case study on teacher attrition

Reviewing the evidence on teacher attrition and retention

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, tuan d. nguyen and tuan d. nguyen associate professor, school of education - kansas state university @edu_tuan matthew g. springer matthew g. springer the robena and walter e. hussman jr. distinguished professor of education reform - university of north carolina-chapel hill @eduspringer.

December 4, 2019

Decades of research have shown that teachers are the single most important school-based factor in student achievement . The research base on teacher attrition continues to grow as teacher turnover remains a salient issue for many schools, particularly in economically disadvantaged districts. A high level of turnover is negatively associated with student achievement and there are monetary (and human capital) costs of replacing teachers. Moreover, teacher mobility patterns play an important role in the equitable education of all students, and there is strong evidence of inequities in access to highly effective instruction across schools and districts.

Taking advantage of the robust literature on factors of teacher attrition and retention, working with Lam Pham and Michael Crouch at Vanderbilt, we conducted an exhaustive search reviewing more than 25,000 scholarly records and synthesizing effects across 120 of these studies to better understand what drives teacher mobility. This post describes the findings from our analysis and offers some discussion on their policy implications.

What we know about teacher attrition and retention

For our meta-analysis , we adopt a school-centered perspective. In other words, we focus on whether teachers leave a particular school, regardless of whether they move to another school or leave the profession entirely (though our results are substantively similar when looking at attrition from the profession).

We examine factors in three primary categories that influence teacher attrition. “Personal correlates” refer to teacher characteristics—such as age, race/ethnicity, and gender—and qualifications that may shape teachers’ decisions to leave a school. “School correlates” contain factors that describe the schools and conditions in which the teachers work, including school organizational characteristics and school resources. “External correlates” are factors that come from national or state policies, such as accountability and school improvement efforts. Since our study includes several dozen factors across the three categories, we discuss a few of the more relevant findings in this brief.

Focusing first on personal correlates, in contrast to prior narrative reviews and meta-analyses , we find female teachers are no more likely to leave than male teachers, and that teachers with graduate degrees are no more likely to leave than teachers without graduate degrees. We find teaching specialty areas, such as STEM or special education, significantly increases the odds of attrition. We do not find all minority teachers are less likely to leave; only Hispanic teachers have reduced odds of attrition relative to white teachers. We also find strong evidence that teacher satisfaction plays an important role in teacher decisions to stay in teaching. Moreover, traditionally certified teachers are less likely to leave teaching than those teachers entering through alternative routes.

In terms of school correlates, we consistently find various measures of school organizational characteristics—such as student disciplinary problems, administrative support, and professional development—strongly influence teacher turnover. In terms of school resources, we find providing basic teaching materials, such as textbooks and binders, reduces odds of attrition. We find most characteristics of the student body do not seem to influence attrition (or that the influences are small).

Finally, we find that many external correlates are associated with teacher attrition and retention. Interestingly, being evaluated, even for accountability purposes, does not seem to increase teacher attrition. In fact, the odds of attrition for teachers who are assessed are somewhat smaller than those who are not.

Compelling evidence of improving school organizational characters to reduce turnover

Our meta-analytic findings have important implications for policy, practice, and future research. We find some suggestive, if limited, evidence that retention bonuses and limiting late hiring could reduce teacher turnover. Not surprising to those in the trenches, additional supports and incentives appear necessary to keep specific types of teachers in their school—namely, STEM teachers, special education teachers, and novice teachers.

We see some evidence that improving school organizational characteristics, such as reducing student disciplinary problems and improving administrative support and teacher collaborations, can reduce the risk of turnover. We are not suggesting it would be simple to change these organizational features, but the evidence warrants further exploration. While there are efforts being made in this area , we need more research and experimentation to bear on these issues.

Could evaluation and accountability improve the teacher workforce?

