Beyond the Labor Market Paradigm: A Social Network Perspective on Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Abstract

This article identifies limits of the dominant labor market perspective (LMP) in research on teacher recruitment and retention and describes how research that incorporates a social network perspective (SNP) can contribute to the knowledge base and development of teacher education, staffing, and professional development approaches. A discussion of current literature on teachers' social networks and a case example of social network perspective research highlight how such research reveals complex social factors that shape teachers' workplace experiences and show the ways in which the labor market perspective tends have a "recruitment-heavy" focus. The article describes how the social network perspective allows researchers to study social workplace concerns from both macro and micro perspectives. This approach can broaden the current focus on recruitment to a more comprehensive understanding of recruitment and retention.

From Interpretation to Instructional Practice: A Network Study of Early-Career Teachers’ Sensemaking in the Era of Accountability Pressures and Common Core State Standards

“…Thus, we considered how ECTs might be very deliberate in cultivating their social networks that provide specific knowledge or information (Spillane et al, 2012; Wilhelm et al, 2016) or allow them to express vulnerability (Baker-Doyle, 2011). These networks may be very influential in determining how reforms are implemented in schools (Daly et al, 2010; Frank et al, 2004; Frank, Xu, et al, 2018; Penuel et al 2009), and they are critical to teacher retention (Baker-Doyle, 2010; Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). We also explored the relationship between exposure to network members’ interpretations and several other measures (e.g., use of social media, math anxiety, self-efficacy, collective efficacy).…”

Configuring a Construct Definition of Teacher Working Conditions in the United States: A Systematic Narrative Review of Researcher Concepts

“…The literature on teacher retention includes studies that link specific working conditions to teacher retention patterns. Improvements in the following working conditions are associated with decreased teacher turnover: new teacher induction (Guarino et al, 2006; Johnson et al, 2005; Kang & Berliner, 2012); collegiality (Allensworth et al, 2009); workload (Brill & McCartney, 2008; Luekens et al, 2004); school culture (Baker-Doyle, 2010; Guarino et al, 2006; Johnson et al, 2005; Simon & Johnson, 2015); school climate (Johnson et al, 2005); resources (Borman & Dowling, 2008; Guarino et al, 2006; Ingersoll et al, 2014; Johnson et al, 2005); facilities (Boyd et al, 2011; Johnson et al, 2005; Podolsky et al, 2016); content-focused professional development (Ingersoll & May, 2012); teacher autonomy and teacher influence (Allensworth et al, 2009; Ingersoll et al, 2014; Marinell & Coca, 2013; Podolsky et al, 2016); leadership (Boyd et al, 2011; Kraft et al, 2016; Ladd, 2011); administrative communication (Johnson et al, 2005; Podolsky et al, 2016); instructional leadership (Allensworth et al, 2009; Marinell & Coca, 2013; Simon & Johnson, 2015); school management (Marinell & Coca, 2013; Simon & Johnson, 2015); and the principal’s support role (Boyd et al, 2011; Brown & Wynn, 2009; Ingersoll & May, 2011; Shen et al, 2012; Waddell, 2010). The host of TWCs associated with teacher retention motivates the need for a better understanding of what TWCs are and how to study them.…”

Is the grass really greener? A qualitative study of teacher reflections on their decision to migrate from small rural districts to larger school districts

“…Unfortunately, studies report teacher education programs, in general, do not adequately prepare students for teaching in rural school districts . Teachers are not specifically prepared to understand and manage the challenges of professional, geographic, and even social isolation found in rural schools (Baker-Doyle, 2010;. Notably, this isolation is a common challenge for teachers in rural schools when compared to the environment of teachers in larger schools Fishman, 2009).…”

“…This isolation is not just professional, although it is not uncommon for teachers in rural schools to be a part of a small team who teach the same content or grade level, or even be the only teacher in the school teaching that specific content or grade level . In fact, the isolation rural teachers face is professional, geographic, and even social (Baker-Doyle, 2010;. When working in a district which can be 50 or more miles from a metropolitan center, options for entertainment and recreation may also be limited.…”

“…While Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, and Wycoff (2005) were focused on urban schools, they do state those who grow up in a rural or suburban community are more likely to seek a teaching position in that type of community. Teachers who are able to connect to the community socially are more likely to stay in their teaching position within the district (Baker-Doyle, 2010).…”