Graduation Term

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Lydia Kyei-Blankson

Committee Member

Ryan Smith

Committee Member

Elizabeth Lugg

Abstract

Teacher attrition among early-career educators remains a persistent challenge in middle school settings, particularly in schools serving historically marginalized student populations. At Nevermore Academy Middle School, newly hired teachers continue to leave the profession despite the implementation of traditional onboarding and mentoring programs, citing challenges with classroom management, limited societal respect for the profession, emotional exhaustion, and inadequate compensation. High rates of teacher turnover disrupt instructional continuity and disproportionately affect students from low-income households, many of whom are students of color. This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of new teachers at Nevermore Academy and explored how participation in transformational coaching influenced their emotional resilience and intentions to remain in their current positions. The coaching intervention was guided by Aguilar’s (2018) transformational coaching framework and grounded theoretically in Masten’s (2001) resilience theory and the teacher resilience model proposed by Gu and Day (2013). Six structured coaching sessions were implemented with participating teachers over the course of the study. Data were collected through pre- and post-intervention semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis procedures. Findings indicated that participants had a positive overall perception of the transformational coaching experience. Teachers reported increased emotional awareness, strengthened self-regulation strategies, greater perceptions of social support, and enhanced confidence in managing workplace stressors. Importantly, most participants expressed a more positive outlook regarding their ability and desire to remain at Nevermore Academy following the intervention. These findings suggest that transformational coaching represents a promising, relationship-centered approach to strengthening teacher emotional resilience and mitigating early-career attrition in middle school contexts. Implications are discussed for school leadership, district policy, and professional development practices aimed at fostering sustainable teaching environments and improving educational equity.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

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