Teacher Retention: Preventing Teacher Turnover
Summary
Teachers play an essential role in American society, educating young people—the country’s future—on a variety of topics, including mathematics, English literature, world history, and science. Despite its significance, the profession is experiencing a major workforce shortage as teacher retention becomes increasingly difficult.
A 2022 poll conducted by the National Education Association (NEA) found that 55 percent of educators plan to leave the education field sooner than they had expected to, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes this statistic troubling is the evidence that high teacher turnover negatively affects student achievement. Education leaders should develop retention strategies to turn these figures around.
Source: American University School of Education (2021). Teacher Retention: Preventing Teacher Turnover.