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C HAPTER 7: C AREER
Directions for future research Among researchers as among school leaders, there is much to be learned about the relationship of the teaching career to teacher turnover. There are two ways in which the existing research could be vastly improved. First, much of the research on mentoring, professional development, and roles and career ladders has not paid much attention to the quality of the initiative studied. In other words, some mentoring programs exist in name only; novices are assigned mentors but very little “mentoring” occurs. A study that documents the effects of such a program does not advance our practical understanding about what can be done to help new teachers. Thus, we argue that studies must define the program examined and consider how the quality of programs may mediate their effect on teacher satisfaction and retention. Second, we found no experimental studies of the effects of mentoring, induction, professional development, or roles and career ladders on teacher satisfaction or retention. Thus, when researchers have discovered a positive effect of an initiative they have not been able to attribute it fully and undoubtedly to the intervention. For instance, Smith and Ingersoll (forthcoming) find that a samefield mentor is associated with a lower probability of attrition, but they cannot conclude that the lower probability is due to the mentor. The novices who received the same-field mentor may have been otherwise influenced to stay in the profession by good working conditions, unusually supportive colleagues, or greater overall commitment to the profession. Because the group who received mentoring may differ from the group who did not receive mentoring, Smith and Ingersoll cannot conclude that mentoring caused the probability of attrition to decline. To isolate the extent to which these initiatives cause teacher satisfaction and retention to increase or decrease, we need experiments based on large samples. Turning to the details of this chapter, the early part of the teaching career has the soundest empirical base in terms of what new teachers experience and how mentoring and induction can help them be more satisfied with their work. Nevertheless, it would be helpful to know more specifically how mentoring and induction support new teachers. What do new teachers need most from mentoring and induction to be successful and satisfied in the classroom? Do different types of new teachers need different things from these programs? For instance, does a recent college graduate require different mentoring than a fifty-year old former navy fighter pilot? Comparative qualitative studies could investigate such questions. Such research could also advance our understanding of the experiences and career decisions of experienced teachers. Beyond Huberman’s work, which is now somewhat dated, we know little about these teachers’ professional needs and career plans. Qualitative, longitudinal studies that probe how teachers’ needs change over time are warranted. Similarly, we know little about what opportunities appeal to today’s experienced teachers. We know that, in the past, many teachers wanted to hone their skills in the classroom for most of their career. Do today’s teachers feel similarly? What are their long-range plans and what factors influence their decisions? Qualitative research that examines the career decisions of different types of teachers within different kinds of schools would advance our understanding. Of all the initiatives explored in this chapter, the impact of professional development on teachers’ career decisions is least developed. We found no studies that examine the effect of professional