Educators of Color’s Perceptions on the Influence of Induction Practices

The problem addressed in this this study is the low retention of educators of color despite increased funding and resources aimed at supporting early career teachers in Washington State public schools. Elfers et al. noted that in Washington State over the course of 4 periods of time, early career educators of color are more likely to leave the profession than their White counterparts. Grounded in Holtom et al.’s job embeddedness theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore educators of color’s perceptions about the usefulness of induction practices as it relates to their professional needs and career retention. For this basic qualitative design, 10 educators of color from public schools in Washington State were recruited through email and social media advertisements. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Through thematic analysis, three themes emerged: teachers noted the need for (a) sufficient institutional resources designed for educators of color, (b) affinity spaces provided and sustained, and consideration about (c) the influence of sacrifices on one’s identity. Better supported teachers might remain in the profession, which, in turn, may benefit students and their educational retention.