Teaching a new grade level in elementary school requires developing extensive grade- level-specific knowledge. In many school districts, the support for teachers who move grade levels within a district is glaringly absent. In this study, the frequency and impact of teacher grade switching in a school district were examined through a mixed-methods study that included surveys with teachers, interviews with teachers, and student data. The research question was: What is the impact of grade-level teacher movement on instruction? The findings of this study show how students are affected by teachers switching grade levels in elementary school. Results shed light on why some teachers may be more successful than others when they move to a new grade due to factors such as motivation. The results also show that professional learning has a positive impact on teacher success. To ensure teachers who switch grade levels can be as effective in their instruction from the start of the year as teacher who do not change grade levels, school district leaders should establish a plan to support grade-switched teachers.
","abstract_html":"<p>Teaching a new grade level in elementary school requires developing extensive grade- level-specific knowledge. In many school districts, the support for teachers who move grade levels within a district is glaringly absent. In this study, the frequency and impact of teacher grade switching in a school district were examined through a mixed-methods study that included surveys with teachers, interviews with teachers, and student data. The research question was: What is the impact of grade-level teacher movement on instruction? The findings of this study show how students are affected by teachers switching grade levels in elementary school. Results shed light on why some teachers may be more successful than others when they move to a new grade due to factors such as motivation. The results also show that professional learning has a positive impact on teacher success. To ensure teachers who switch grade levels can be as effective in their instruction from the start of the year as teacher who do not change grade levels, school district leaders should establish a plan to support grade-switched teachers.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Priester, Christine"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Geri Chesner","James Fitzpatrick","Karen Tardrew"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:20Z","subjects":["switching","grade-level","elementary","churn","teacher","assignment","Curriculum and Instruction","Elementary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/820","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Geri Chesner","James Fitzpatrick","Karen Tardrew"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Priester, Christine"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-05-21T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["switching","grade-level","elementary","churn","teacher","assignment","Curriculum and Instruction","Elementary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/820"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Teaching a new grade level in elementary school requires developing extensive grade- level-specific knowledge. In many school districts, the support for teachers who move grade levels within a district is glaringly absent. In this study, the frequency and impact of teacher grade switching in a school district were examined through a mixed-methods study that included surveys with teachers, interviews with teachers, and student data. The research question was: What is the impact of grade-level teacher movement on instruction? The findings of this study show how students are affected by teachers switching grade levels in elementary school. Results shed light on why some teachers may be more successful than others when they move to a new grade due to factors such as motivation. The results also show that professional learning has a positive impact on teacher success. To ensure teachers who switch grade levels can be as effective in their instruction from the start of the year as teacher who do not change grade levels, school district leaders should establish a plan to support grade-switched teachers.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["THE IMPACT OF GRADE-LEVEL SWITCHING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SETTING"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Geri Chesner","James Fitzpatrick","Karen Tardrew"],"dc:creator":["Priester, Christine"],"dc:date.available":["2024-05-21T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Teaching a new grade level in elementary school requires developing extensive grade- level-specific knowledge. In many school districts, the support for teachers who move grade levels within a district is glaringly absent. In this study, the frequency and impact of teacher grade switching in a school district were examined through a mixed-methods study that included surveys with teachers, interviews with teachers, and student data. The research question was: What is the impact of grade-level teacher movement on instruction? The findings of this study show how students are affected by teachers switching grade levels in elementary school. Results shed light on why some teachers may be more successful than others when they move to a new grade due to factors such as motivation. The results also show that professional learning has a positive impact on teacher success. To ensure teachers who switch grade levels can be as effective in their instruction from the start of the year as teacher who do not change grade levels, school district leaders should establish a plan to support grade-switched teachers.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/820"],"dc:subject":["switching","grade-level","elementary","churn","teacher","assignment","Curriculum and Instruction","Elementary Education"],"dc:title":["THE IMPACT OF GRADE-LEVEL SWITCHING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SETTING"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:20Z"}