Teacher Retention in High-Poverty Urban Schools
The Role of Empowerment, Leadership, and Collaboration
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9729149 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Erin Mooney Martin (University of Dayton), Christopher Benedetti (0000-0002-2469-2289, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 423-443 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education and Urban Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-1245 • E-ISSN: 1552-3535 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00131245251318318 |
| OpenAlex | W4407142616 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 28 |
Teacher attrition remains a significant challenge in high-poverty urban schools, contributing to educational inequities and disrupting student learning. This study explores how teacher empowerment, encompassing systemic flexibility, supportive leadership, autonomy, and peer collaboration, influences teacher retention in these settings. Utilizing a qualitative case study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers from two high-poverty urban schools to examine their experiences with empowerment and its role in their decision to remain in their positions. Findings suggest that empowerment fosters a sense of value, agency, and professional growth, all of which enhance teacher retention. The study underscores the importance of creating empowering school cultures through flexible systems, authentic leadership, and collaborative environments. By addressing these factors, high-poverty urban schools can reduce teacher attrition, improve student outcomes, and promote educational equity. These findings offer actionable strategies for educators and policymakers to build resilient, sustainable educational systems in urban contexts
Economic growth · Educational leadership · Empowerment · Instructional leadership · Pedagogy · Poverty · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology
The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers
The trouble with teacher turnover
Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Working Conditions
Teacher Turnover in High-Poverty Schools
Self-Efficacy
The art of case study research
Teacher Agency in Curriculum Making
Psychological empowerment
A Survey to Assess Barriers to Urban Teaching Careers
A Matter of Perspectives
Experiences That Predict Early Career Teacher Commitment to and Retention in High-Poverty Urban Schools
I’ve Never Seen People Work So Hard!” Teachers’ Working Conditions in the Early Stages of School Turnaround
Filling the Void
The Influence of School Administrators on Teacher Retention Decisions
How Teacher Turnover Harms Student Achievement
What Do Teaching Qualifications Mean in Urban Schools? A Mixed-Methods Study of Teacher Preparation and Qualification
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |