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literature indicates that nontraditional prepared teachers often select certification in the subject
shortage areas, such as mathematics or science, and in urban city school districts that are likely to
serve minority students
(Shen, 1997).
Teachers who are career-changers are often more mature and better able to manage time,
work cooperatively with co-workers, and handle classroom management due to prior work, life,
and/or parenting experience than those entering teaching at an early age (Mosenson &
Mosenson, 2012). They can bring valuable skills and competencies and knowledge to the
classroom as a result of their life experiences, and they enter the profession seeking to make a
difference in the lives of students they teach (Haggard, Slostad, & Winterton, 2006; Salyer,
2003). To quote Stehlik (2011), nontraditional learners “are more philanthropic then pragmatic,
more inspirational than aspirational, and more holistic than strategic” (p. 167).
Nontraditional teacher candidates have better coping skills and bring more empathy to the
classroom than their traditionally prepared peers. Their prior experiences support their ability to
plan and implement effective instructional practices (Kaldi, 2009). Chambers (2002) and
Klausewitz (2005) found that nontraditional candidates draw from their previous job
experiences, parenting or coaching and their knowledge gained through travel. In addition, they
work in the community that supports them when approaching their coursework, field
assignments, and classroom settings. In addition, nontraditional candidates are better at
networking, managing their time, collaborating, and communicating. The academic work of
nontraditional teacher education candidates is often of high quality despite the challenges they
face, such as parenting or work commitments, which may limit their ability to fully commit to
their coursework (Kaldi, 2009).
Researchers
estimate that 20% to 50% of all teachers leave the profession within the first
five years (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003; Latham & Vogt, 2007; Perrachione, Rosser, & Petersen,
2008) and the overall attrition rate for all teachers is 13% to 15% per year (Ingersoll, 2001). One
characteristic that relates to retention is age (Hanushek, Kain, & Rivkin, 2004; Ingersoll, 2001).
Younger teachers leave the profession either from dissatisfaction with teaching or for family
reasons such as childcare. Older teachers leave teaching for retirement, and the erosion of both
groups results in a U-shaped plot of age and teacher attrition (Guarino, Santibanez, & Daley,
2006; Hanushek & Rivkin, 2007). Grissmer and Kirby (1997) noted that the theory of human
capital also offers insights into the U-shaped distribution of age and teacher retention. Attrition
is higher among teachers in the early years of their careers because they have accumulated less
specific capital, or knowledge specific to teaching, and attrition attenuates later when teachers
have increased their teaching specific capital. Further, in a study of new teachers, Watson,
Harper, Ratliff, and Singleton (2010) found that stress was a significant contributor to decreased
job satisfaction among new teachers. The higher levels of stress, with the decreased job
satisfaction, could be another reason that new teachers leave the field at higher rates. However,
many younger teachers do not leave the profession indefinitely; instead they leave and return
with the reentrants comprising a significant portion of annual teacher hires (Grissmer & Kirby,
1997).
A primary obstacle to researching the many aspects of nontraditional
teacher
characteristics
and effectiveness is the lack of systematic data collection, at both the national and
state levels. The National Research Council (2010) identified basic questions in the field: (a)
How do characteristics of teacher candidates vary by program or pathway?, (b) Where do