.00190.x
Ethridge, S. B. (1979). Impact of the 1954 Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education decision on
Black educators. Negro Educational Review, 30(4), 217.
Gallimore, R., & Goldenberg, C. (2001). Analyzing cultural models and settings to connect
minoritized achievement and school improvement research. Educational Psychologist,
36(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3601_5
Gao, W., & Mager, G. (2011). Enhancing preservice teachers' sense of efficacy and attitudes
toward school diversity through preparation: A case of one US inclusive teacher
education program. International Journal of Special Education, 26(2), 92-107.
Gershenson, S., Hart, C., Hyman, J., Lindsay, C., & Papageorge, N. W. (2018). The long-run
impacts of same-race teachers (No. w25254). National Bureau of Economic Research.

102
Gershenson, S., Holt, S. B., & Papageorge, N. W. (2016). Who believes in me? The effect of
student–teacher demographic match on teacher expectations. Economics of Education
Review, 52, 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.03.002
Gershenson, S., & Papageorge, N. (2018). The power of teacher expectations: How racial bias
hinders student attainment. Education Next, 18(1), 64–71.
Glesne, C. (2011). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction (4th ed.). Pearson.
Goldhaber, D., Theobald, R., & Tien, C. (2015). The theoretical and empirical arguments for
diversifying the teacher workforce: A review of the evidence. The Center for Education
Data & Research, University of Washington Bothell.
http://www.cedr.us/papers/working/CEDR%20WP, 202015(9).
Graham, A. (2013). Black teacher education candidates’ performance on PRAXIS I: What test
results do not tell us. Negro Educational Review, 64(1-4), 9–35.
Grossman, R., & Salas, E. (2011). The transfer of training: What really matters. International
Journal of Training and Development, 15(2), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-
2419.2011.00373.x
Harper, S. R., & Davis, C. H., III. (2012). They (don’t) care about education: A counter narrative
on Black male students’ responses to inequitable schooling. The Journal of Educational
Foundations, 26(1/2), 103.
Harvey, J. B. (1988). The Abilene paradox and other meditations on management. Lexington
Books.
Hill, J., Ottem, R., & DeRoche, J. (2016). Trends in public and private school principal
demographics and qualifications: 1987-88 to 2011-12. Stats in Brief (NCES 2016-189).
National Center for Education Statistics.

103
Hobson, L. D., Grant, V., & Harris, D. (2010). First year teachers’ perceptions of retention and
attrition factors: Findings from a southeastern state study. Chemistry, 10, 12.
Honig, M. I. (2006). New directions in education policy implementation. SUNY Press.
Ingersoll, R., May, H., & Collins, G. (2019). Recruitment, employment, retention and the
minority teacher shortage. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27, 37–.
https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.27.3714
Irvine, J. J. (1988). An analysis of the problem of disappearing Black educators. The Elementary
School Journal, 88(5), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.1086/461553
Isaac-Mostovicz, E., Kakabadse, A., & Kakabadse, N. K. (2011). The four pillars of corporate
responsibility: ethics, leadership, personal responsibility and trust. Corporate
Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 11(4), 489–500.
Jabbar, H. (2018). Recruiting “talent”: School choice and teacher hiring in New Orleans.
Educational Administration Quarterly, 54(1), 115–151.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X17721607
Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. B. (2015). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative,
and mixed approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.
Kafele, B. K. (2012). Empowering young Black males. Educational Leadership, 70(2), 67–70.
Kena, G., Hussar, W., McFarland, J., de Brey, C., Musu-Gillette, L., Wang, X., & Barmer, A.
(2016). The Condition of Education 2016. (NCES 2016-144). National Center for
Education Statistics.
Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, W. K. (2016). Kirkpatrick’s four levels of training evaluation.
Association for Talent Development.

104
Kohli, R. (2018). Behind school doors: The impact of hostile racial climates on urban teachers of
color. Urban Education, 53(3), 307–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916636653
Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice,
41(4), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2
Langley, G. J., Moen, R. D., Nolan, K. M., Nolan, T. W., Norman, C. L., & Provost, L. P.
(2009). The improvement guide: a practical approach to enhancing organizational
performance. Wiley.
Lewis, C. W., & Toldson, I. A. (2013). Black male teachers: Diversifying the United States'
teacher workforce. Emerald.
Maxwell, J. A. (2012). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (Vol. 41). SAGE.
Mayer, R. E. (2011). Does styles research have useful implications for educational practice?
Learning and Individual Differences, 21(3), 319–320.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2010.11.016
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and
implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. Review of Educational Research,
66(4), 543–578. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066004543
Pajares, F. (2006). Self-efficacy theory. http://www.education.com/reference/ article/self-efficacy-theory
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Petchauer, E. (2012). Teacher licensure exams and Black teacher candidates: Toward new theory
and promising practice. The Journal of Negro Education, 81(3), 252–267.
https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.81.3.0252

