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Prospectus .Staffing Shortages Experienced By K-12 Facilities and Improving Succession and Development Planning to Increase the Pool of Potential Candidates for Hire: A Qualitative Action Research

Program of Study

Doctor of Business Administration

Problem Statement

The staff shortage in K-12 facilities has been going on for years, from school librarians to custodian workers (Pentland, 2022). For example, before the pandemic in Virginia in the 2017-2018 school year, there was a statewide shortage of over seven hundred teachers, or approximately 4% of the state's teachers (McHenry-Sorber & Campbell, 2019). However, in June and July of 2021, more than 446,000 and 460,000 jobs were available in various disciplines. The data includes K-12 and higher education jobs, but K-12 jobs usually comprise three-quarters of the overall numbers, with teachers being less than fifty percent of K-12 facilities staff complementing (Lieberman, 2021).

The general problem is that K-12 facilities nationwide are experiencing staff shortages of all categories, including school administrators, teachers, nurses, librarians, bus drivers, custodians, and general maintenance workers (Garcia & Weiss, 2020). More than forty states are experiencing staff shortages, with over 35% vacant positions (Sutcher et al., 2019). The impending retirement of teachers and COVID-19 has only worsened the situation, with over one-third of teachers over 50 years old (Coffee et al., 2019). The specific problem is that there are no immediate solutions or long-term planning to end the staff shortages experienced by K-12 facilities (McHenry-Sorber & Campbell, 2019). Resulting in a widening achievement gap for students and widening unemployment for K-12 Facilities (McHenry-Sorber & Campbell, 2019).

Purpose Statement

This proposed qualitative action research study aims to understand why K-12 facilities are short-staffed and analyze the barriers preventing K-12 administrators from implementing apprenticeship and internship programs within the schools that may help?alleviate the short staffage in the long term (McHenry-Sorber & Campbell, 2019). The staff shortage has become a crisis for the profession and a grave nationwide issue for the whole education system (Garcia & Weiss, 2020). K-12 Facilities nationwide are experiencing staff shortages of all categories, including school nurses, librarians, bus drivers, and custodians (Garcia & Weiss, 2020). Assistant superintendents, teachers, heads of departments, and senior high school students of 7 High Schools in Paterson, NJ, will participate in a survey and one-on-one interviews. The purpose of the study is to decide how many students are interested in participating in an apprenticeship or internship program within the school district and the willingness?of the teachers, administrators, and other school district employees to facilitate the program. The results of the study could encourage K-12 administrators to implement apprenticeship and internship programs within their school district to develop a pool of candidates to hire to alleviate the staff shortage over a long-term period (Taber & McGresham, 2020).

Research Method

The researcher will use the qualitative methodology to conduct the study. A qualitative approach explores and understands the meaning individuals and groups ascribe to social or human problems (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Research involves developing questions and procedures, collecting data, building from particulars to general themes, and interpreting the data (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). For example, the researcher will use the qualitative research method to investigate the number of teachers, principals, assistant superintendents, heads of departments, and students that are willing to participate in the internship or apprenticeship program.

The researcher chose this method to provide a solution that helps the school district solve staff shortages in K-12 facilities over time. The qualitative approach aligns with the researcher's problem statement, purpose statement, and research question. Qualitative research benefits include uncovering understudied topics and understanding the participant's perspectives without the restrictions of statistics and mathematical analysis. Instead, researchers can focus on the overall trend of the data to develop one concept (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).

Research Design

The researcher's dissertation focuses on finding a long-term solution to the staff shortages in K-12 facilities. After reviewing the research designs, the researcher believes the qualitative research method will be most appropriate and conducted under the action research design. The importance of action research in education stems from the possibility that educators can solve problems through action research in their classrooms or alongside other teachers of the same grade level (Moon, 2020). Action research focuses on essential questions about the researcher's environment?(Moon, 2020). As a capital project manager in a K-12 facility, the researcher has firsthand experience of the effect of the short staffage throughout the Paterson Public School district.

The action research design is most appropriate for this dissertation because the researcher has access to data and can collaborate with other managers, principals, teachers, assistant superintendents, and heads of departments to conduct the research. The researcher will conduct her data collection through interviews, surveys, and questionnaires through qualitative action research. The Action research process includes evaluating the current process, suggesting specific changes, implementing the changes, and assessing the results. Through the study, the researcher will make recommendations for the implementation of an internship and apprenticeship program within the school district that would see high school seniors participating in these programs within the district to generate interest in the careers offered by the district and increase the direct pool of prospective hires in the future.

Research Questions/Hypotheses

What barriers prevent K-12 facilities from implementing internship and apprenticeship programs within their school districts?

Based on the study, what benefits can students gain from being a part of these internship and apprenticeship programs, and how will implementing internship and apprenticeship programs alleviate teacher shortages in the long term?

Research Population and Sample and Other Data Sources

The action research design is most proper for this dissertation because the researcher has access to data and can collaborate with other managers, principals, teachers, assistant superintendents, and heads of departments to conduct the research. The researcher will conduct her data collection through interviews, surveys, and questionnaires through qualitative action research. The Action research process includes evaluating the current process, suggesting specific changes, implementing the changes, and assessing the results. Through the study, the researcher will make recommendations for the implementation of an internship and apprenticeship program within the school district that would see high school seniors taking part in these programs within the district to generate interest in the careers offered by the district and increase the direct pool of prospective hires in the future.

After gaining permission from Paterson Public School District to Conduct the study, the researcher will first collaborate with assistant superintendents, heads of the department, and principals to achieve information on the type of internship or apprenticeship program that currently exists within the school district. The first step will be to perform interviews with teachers and gain permission from the principals and parents for the students to take part in a survey. The survey aims to determine which career paths the senior high school students are interested in and which career they would actively take in an apprenticeship or internship program within the school district and the board of education. From the data collected, the researcher would form a focus group to narrow down the study and determine the percentage of the students that would like to intern with the Paterson Public school district in various disciplines.

Significance of the Study

Researchers have found the importance of action research for developing innovative studies and finding a solution for the widespread staff shortages in schools across the country (McHenry-Sorber & Campbell, 2019). The scholarly community must recognize a study's significance for its data reuse, and academic writers must trust the data presented in a study (Ayoung & Yoo, 2019). Even though K-12 facilities have experienced staff shortages for years, there has not been any significant effort to find a long-term solution. The researcher aims to find a long-term solution to alleviate the short Staffing by finding a long-term solution. Scholarly writers can use qualitative action research data, cite the work in their publications, explore further research, and trust that the data is dependable. As a result of this research, the scholarly community can build on the solution presented and develop other solutions that may help solve the temporary staffing problem in K-12 facilities.

A study's importance to practitioners is shown they can benefit from the study (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Practitioners in the education d the study vital as it supplies a workable solution to the short staffing issues in K-12 facilities, which requires collaboration and participation from other professionals. This study may encourage other practitioners to participate in apprenticeship or internship programs and offer high school seniors the opportunity to shadow their work in their organization. The internship/apprenticeship program may improve the hiring pool for future potential employees in school districts. The purpose of the study is to provide leaders in the field of study with a workable solution to reduce the short staffing problems they have been experiencing in K-12 facilities nationwide. Moreover, with this research, leaders will understand the conditions that encourage prospective employees to join the school district's workforce. Additionally, leaders use the data to recruit high school seniors who might not have participated in the study.

Topic Literature

A qualitative approach explores and understands the meaning individuals and groups ascribe to social or human problems (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Research involves developing questions and procedures, collecting data, building from particulars to general themes, and interpreting the data (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).

The importance of action research in education stems from the possibility that educators can solve problems through action research in their classrooms or alongside other teachers of the same grade level (Moon, 2020). Action research focuses on essential questions about the researcher's environment?(Moon, 2020).

