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It is of critical importance that everyone with a vested interest in public education encourage those who are directly involved in education to avoid overlooking teacher morale and job satisfaction levels. Participants in this study believed that the task of monitoring these levels rests with the entire school community, not just the teachers themselves. Teachers with higher morale and job satisfaction levels report that they are more likely to remain in their current positions than do teachers who report having lower levels. School climate committees that report staff morale and job satisfaction findings directly to school administrators can play a huge role in the retention of highly qualified educators, which has become extremely crucial since the introduction of NCLB legislation. Findings suggest that teachers who have a more solid grasp in terms of what is going on around them are more likely to have higher morale and job satisfaction levels.

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Mr. Haupt received his B.A. from VPI&SU and both his M.Ed. and Ed.S. degrees from MTSU. His educational interests include: improving teacher retention levels, the myriad uses of technology in the classroom, and cyberbullying prevention. He believes that each of these interests will be critical to the success of education as it moves forward.

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