Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1542824
R. Adeboye, C. Flewelling,V. Ogbole, E. O'Sullivan 35 attrition and retention, there is an indirect effect whereby "teachers with low self-efficacy seem to experience higher levels of emotional exhaustion and lower levels of satisfaction and commitment, ultimately leading them to quit their job" (Zee and Koomen, 2016, p. 1007). Simply stated, it appears reasonable to assume that teacher confidence contributes to retention. Looking at the effects of teachers' feeling of being supported, some evidence can be found in the literature related to teacher working conditions or perceptions thereof. For example, a meta- analysis on teacher attrition (Borman and Dowling, 2008) found that various school characteristics that could be described as "supportive" (e.g. administrative support, mentoring program for new teachers, opportunities for teacher collaboration) were positively associated with teacher retention; while Kraft et al., similarly speak to "a growing body of empirical research now documents the strong positive relationships between supportive school contexts and teacher retention" (2016, p. 1415), although it should be noted that the specific nature of those supports varied and may not be directly applicable to the Connected North context. Skaalvik and Skaalvik describe the body of research that "shows that stressful working conditions in school are associated with lower teacher self-efficacy, stronger symptoms of teacher burnout, and teacher attrition" (2017, p. 153). Burleigh's (2016) examination of teacher attrition in a remote Northern Ontario First Nation found that teacher support - both professional and socioemotional - were important for teacher retention. Saunders' (2022) thesis on teacher retention in northern communities similarly cited teachers' feelings of belonging, being appreciated, and being supported by administration as among the key factors in teacher retention. Again, overall, it is reasonable to expect that teachers feeling supported will contribute to retention. Teacher feelings of being supported can be credibly linked to teacher performance The literature also provides general - if qualified - support for the presumed link between teacher job satisfaction (broadly analogous to the notion of feeling supported) and teacher performance. The evaluation benefitted from a relevant and recent article on the subject (Jerrim, 2024). It described a wealth of research that supported this link; however, the study's own analysis found marked positive relationships between teacher job satisfaction and teacher ratings of their own performance; smaller relationships with student ratings of teacher performance; and no relationship with student test results or other outcomes such as interest. As this was a highly specific study (i.e., focused on teachers' ability to teach quadratic equations), it by no means discounts the longstanding supposition that teacher job satisfaction should lead to better performance and, in turn, to better student outcomes; but it does highlight the complexity of these issues, the difficulty of measurement, and how few questions in the realm of pedagogy can be deemed settled. Teacher retention can be credibly linked to student outcomes Regarding the effects of teacher retention, Mueller et al. posit that "Teacher quality is positively correlated with student learning outcomes, and teacher experience is linked to teacher quality" (2011, p. 60), and describe the intuitive pathway through which these relationships are expected to arise: If schools are subject to high rates of teacher attrition, particularly among those who are less experienced, a likely consequence for the school will result: cohorts of perpetually inexperienced teachers. This in turn increases likelihood that