ORCID ID
0000-0002-4936-9154
Date of Award
5-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Program
Educational Administration
Department
Educational Administration
Major Professor
Chris Broadhurst
Second Advisor
Brian Beabout
Third Advisor
Hamed Ghahremani
Abstract
American schools face teacher shortages in many disciplines and age groups (Darling-Hammond et al., 2023; Learning Policy Institute, 2024). Rural and urban schools, especially those serving low-socioeconomic-status students, feel this shortage most (Goldhaber et al., 2021; Ingersoll et al., 2022). Teachers report rising dissatisfaction with their work (Lin et al., 2024). This study examined teacher working conditions in two high-turnover districts: Orleans and Jefferson Parish Schools. It used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods case study to assess working conditions (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009). District and federal data showed limited resources in Jefferson Parish. Orleans Parish had pronounced resource stratification. Teacher interviews from high-turnover schools were integrated with these findings. Job demands-resources theory framed the analysis (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Demerouti & Bakker, 2011). The synthesis found that teachers value administrative trust in curriculum and respectful communication. Yet, they experience burnout and stress. This results from exceeding contract demands and the costs of school commitment in these districts.
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Recommended Citation
Byrnes, John E., "Persistence in the Pressure Cooker: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of Teacher Working Conditions in High Turnover School Districts" (2026). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3344.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3344
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.