Abstract
Alternative certification routes gained popularity as a solution to the increasing teacher shortage in the United States in the 1980s. However, concerns of teacher quality and retention in the profession arose due to the unique challenges alternative certified teachers face. This sequential-explanatory, mixed-methods study was potentially the first on school leaders’ knowledge of the unique challenges alternative certified teachers face in the first three years of classroom teaching and how that knowledge was used to provide professional development support. Assistant principals and principals, as well as novice alternative certified teachers in one large, mixed urban and suburban and in two rural southern Florida school districts were surveyed during the quantitative research phase and interviewed during the qualitative research phase, which was based on a phenomenological approach. Data were also collected through field notes from interviews and relevant professional development documents from participating district and school leaders. Through an analysis of the data collected, a gap in leader knowledge of the immediate challenges of alternative certified teachers and factors for retention was noted, and their expectations were too advanced for these novice teachers. Alternative certified teachers acknowledged that leaders had some knowledge of their challenges, yet leader support could have been more impactful towards their classroom practice and assisting them in overcoming challenges. Although individualized opportunities were employed on an informal basis, there were a lack of long-term, systematically implemented differentiated professional development programs. With a greater understanding of alternative certification teacher challenges, school leaders could implement targeted professional development opportunities that meet the unique needs of these teachers, for the ultimate goal of assisting them in overcoming barriers resulting in growth, retention in the profession, and student achievement.