Files
Abstract
This research documents how a metropolitan school district in Georgia has been affected by the economic downturn from 2007 - 2012. This study was to determine how teacher efficacy was affected as a result of a reduction in a school districts budget and is intended to provide school district leaders and school district policymakers with research to assist them in determining how to reduce the budget with the least impact on teachers. This study relied on analysis of school district financial data, descriptive statistics, and factor analysis to answer the research questions. Annual reports, budgetary data, and national, state, and local economic data were utilized to analyze the changes in the economy and how the school district was affected. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and a series of one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data collected from the teacher efficacy survey. High school teachers from the metropolitan school district were given an opportunity to complete the survey.The data gathered led to three primary findings: 1) the school district was reactive by implementing changes towards the end of the great recession; 2) teachers individual efficacy level is moderate and they feel they can positively impact students learning; 3) overall morale in the school district is low. These findings suggest the importance of planning for difficult economic times, addressing teacher attrition issues throughout the district, and improving teacher efficacy across the district.