Date of Award
6-26-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
David Stevens
Committee Members
David Stevens; Nicole Covey; Topeka Singleton
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2024 R63
Abstract
Students in urban turnaround schools often receive subpar education in comparison to their counterparts in suburban schools due to insufficient resources and a lack of quality, experienced teachers. Urban turnaround schools have a higher number of novice teachers who may be unable to provide quality instruction that closes the achievement gap between students in urban turnaround schools, who are mostly black and brown, and their suburban counterparts. This not only impacts the students’ education, but consequently their entire lives. The purpose of this study is to examine novice teachers in the Achievement School District, an urban turnaround district in Memphis, TN, whose students have achieved academic success based on proficiency goals set for them. Furthermore, this research will discover the mindset and skills of successful novice teachers whose students met their academic goals. This research was based on the theory of transformational teaching. This phenomenological, qualitative study used purposeful sampling to garner 6 participants. They participated in semi-structured interviews via zoom and in-person observations. All interview transcriptions and observation notes were analyzed and coded to identify themes that address each research question. The results identified that successful novice teachers in urban turnaround schools have a desire to teach in urban schools, are adaptable, and have a strong belief that their students can actually meet their goals. The research also revealed that participants were warm demanders, had an ability to create student belief in themselves, could facilitate a safe and structured classroom environment, and were coachable. Implications suggest that schools and districts can consider these findings to recruit quality teachers, create mentoring programs, professional development, and action plans to increase student achievement. Teachers can use these findings to better assess their readiness to teach in urban turnaround schools as well as their implementation of effective classroom practices. Recommendations for future research include teacher preparation programs including coursework that prepares teachers for urban schools, districts refining their hiring process, and schools implementing coaching programs.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Rodgers, Lacee, "Novice Teachers: Thriving In Urban Turnaround Schools" (2024). Student Theses and Dissertations. 76.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/76
