Social Capital and Teacher Perceptions ofProfessional Control

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American public schools are projected to need approximately 350, 000 and 400, 000 new teachers every year (Gerald and Hussar, 2004). Perhaps the most effective means of meeting the demand for teachers is by keeping them in the field of education. Up to 50 percent leave within the first five years of teaching. This study looks at the contribution of social capital to teachers' perceptions of curricular and instructional control. Aspects of social capital are shown to strongly influence teacher perceptions of control in this study. Perceptions of control are central to feelings of self-efficacy, job satisfaction, longevity, and motivation. One avenue to improving job satisfaction and performance, as well as decreasing burn out, is to implement strategies that contribute to that sense of control. This study makes a connection between social capital and control, which has policy and administrative implications regarding how we can direct efforts to keep teachers in the field. This study will be of interest to those interested in social capital, researchers using large scale datasets (such as SASS), and policy makers.