105
Petchauer, E., Bowe, A. G., & Wilson, J. (2018). Winter is coming: Forecasting the impact of
edTPA on Black teachers and teachers of color. The Urban Review, 50(2), 323–343.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-018-0453-1
Putman, H., Hansen, M., Walsh, K., & Quintero, D. (2016). High hopes and harsh realities: The
real challenges to building a diverse workforce. Brookings Institution.
Quartz, K. H., Thomas, A., Anderson, L., Masyn, K., Lyons, K. B., & Olsen, B. (2008). Careers
in motion: A longitudinal retention study of role changing among early-career urban
educators. Teachers College Record, 110(1), 218–250.
Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths based leadership: Great leaders, teams, and why
people follow. Gallup.
Rosswurm, M., & Larrabee, J. (1999). A Model for Change to Evidenc e‐ B a sed Practice. Image—
the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 31(4), 317–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-
5069.1999.tb00510.x
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.).
SAGE.
Scott, L. A. (2016). Where Are All the Black Male Special Education Teachers? Penn GSE
Perspectives on Urban Education, 13(1), 42–48.
Sensoy, Ö., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). “We are all for diversity, but...”: How faculty hiring
committees reproduce Whiteness and practical suggestions for how they can change.
Harvard Educational Review, 87(4), 557–580. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-
87.4.557
Sleeter, C. (2017). Critical race theory and the Whiteness of teacher education. Urban Education,
52(2), 155–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916668957

106
Smith, D., Wolf-Wendel, L., & Busenberg, B. (1998). The pipeline for achieving faculty
diversity: Debunking the myths. Review of Higher Education, 21(2), 200.
Smith, P. A. (2016). Does racism exist in the hiring and promotion of K-12 school
administrators?. Urban Education Research & Policy Annuals, 4(1) 122–136.
Stubbs, W., & Cocklin, C. (2008). Conceptualizing a “sustainability business model”.
Organization & Environment, 21(2), 103–127.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026608318042
Tack, M., & Patitu, C. (1992). Faculty job sa tisf a c tion : women and minorities in peril. School of
Education and Human Development, George Washington University.
Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2019). District agency in implementing instructional reform: A
comparative case study of global education. Journal of Educational Change, 20, 495–
525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-019-09346-2
Warikoo, N., Sinclair, S., Fei, J., & Jacoby-Senghor, D. (2016). Examining racial bias in
education: A new approach. Educational Researcher, 45(9), 508–514.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16683408
Warner-Griffin, C., Noel, A., & Tadler, C. (2016). Sources of Newly Hired Teachers in the
United States: Results from the Schools and Staffing Survey, 1987-88 to 2011-12. NCES
2016-876. National Center for Education Statistics.
Weiss, R. S. (1994). Learning from strangers: The art and method of qualitative interview
studies. The Free Press.
White, T. (2018). Teachers of color and urban charter schools: Race, school culture, and teacher
turnover in the charter sector. Journal of Transformative Leadership & Policy Studies,
7(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.36851/jtlps.v7i1.496

107
Wood, R., & Bandura, A. (1989). Social cognitive theory of organizational Management. The
Academy of Management Review, 14(3), 361–. https://doi.org/10.2307/25817
Wright, A., Gottfried, M. A., & Le, V. N. (2017). A kindergarten teacher like me: The role of
student-teacher race in social-emotional development. American Educational Research
Journal, 54(1_suppl), 78S-101S.
Yutrzenka, B. (1995). Making a Case for Training in Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Increasing
Treatment Efficacy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63(2), 197–206.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.63.2.197

108
APPENDIX A
IMMEDIATE EV ALUATION INSTRUMENT

109
APPENDIX B
DELAYED EVALUATION INSTRUMENT

110
APPENDIX C
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
Interview Questions (ADE Officials):
Can you tell me a little about your background in K-12 education? (Background/Demographic)
How did you become involved with ADE? (Background/Demographic)
Can you describe how ADE develops the implementation of strategies to lower the rate of year-
to-year teacher turnover? (K- Procedural)
Could you describe what districts around the state are doing right now to understand why so
many teachers of color leave the profession after their first year on the job? (K-Conceptual)

