Date of Award

Summer 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Jennifer Putnam

Abstract

Teacher shortages pose a significant concern, as numerous educators are departing from the profession (OECD, 2025). Schools are encountering difficulties in filling vacant positions with droves of individuals planning to depart the profession (Lurye & Griesbach, 2022). This qualitative study investigated alternatively certified and traditionally certified teacher perceptions regarding job satisfaction and teacher retention within a single public school system. Findings showed the need for policy shifts that address organizational challenges, an increased focus on pathway-specific and individual supports, a procurement of purposeful and meaningful instruction, greater attention to the realities of teaching and the well-being of teachers, and a closer examination focusing on teachers’ unmet physiological needs. The recommendations suggest leaders address basic physiological needs, improve poor working conditions, implement targeted support based on pathway needs, restore professional autonomy and recognition, strengthen professional school communities, strengthen instructional practices by removing challenges, create authentic pathways for professional growth, and establish structures that offer teacher voice. The recommendations were grounded in Maslow’s (1943) and Herzberg et al.’s (1959) frameworks, giving rise to a new practitioner-centered framework, The 8 Essential Fibers of Retention, that focused on mindset shifts. The developed framework emphasized teacher agency as well as encouraged proactive steps for growth and sustainability when supports are insufficient.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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