Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Leadership

First Supervisor

Marie Cianca

Second Supervisor

Diane Reed

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perspectives of charter school leaders and teachers regarding leadership support, a major factor in teacher attrition. The study identified the challenges encountered by teachers and identified leadership practices and professional development opportunities that enhance leadership support to improve retention strategies in charter schools. The iterative model of adaptive leadership was used as the theoretical framework. The researcher collected and examined the perspectives and experiences of ten educators from two charter school organizations in Western New York, both serving urban middle school students . Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using three cycles of coding. The study identified themes and subthemes based on the interview data, which then yielded four major findings. First, the pandemic exacerbated a teacher shortage in charter schools. Second, strategic tools, such as weekly surveys or informal check-ins, are needed to continuously assess school climate. Third, teacher involvement and engagement are not sufficiently integrated into decision-making to effectively improve the school environment. Lastly, charter school teacher development is a critical investment. This study concludes with further research recommendations and recommendations for school leaders working in charter schools.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS