Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0009-0001-3296-618X

Advisor

Moore, Jenifer

Committee Member

Smith, Kaleb

Committee Member

Bost, Zach

Committee Member

Burson, Debra

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Doctoral Capstone - Open Access

Major

Education (Educational Policy & Organizational Design)

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Division of Education

Abstract

Teacher attrition among early- and mid-career educators threatens the stability of Kentucky's public school workforce, yet the Commonwealth has largely relied on isolated, single-lever retention strategies. This desk-based capstone evaluated the viability of a coordinated, multiple variable policy framework for improving teacher retention in Kentucky. The study identified, appraised, and synthesized evidence, including peer-reviewed studies, state and national policy reports, legislative documents, and Kentucky-specific working-conditions data. Three research questions guided the study, addressing the evidence for coordinated multiple-variable retention approaches, the evidence for each individual policy lever, and the challenges and opportunities within Kentucky's current retention landscape. Content and thematic analysis organized findings around seven policy levers: teacher sabbaticals, administrator classroom rotations, mentoring and induction, workload redesign, differentiated career roles, compensation, and professional autonomy, and interpreted them through socio-technical systems (STS) theory. Findings indicated that no single lever produced durable retention gains in isolation and that coordinated, multi-lever implementation achieving joint optimization of technical and social subsystems was both theoretically justified and, to varying degrees, supported by the available evidence. The analysis further established that Kentucky lacks statewide structures for some of the levers. The project yielded a scholarly manuscript and a formal policy proposal, translating these findings into actionable, context-sensitive recommendations for state and district decision-makers.

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