Despite concerns of potential negative consequences of teacher evaluation and accountability, we do not find that performance evaluations increase teacher exit. To the contrary, we find when teachers are evaluated and the results of their evaluations or measures of effectiveness are made available, teachers are no more likely to leave. In fact, the evidence suggests that teachers may be enticed to stay as they are provided with some urgency, sense of empowerment, and evidence of areas for professional improvement. This holds true even when teacher evaluations are being used for accountability and pay raises.

Related, teachers in merit-based pay programs are less likely to leave teaching than those who are not. This is noteworthy when paired with the fact that we find evaluation and accountability policies tend to be associated with keeping the most effective teachers as measured by value-added scores and removing the least effective teachers. Although differentiated compensation can be a contentious practice, it does provide suggestive evidence of the important role that strategic compensation reforms can play in improving the composition of the teacher workforce. We have a separate paper that examines merit pay in depth.

Ultimately, while there may be negative consequences and warranted concerns about teacher evaluation and accountability policies, they are positively perceived by some teachers and have more beneficial effects than previously recognized. Evaluation and accountability practices may improve the teacher workforce and reduce turnover.

Areas in need of further development and research

It is important to put findings from our meta-analysis in context of future research on teacher turnover. Two areas requiring further development and exploration are relational demography (e.g., the race-matching between teachers and principals, or between teachers and students) and school improvement. There are only a few studies on the relationship between relational demography and attrition. The same holds true for how school reforms and research-practice partnerships influence teacher attrition and retention. The nascent evidence, however, suggests relational demography, particularly parity between principal-teacher, may reduce turnover.

While there is an ever larger proportion of studies using quasi-experimental techniques to estimate causal effects of programs and policies on teacher attrition and retention, we need to further explore policy levers that can positively impact the teacher labor force and improve the educational opportunities for students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. In an effort to propel this dialogue, our meta-analysis offers nuance to many commonly held beliefs on teacher turnover while providing new suggestive evidence of what we can do to positively impact the profession. It is now time for policy, practice, and future research to push our understanding and impact further.

Related Content

Steven Glazerman, Dan Goldhaber, Susanna Loeb, Stephen Raudenbush, Douglas Staiger, Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst

November 17, 2010

Robert Vagi, Margarita Pivovarova, Wendy Miedel Barnard

March 30, 2018

Erica Harbatkin, Tuan D. Nguyen

October 19, 2023

K-12 Education

Governance Studies

Brown Center on Education Policy

Sopiko Beriashvili, Michael Trucano

April 26, 2024

Richard V. Reeves, Ember Smith

Michael Trucano, Sopiko Beriashvili

April 25, 2024

• Request Info
• Current Students
• Collaborators
• Faculty & Staff

Working paper: Reviewing the evidence on teacher attrition and retention

In a blog post for the Brown Center Chalkboard, Springer and a colleague summarize recently published results of a meta-analysis examining factors that affect teacher attrition.

A new meta-analysis by Matthew Springer and colleagues illuminates some of the factors that most affect teachers’ decisions to leave their schools.

Springer, the Robena and Walter E. Hussman, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Education Reform, co-authored with Tuan Nguyen of Kansas State University a post for the Brown Center Chalkboard , a platform for educational research working papers hosted by the Brookings Institution. In the post, Springer and Nguyen tease out the main findings of their meta-analysis of 120 studies regarding what drives teachers to leave a particular school. Lam Pham and Michael Crouch, both students at Vanderbilt University, were other co-authors of the study.

“Decades of research have shown that teachers are the single most important school-based factor in student achievement,” Springer and Nguyen wrote in the Chalkboard post. “The research base on teacher attrition continues to grow as teacher turnover remains a salient issue for many schools, particularly in economically disadvantaged districts. A high level of turnover is negatively associated with student achievement and there are monetary (and human capital) costs of replacing teachers.

The meta-analysis examined three primary categories of factors that affect teacher attrition and retention:

Personal correlates , such as age, race/ethnicity and gender. Among other things, the analysis found strong evidence that teacher satisfaction plays an important role in teacher decisions to stay in the profession.

School correlates , which describe school organizational characteristics and resources. The analysis found that various measures of school organizational characteristics, such as student disciplinary problems, administrative support, and professional development, strongly influence teacher turnover.

External correlates , such as accountability and school improvement efforts. The analysis found many external correlates are associated with teacher attrition and retention. Springer and Nguyen added: “Interestingly, being evaluated, even for accountability purposes, does not seem to increase teacher attrition. In fact, the odds of attrition for teachers who are assessed are somewhat smaller than those who are not.”

Topline findings

Among the findings to emerge from the analysis:

Areas for further study

The authors said there is a need for more study of the effects of “relational demography,” such as race-matching between teachers and principals, or between teachers and students, as there are only a few studies between relational demography and teacher attrition. Constance Lindsay, who joined Carolina’s School of Education this year, has conducted this kind of research. She co-authored a widely cited study that found when black students had even one black teacher, they were less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to aspire to college.

Other work is needed, Springer and Nguyen said.

“While there is an ever larger proportion of studies using quasi-experimental techniques to estimate causal effects of programs and policies on teacher attrition and retention, we need to further explore policy levers that can positively impact the teacher labor force and improve the educational opportunities for students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds,” they wrote.

“In an effort to propel this dialogue, our meta-analysis offers nuance to many commonly held beliefs on teacher turnover while providing new suggestive evidence of what we can do to positively impact the profession. It is now time for policy, practice, and future research to push our understanding and impact further.”

December 11, 2019

By Michael Hobbs

For the Media

• Email Morgan Ellis
• (919) 843-0307

Related Topics

• Educational Policy
• Educational Research
• Leadership & Organizational Change

Related People

• Constance A. Lindsay

Related Programs

• Policy, Leadership, and School Improvement (PLS)

•   Institutional Repository Home
• Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Theories and Determinants of Teacher Attrition and Retention

Files in this item.

This item appears in the following collection(s):

Your vanderbilt.

• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• International Students
• Parents & Family
• Prospective Students
• Researchers
• Sports Fans
• Visitors & Neighbors

Support the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries

Gifts to the Libraries support the learning and research needs of the entire Vanderbilt community. Learn more about giving to the Libraries.

Quick Links

• Staff Directory
• Accessibility Services
• Vanderbilt Home
• Privacy Policy

NPP > JOURNALS > OJRRP > Vol. 15 (2020) > Iss. 1

Teacher Attrition and Retention in Kansas: A Case Study of Geographically Rural States with Persistent Teacher Shortages

Tuan Nguyen , Kansas State University Follow

teacher attrition, teacher retention, teacher shortages, Kansas, rural education

Teacher attrition is a key contributor to teacher shortages in many states, particularly those with large geographically rural areas. Using seven waves of the School and Staffing Survey and Kansas as a case study, this study examines the teacher labor force from 1988 to 2012. Moreover, the study describes the teacher mobility patterns for Kansas from 2000 to 2012 and compares them against the national average, the Midwest states, and the Great Plains states. Furthermore, it examines whether younger teachers, teachers with graduate degrees, and STEM and special education teachers in Kansas are more or less likely to turn over. Lastly, the study examines how certain teacher and school characteristics are associated with teacher attrition for Kansas as a whole and for rural schools in particular. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Creative Commons License

Recommended Citation

Nguyen, Tuan (2020) "Teacher Attrition and Retention in Kansas: A Case Study of Geographically Rural States with Persistent Teacher Shortages," Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy : Vol. 15: Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.4148/1936-0487.1100

Since March 30, 2020

Included in

Education Commons

• Editorial Board
• Information for Authors
• All Articles
• Submit Article
• Most Popular Papers
• Receive Email Notices or RSS

Advanced Search

ISSN: 1936-0487

NPP Home | About NPP | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright