New Teachers at Middle School Campuses: A Multi-Year Statewide Study

Abstract

In this study, we examined the five most recent years (2003-2004 through 2007-2008) of Texas educational data concerning new teachers employed at middle school campuses (low of 495 campuses to a high of 517 campuses). The extent to which differences were present between middle school campuses with the highest beginning teacher percentages and middle school campuses with the lowest beginning teacher percentages was analyzed. For all five years of data, middle schools with the highest percentages of minority students, with the highest percentages of economically disadvantaged students, and with the highest percentages of at-risk students tended to have the highest percentages of beginning teachers. Working conditions for beginning middle school teachers appeared to be quite challenging. Implications of our findings are discussed.