From the war room to the classroom: A human capital approach for recruiting military Veterans as second-career teachers

Abstract:Background: In the aftermath of COVID-19, teacher shortages are on the rise. More teachers are needed than the education community can provide. With the increase in teacher shortages (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017) and a decline in traditional teacher preparation program enrollments, alternative certification routes are becoming a necessity for school districts. As a result, state and school officials are seeking innovative ways to attract others to the teaching profession. One identifiable group of potential teacher candidates is military veterans. Purpose: This study examined the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that aided in the transition of military veteran, second-career teachers, making veterans a prospective pool of alternative candidates to fill teacher vacancies. Research questions: This study addressed the following research questions: (1) How do military veterans perceive their transition to becoming teachers? (2) How do administrators perceive military veterans as teachers in the classroom? (3) How would participants (administrators and military veterans) connect the education and military communities for the purpose of attracting military veterans to the teaching profession? Method: This qualitative study used a combination of case study and the methodological approach of interview research to collect data. One-on-one interviews were conducted with four school administrators and four military veteran, second-career teachers, in semi-structured, open-ended interviews. For data analysis, a combination of software was used to record, code, and analyze data to gain insight and to identify common themes within participant responses. Results: The overall objective of this study was to identify the KSAs that aided military veterans in their transition to becomesecond-career teachers. Although military veterans do not bring homogeneous experiences to the field of education, once they become teachers, their skills offer contributions to the field that transcend the particularities of their time in the military. Regardless of the branch of service, the military veterans and administrators agree that the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) obtained while enlisted aided the military veterans’ transition to teaching. The administrators’ observations of the military veterans support prior research suggesting that individuals transitioning to second-career teachers typically possess characteristics that separate them from others (Feistritzer, 2005; McNay, 2001; Resta et al., 2001). Seven themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) becoming a student again, 2) having the desire to teach, 3) transferability of military skills and experience to teaching, 4) building connections, 5) military veterans’ expectations, 6) military veterans’ rigid mindset, and 7) bridging the gap between the school districts and the military community. Conclusion: Due to the annual costs associated with human capital investments, organizations should strategically plan new ways to engage current talent and seek ways to attract new talent (Wuttaphan, 2017). As attrition rates continue to rise, the need to broaden the pipeline and attract other professionals to teaching is evident. The U.S. Armed Forces is composed of millions of men and women who will eventually leave the military and reintegrate in search of civilian employment. The implications of the study are that veterans possess KSAs that are directly transferable from the military to the classroom. As military veterans transition to the civilian workforce, state and school officials should consider this group a potential pool of alternative candidates to fill teacher vacancies.