Other researchers have used the qualitative research method to address short Staffing issues with teachers and other workers. For example, in Shaffer 2020, the researcher used the case study research design to investigate the school-integrated support strategies for teachers and administrators in an Arizona school with low teacher attrition rates to promote low attrition rates (Shaffer, 2020).

The importance of action research in education stems from the possibility that educators can solve problems through action research in their classrooms or alongside other teachers of the same grade level (Moon, 2020).

Qualitative research benefits include uncovering understudied topics and understanding the participant's perspectives without the restrictions of statistics and mathematical analysis. Instead, researchers can focus on the overall trend of the data to develop one concept (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).

The quantitative research method has many designs, including correlational research, experimental research, ex-post factor or casual comparative, factor analysis, q-methodology, and quasi-experimental research (Wojcik, 2022)

Kimball, 2018 used the quantitative descriptive correlational research design to conduct their study. The researcher used the descriptive correlational research design to evaluate the variables' strength and relationship (Kimball, 2018).

Collings & Dowse, 2021, qualitative research uses the conceptual framework. The conceptual framework allows the researcher to define the required variables for the study and how they connect.

Topic Theories

The theories that the researcher will use to develop the framework for the study are Dewey's Theory of Pragmatism (Arthur-Mensah, 2015), the idea of inquiry (Dewey, 2013), and Herzberg's (Two-Factor) Theory (Ibrahim, & Al-Taneiji,2019). These theories are relevant to the study because Dewey's theory of pragmatism - Epistemology," or the "theory of knowledge - applies to students participating in the internship or apprenticeship program to get firsthand experiences of "theory of inquiry" or "experimental logic for the work-based learning apprenticeship program (Arthur-Mensah, 2015). As well as a training program that emphasizes mastering a field through an active, social, and cooperative process (Arthur-Mensah, 2015). Herzberg's (Two-Factor) Theory. This theory applies to employee retention and attributes to the reasons for short-staffing in k-12 facilities. To determine the causes of teachers' and other employees' turnover, the sources of employee motivation, and factors associated with job satisfaction and dissatisfaction (Ibrahim & Al-Taneiji,2019). These theories will aid the researcher in interpreting the data collected in forming the concept and analyzing the variables of employee retention and the benefits of an apprenticeship or internship program.

Research Data Collection Strategy

The research process involves developing questions and procedures, collecting data, building from specifics to generalities, and interpreting the results. The researcher aims to build on existing frameworks and develop an evidence-based action research methodology for the causes and effects of the staff shortages in K12 facilities. After gaining permission from Paterson Public School District to Conduct the study, the researcher will first collaborate with assistant superintendents, heads of the department, and principals to achieve information on the type of internship or apprenticeship program that currently exists within the school district.

The first step will be to perform interviews with teachers and gain permission from the principals and parents for the students to participate in a survey. The survey aims to determine which career paths the senior high school students are interested in and which career they would actively participate in an apprenticeship or internship program within the school district and the board of education. From the data collected, the researcher would form a focus group to narrow down the study and determine the percentage of the students that would like to intern with the Paterson Public school district in various disciplines.

The district may use this study to assist them in improving the short-staffing issues over the long term and improve employee retention through continued education incentives for those students who which to continue their education in the field for which they participate in the internship programs for long-term hire. The study will also form a pool for immediate hire from those students recommended by heads of departments as being ready for direct employment when they graduate high school. Finally, the conceptual framework will assist the researcher in interpreting the data collected in forming the concept and analyzing the variables of employee retention and the benefits of an apprenticeship or internship program, and the cause-and-effect relationship in generating candidates for immediate and long-term hire within the school district as illustrated in figure 1 below (Collings & Dowse, 2021).

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework (Collings & Dowse, 2021).

Qualitative Action research- Research Interviews & surveys Focus Group Apprenticeship/internship Program Candidates for Hire/ Incentives for continued Education