Cara Ann Mendoza, Ed.D . Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Coordinator of Professional Development and PAR/BTSA

1. The Effects of the Layoff Process on K-12 Teachers:How Do Multiple Years of Layoff Notices Affect Teacher Attitude, Persistence, and Practice? Cara Ann Mendoza, Ed.D. Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Coordinator of Professional Development and PAR/BTSA

2. The Study Begins… Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Induction Program Colloquium, May 2009 Northern California, Suburban School District

3. Some Data In California: • 2007-08: 310,000 Employed Teachers • 2010-11: under 287,000 Employed Teachers From The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at West Ed—California’s Teaching Force 2010: Key Issues and Trends In Northern California Suburban School District: • 2008-08: 128 Year 1 and Year 2 Teachers • 2012-13: 60 of the 2008-09 Cohort

4. Additional Data Also in California: • Between 2001-02 and 2007-08 the number of enrollees in teacher preparation programs dropped by 45% from more than 75,000 to fewer than 45,000 • Overall enrollment is expected to increase gradually over the next decade by more than 230,000, or approximately 4%, between 2009–2010 and 2018–2019 From The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at West Ed—California’s Teaching Force 2010: Key Issues and Trends

5. What was I thinking? At the center of my study was one central thought: Receiving annual layoff notices seems like a grueling experience. I wonder what affects such a process has on teachers. Thus, the goal of this study was to unearth the experiences of teachers who receive multiple years of layoff notices.

6. Guiding Questions • How are K-12 teachers affected by the layoff/rehire cycle? • How does the cycle affect their attitude about teaching? • How does the cycle affect their persistence to teach? • How does the cycle affect their performance?

7. More Guiding Questions • Is there a relationship between their working conditions and/or school characteristics and their decisions to stay in the district or the teaching profession? • Is there a relationship between how they were treated by the district and/or their school site(s) and their decisions to stay in the district or the teaching profession? • How might their experiences inform school district leadership in retention of teachers who receive lay-off notices?

8. Expected Themes Emerged • Relationships matter—with colleagues, site administration, support providers and the community in which they teach • School characteristics—difficult though they were—did not matter • Human Resources systems matter

9. Unexpected Themes Emerged, Too • New teachers forged bonds and created support networks • “Us” (new teachers) vs. “Them” (veteran teachers) • Benefits gained from being in the layoff/rehire vortex

10. Recommendations for Practice • Build Relationships and Provide Opportunities to Build Relationships • Provide Site Specific Support AND District-wide Support • Continue to Investigate the March 15th Layoff Notice Date

11. Contact Information • Cara Ann Mendoza, Ed.D. • Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District • caram@fsusd.org • http://gradworks.umi.com/cgi-bin/redirect?url=http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3596922