ENG131 TECHNICAL WRITING ORAL PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION DELIVERED TO XXXXXX, XXXXXXXX DR. ELIZABETH LOHMAN, TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CC-BY Quality Teachers for Public High School #1 (PHS #1)

INTRODUCTION High teacher turn over rates are a big problem for America's public schools. The decisions of teachers to leave the profession and the decisions of teachers to go better schools are costly, both for the students, who lose the value of being taught by an experienced teacher, and to the schools and districts, which must recruit and train their replacements. This high turnover rate of teachers prompted an internal investigation, which was requested by the XXXX, XXXX School Board In the past 10 years, we have experienced a high turnover of teachers in PHS #1. As we discussed earlier, this has caused considerable concern for the low morale and high turnover rate at this school. I have conducted some research that may provide you with a few alternatives to improve employee morale and teacher retention. After interviewing your teachers, reviewing records, an investigating the workplace environment, I was able to come up with some solutions that will be very useful in creating a good work environment. Please feel free to ask question during the presentation.

BODY High turnover rates means that new teachers rarely remain long enough to gain needed skills, therefore the quality of teaching is poor. This may impact student scores on standardized tests. Improving teacher retention, pay and hiring the best people for the job are just a few ways to prevent teachers from quitting. We have looked at some options that you have.These options are broken down into economic, structural and operational feasibility reports to see how they will impact the school. When teachers leave schools, overall morale appears to suffer enough that student achievement declines—both for those taught by the departed teachers and by students whose teachers stay. This presentation will detail three solutions to this problem. I ask that you seriously consider all three options, weighing each option’s economic, structural and operational feasibility.

SOLUTION #1 Solution #1 is the first recommendation. Invest in teacher support and development through Induction programs that focus on improving instruction and teacher effectiveness. Induction programs are very expensive but have been proven to increase retention and student achievement. The estimated cost per year of a high quality induction program is $6, per teacher per year. The total cost of implementing a high quality induction program for Ben franklin High School would be $96, in the first year. The costs of such programs will at least be partially offset by increases in teacher retention and decreases in in the costs of turnover. The existing operation of the school will not have to be altered in any way. This solution is designed to train and support the teaching staff that is currently on board. No new hires are will be needed. There is no structural feasibility for this recommendation. * I strongly suggest using this solution. It’s very costly but proves to be more beneficial in the future.

Solution #2 Solution#2 is the second recommendation. Hire qualified teachers. This will challenge the learning of your students and improve the schools over all test scores. Better test scores means more funding which enables the school to get more up to date books and computers. This solution will also be an expensive process. The average cost to hire a qualified teacher could cost you anywhere from $2, to $10, per year depending on the experience of the teacher. Recruitment and advertising could cost anywhere from $1, to $6, A room designated just for job fairs will need to be created. Solution #2 will coincide with the schools normal operations. The hiring process will just be more defined and focused on the qualifications of teachers being interviewed.

Solution #3 Solution#3 is the third recommendation. Track teacher turnover and its annual cost. This recommendation is the least important of the three solutions but it is also vital to teacher retention. By tracking teachers and costs year by year, school leaders will be able to determine where to invest and how much to invest in in teacher retention. To implement this solution you will have to hire a bookkeeper. A bookkeeper’s salary ranges from $27, to $35, a year. This solution fits well with the existing operation. A book keeper will have to be added to the staff. There is a vacant office available for the new hire.

Benefits A company’s success or failure is directly linked to its employees’ morale. The business benefits from high productivity, low workplace conflicts and teamwork. Maintaining high employee morale is an important task for any organization. Knowing what motivates employees and boost morale can help you keep a positive work environment. So implementing the suggested recommendations will be steps in the right direction in accomplishing this goal.

Consequences There are serious consequences for ignoring my recommendations. The morale of your staff will not improve and the teacher turnover rate will continue, costing the school thousands of dollars to hire and train new teachers and costing the students a quality education..

Conclusion Public High School #1 is an urban community school. The high turnover rate of teachers prompted the XXXX, XXXX School Board to request an an internal investigation of the problem. Investigations and observations of the problem resulted in a better understanding of why the moral of the teachers is low and why the turnover rate is so high. An analysis of the problem showed that investing in teacher support and development programs that focus on improving instruction and teacher effectiveness have been proven to increase retention and improve student achievement. The analysis also showed that hiring qualified teachers would challenge the learning of your students and improve the schools over all test scores. Better test scores means more funding which enables this school to get more up to date books and computers. The analysis further showed that tracking the teacher turnover rate. By tracking teachers and costs year by year, school administrators will be able to determine where to invest and how much to invest in in teacher retention. Our children are the future. Invest in their education because teacher quality matters. In fact, it is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement. Make and implement one of the proposed recommendations now to secure out students future.