Influences on the Satisfaction and Retention of 1st-Year Teachers: The Importance of Effective School Management

Abstract

Data from two panel studies, the 1993 to 1995 nationwide Schools and Staffing Survey and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey, as well as a 1998-1999 survey of teachers in one western state are used to examine the influenceof variables related to demographic characteristics, work assignment, effectiveness, social support, and school management on the satisfaction and retention decisions of 1st-year public school teachers. Minor differences appear between the results for the statewide and national samples, but both sets of results indicate that the most important influences on satisfaction involve variables related to social support and school management, and that the most important influence on retention decisions is job satisfaction. Implications for future research and for practitioners are discussed, including the central role of effective and supportive school management in promoting the satisfaction and retention of 1st-year teachers.