Warren Early High School: A Case Study

With $50,000, I could double my family’s yearly income. With that money, I could also live comfortably by myself for over a year. However, when it comes to real issues in a troubled community, offering up large amounts of money often does not help. That being said, with the time and money given, I would attempt to effect change in my community by increasing Warren County’s incredibly poor teacher retention rates.
In my four years at Warren Early College High, I have seen twenty-one different teachers and staff members come and go. At this school, there are only ten staffing positions. Aside from one dedicated teacher, there is an entirely new staff from when I started. This “teacher shortage” is a pervasive problem for low performing schools that are often sent ill-prepared or inexperienced first-year teachers who abandon the school at the first …show more content…
Under my plan, school systems should be required to assign veteran teachers to new teachers for the first three or so years of their career. This mentor would be someone that they could go to simply ask questions or who could step into the classroom if the new teacher asks them to. This simple support plan would not be difficult to add to existing school administration, especially if that school already had some form of teacher support, and it would give first-year teachers the training they need to thrive in their classrooms. Supporting the existing teachers would make them more likely to stay in the community which is better for students and the school system alike.When the school system supports its staff, the staff will, in return, support the system. With my gap year, I would oversee the development of this support system, and I would survey the teachers to learn their input on the situation. Additionally, I would find and train someone to fulfill my role after my gap year to ensure that the school system would continue to make