The alternate route teachers' transition to the classroom: Preparation, support and retention

The United States Department of Education (2002) predicts that over 2.2 million teaching positions in kindergarten through twelfth grade will need to be filled over the next ten years. Given the demand for classroom teachers, forty-seven states have created alternative route teaching certification programs to recruit individuals who have earned college degrees and worked in their chosen fields but had no prior teaching experience (Feistritzer, Harr, Hobar, & Scullion, 2005).; The focus of this study explores issues related to the New Jersey high school alternate route teachers' transition process to the classroom in the following three phases: (1) preparation before entering the classroom; (2) support provided by schools/districts during the process; and (3) retention in the teaching profession. Three major research questions of this study are: (1) To what extent are alternate route teachers trained to teach in the classroom? (2) What type of support do schools/districts provide to assist alternate route teachers in their transition to the classroom? and (3) What do school districts do to retain the alternate route teacher?; The study consists of two surveys, one for high school principals and the other for high school alternate route teachers and four follow-up interviews. Data are collected from thirty-five principals and one hundred forty-two alternate route teachers from the state of New Jersey.; The results of this study indicate that the preparation needed to enter the classroom must consist of preservice and induction. Furthermore, different perceptions between principals and alternate route teachers are found regarding what are needed for the alternate route teachers' professional support. Last, the results suggest that retention of teachers must begin at the time of hiring and be a priority.