Term of Award
Spring 2026
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development
Committee Chair
Steven Tolman
Committee Member 1
Juliann McBrayer
Committee Member 2
Cordelia Zinskie
Abstract
As the teacher shortage continues to rise, it is critical for educational leaders to focus on teacher retention. Principals play a significant role in teacher retention, teacher engagement, and job satisfaction; therefore, they must implement effective engagement strategies to improve teacher retention. The purpose of this basic qualitative study is to explore how engagement strategies employed by principals at urban Title I schools contribute to teachers’ decisions to remain at these schools. The research question for this study examines teachers’ perspectives on how the engagement strategies used by their school principals influence their decision to remain in an urban Title I school setting. This study addresses a gap in the current literature by identifying engagement strategies that influence teacher retention efforts in urban Title I schools.
Semi-structured interviews were utilized to understand the teacher's perspective regarding the influence of principals' engagement strategies on teacher retention. Constant comparison, categorizing, and coding were used to analyze the data and to understand the teachers’ experiences and the engagement strategies used to influence their decision to remain in the teaching profession. Four themes emerged from the data: (1) supportive leadership, (2) relational leadership, (3) collaborative and positive school culture, and (4) recognition and appreciation. The results of this study may enhance engagement strategies for principals, leadership development programs, and retention initiatives, thereby supporting efforts to improve teacher retention in urban Title I schools.
Recommended Citation
Allen, Bridgette, "Examining How Engagement Strategies of Principals Influence Teacher Retention in Urban Title I Schools" (2026). College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations. 3072.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/3072
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
