This exploratory research examined the six most common reasons for teacher attrition in alternative education settings, specifically, community day schools, as well as the nature of teaching-related stress and satisfaction. To this end, a quantitative questionnaire, Alternative Programs Healthy Teaching Survey, was developed by the researcher for use by community day school teachers.

Participants consisted of 26 community day school teachers who completed the questionnaire. The results indicated that participants believed that most teachers leave community day school settings due to problems with student discipline, behavior, and motivation. Over two-thirds of all participants reported that they found their positions as community day school teachers to be stressful. Participants' mean ratings of satisfaction revealed that they were most satisfied with the level of autonomy that they have in their classrooms and were the least satisfied with parental support and student motivation, discipline, and behavior. In regard to teaching-related stress, participants reported high levels of both motivational and environmental stress but relatively low levels of instructional and leadership stress.

Notably, the results also indicated that close to half of the participants had seriously thought of leaving their current teaching position. Of these, over half were at least 51 years of age, and twice the number of female teachers reported that they had seriously thought of leaving their position.

Based on both the literature and the results of this study, it was determined that teachers perceive that attrition is most related to the challenges associated with student discipline, behavior, and motivation. The results of this study provide a baseline for future research into the dynamics, particularly the stresses and satisfactions, associated with teacher attrition in this alternative education setting.