Project FIRST
Project FIRST: Factors Impacting Retention and Sustainability for Teachers
A project by Western Oregon University, funded by the Oregon Department of Education
Key Personnel from Western Oregon University:

Kristen L. Pratt
Co-Principal Investigator and Co-Director; Associate Professor of ESOL & Bilingual Education

Maria Dantas-Whitney
Co-Principal Investigator and Co-Director; Professor of ESOL & Bilingual Education

Katrina Hovey
Associate Professor of Special Education

Monique Aguilar-Weaver
ESOL Practicum Supervisor
Collaborators from Education Northwest:

Becca Merrill
Senior Researcher

Jason Greenberg Motamedi
Managing Researcher
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Seeing and Valuing Teachers of Color in Oregon: How to Develop Effective Teacher Education Programs, Interrupt Attrition and Support Retention and Persistence for Educators of Color
Click here to read the Executive Summary →
WEBINAR
A series of videos showcasing the voices of pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as findings from a systematic literature review, on the preparation, recruitment, and retention/sustainability of ethnoracially and linguistically diverse teachers.
Scroll down to read more
TOOLKIT
A collection of resources designed to support the recruitment, preparation, persistence, and retention of ethnoracially and linguistically diverse educators.
Click here to access the Toolkit →
Module A: Introduction
Module B: Pre-Service Considerations: Policies and Practices in Teacher Education Programs
Chapter 2: Program Recruitment
Slides: Chapter 2: Program Recruitment
Toolkit:
- Diversifying the Teaching Field – Technical Assistance Toolkit
- Grow Your Own Educator Programs – Technical Assistance Toolkit
- Strategies for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Grow-Your-Own Teacher Programs for Educators
Chapter 3: Teacher Preparation
Slides: Chapter 3: Teacher Preparation
Toolkit:
- Enabling Learning Navegando hacia el éxito escolar: Guía para estudiantes de inglés en Estados Unidos
- National Clearing House for English Language Acquisition Toolkits
- The Multilingual Learning Toolkit
- Oregon Multilingual Learner Strategic Plan
- Social Justice Standards
- Support Black Students Introducing the Parents of Black Children Combating Anti-Black Racism Educators’ Toolkit
Chapter 4: Retention Within the Program
Slides: Chapter 4: Retention Within the Program
Toolkit:
Module C: In-Service Considerations: Policies and Practices in the Field
Chapter 5: Overview and Statistics
Slides: Chapter 5: Overview and Statistics
Toolkit:
- Diversifying the Field: Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color – Webinar
- Diversifying The Teacher Workforce: Research and Strategies
Chapter 6: Attrition
Slides: Chapter 6: Attrition
Toolkit:
- The Critical Role of Teacher Wellbeing in Retaining Teachers of Color
- Elevating the Education Profession: Solving Educator Shortages by Making Public Education an Attractive and Competitive Career Path
- Equitable Decision Making for the Retention of Diverse Educators Toolkit
- Equity-Minded Faculty Workloads What We Can and Should Do Now
Chapter 7: Supporting Retention & Persistence
Slides: Chapter 7: Supporting Retention & Persistence
Toolkit:
- Building Communities of Support for New Teachers of Color
- The Critical Role of Teacher Wellbeing in Retaining Teachers of Color
- Diversifying the Field: Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color – Webinar
- Equitable Decisionmaking for the Retention of Diverse Educators Toolkit
- Respecting Educator Activists of Color: The Anti-racist Guide to Teacher Retention
Module D: Conclusions and Implications
Chapter 8: Priorities for Oregon’s Teacher Workforce Sustainability
Slides: Chapter 8: Priorities for Oregon’s Teacher Workforce Sustainability
Toolkit:
- Creating an Action Plan and Sustaining Efforts to Increase Educator Diversity: A Toolkit for Districts & School Leaders
- Data Lab
- State of the States 2023 Policies to IncreaseTeacher Diversity
- Strategies for Supporting Educator Preparation Programs’ Efforts to Attract, Admit, Support, and Graduate Teacher Candidates From Underrepresented Groups