| Teacher retention is an ongoing issue in the United States. As teachers are faced with the challenges to be successful in diverse classroom settings and to meet federal and state accountability standards, they must have the ability and the competence to adjust to changing situations. Resiliency is a critical element in helping teachers to meet these challenges and in retaining them in the education profession. Additionally, as minority student enrollments have increased dramatically in recent years, the number of minority teachers in the workforce, including African Americans, is underrepresented and is likely to continue to decline.;The purpose of this historical, biographical research study was to examine the perspectives of African American female teachers related to (a) their teaching experiences and (b) the characteristics of resilience that influenced their retention in education in a rural community before, during, and after desegregation in the South. Polidore's (2004) resilience theory, which was undergirded by Black feminist theory (Collins, 1989; Few, 2007; hooks, 1984), served as the theoretical framework of this study. Polidore's resilience theory consists of eight characteristics of resilience: religion, flexible locus of control, an individual's ability to view adverse situations positively or optimistic bias, autonomy, commitment, change, relationships, and education viewed as important.;Narrative inquiry technique, a type of qualitative methodology, was used to empower and give voice to four African American women to tell their stories about their teaching experiences. Cross-case historical analysis was used to aggregate the salient and emergent themes of resilience in each informant's narrative and to establish patterns or themes that were grounded in the context and theoretical framework. The in-depth analysis of the triangulated data provided the results of the study. The findings indicated that Polidore's (2004) eight characteristics of resilience, and one additional characteristic, efficacy, influenced the retention and longevity of the African American female teachers in the education profession. The additional characteristic, efficacy, emerged as an overarching theme of positive relationships and optimistic bias. The results of this study should provide rich insight and information for public school administrators, teacher recruiters, local and state policy makers, researchers, and college preparation programs, which can be used to expand professional development opportunities that promote resiliency and enhance the recruitment and retention of all teachers.;Keywords. resilience, teacher retention, African American teachers, Black feminist theory... |
