Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations (LEPF)
Director
Kelly Summers
Co-Director
Benjamin Creed
Committee Members
Patrick Roberts
Keywords
High Quality Teachers, Cultural Asset Thinking, Retention, Recruitment, Place Conscious Leadership
Abstract
This research investigates how school administrators define, recruit, and retain highquality teachers and examines the implications of these efforts on student outcomes. Emphasizing the distinction between teacher quality: skills, abilities, and dispositions and teacher qualifications: certificates, degrees, and credentials, the study explores their overlap and importance in meeting the unique needs of districts, particularly in high-needs areas such as English as a second language (ESL) and special education. The presence or absence of such teachers critically impacts academic performance and social-emotional development, disproportionately affecting students of color and those in impoverished areas. Inadequate practices may contribute to the misidentification of English language learners (ELL) and African American students as requiring special education or result in insufficient language and academic support. Building on legislative frameworks such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), this research underscores the ongoing responsibility of school districts to reduce learning barriers and ensure equitable access to effective teaching, ultimately addressing the complex needs of all students.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
White, Tandalaya, "QUALITY CONTROL: HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS DEFINE, RECRUIT, AND RETAIN HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS, A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 62.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/62
Included in
Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Urban Education Commons