Could you give me an example of how ADE collaborates with school boards and other
community stakeholders to reduce new teacher turnover? (K- Factual)

To what extent do you feel ADE is confident that Apex will be able to decrease minoritized
teacher turnover? (M-Self-Efficacy)

How does ADE collect data about teaching staff diversity? (O-1-Factual)
If I were a newly hired teacher in Apex, what type of mentoring/supports could I expect to
receive right away? (O-2-Experience/Behavior)
How would you describe the general interdepartmental attitude within ADE regarding the
need for greater minoritized professional staff diversity and retention in the schools? (O-1-
Factual)

What would you say that ADE staff members have a degree of cultural sensitivity? (O-3-
Opinion/Values)
How important (effective) do you think these strategies will be to reduce year-by-year teacher
turnover in districts across the state? (M-1) Expectancy Value Theory

Abstract (if available)

Abstract There is general agreement in the research that increasing the number of minoritized educators at all levels of K-12 education would improve outcomes for both students and communities in general. There is almost no state where this problem is more pronounced than in the state of Apex (pseudonym). This study sought to measure the knowledge, motivation and organizational influences of the Apex Department of Education (ADE) and the ADE administration to take appropriate steps to help increase the number of minoritized teachers at Apex schools. This study also sought to measure the knowledge, motivation and organizational influences at ADE and among ADE administrators to reduce the rate of minoritized teacher turnover in Apex. The findings indicate that ADE administrators need to better understand the factors that keep minoritized applicants from earning a teaching credential as well as what causes them to leave the profession. The ADE administration also needs to know how to implement strategies to address the causes of teacher turnover. The ADE administration also needs to have confidence in their ability to accomplish the performance goal of decreasing minoritized teacher turnover to 10% from its current 23% level. Furthermore, ADE needs to be willing to collect and/or utilize data to see how a diverse teaching staff supports better student outcomes along with providing training and mentorship at all levels to help address its teacher turnover problem. This study is instrumental for the ADE administration as they learn what strategies and skills to focus on and receive insight into how to address the shortage of minoritized teachers in Apex. All of the individuals as well as the organization that participated in the study are referred to in this work using pseudonyms to protect their privacy and confidentiality.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Embedded academic support for high school student success: an innovation study

PDF

Understanding the factors that contribute to successful school reconstitution: A promising practice

PDF

How teachers identify and respond to bullying: an evaluation study

PDF

Increasing family engagement at Lily Elementary School: An evaluation model

PDF

Factors impacting the effectiveness of mentor teachers in a national teacher residency

PDF

Child welfare turnover: an evaluation study of work-life balance practices

PDF

Building capacity in homeroom teachers to support English language learners

PDF

The academic implications of providing social emotional learning in K-12: an evaluation study

PDF

STEM teacher education: An evaluation study

PDF

Implementing standards-based grading in the era of common standards: an evaluation study

PDF

School connectedness and teacher reflective practices

PDF

Future educator programs in high schools: an evaluative study

PDF

An evaluation study of... What do teachers know about gifted students?

PDF

Developing a culture of teacher collaboration in middle school

PDF

Factors that promote or inhibit a teacher’s ability to identify and refer students with anxiety or depression for evaluation

PDF

Calibrating the college preparation bridgeway for independent study program students at Amazing Independent High School District: a multisite evaluation study through the teachers' lens

PDF

The role of professional development and certification in technology worker turnover: An evaluation study

PDF

The impact of high teacher turnover rates have on high quality early childhood programs: an evaluation study

PDF

Closing the achievement gap for students with disabilities: a focus on instructional differentiation - an evaluation study

PDF

Lack of African-American undergraduate male student retention: an evaluation study on perspectives from academic advisors

Asset Metadata

Creator Alati, Darrius C. (author)

Core Title Increasing the number of minoritized teachers in the Apex public schools: an evaluation study

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 10/16/2020

Defense Date 09/16/2020

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

Tag diversity,Educators,intervention,OAI-PMH Harvest,Teachers

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hirabayashi, Kimberly (committee chair), Mora-Flores, Eugenia (committee member), Robles, Darline (committee member)

Creator Email alati@urbanclassroompartners.com,alati@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-383166

Unique identifier UC11666286

Identifier etd-AlatiDarri-9044.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-383166 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-AlatiDarri-9044.pdf

Dmrecord 383166

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Alati, Darrius C.

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...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA