To Stay or to Go: The Relationship Among Working Conditions, School Characteristics, and Teacher Retention

• In Event: 69.041 - Recruiting and Retaining Teachers From and for Underserved Schools

Abstract

This study examined relationships among teacher retention, school characteristics, and working conditions. We analyzed teacher retention, school demographics, and working conditions data for 1,500 teachers from 37 schools in Arizona. We found the overall sample retention rate was consistent with that of the state average, though differences in retention were found between schools with different student compositions/demographics. When incorporating working conditions, our findings suggested that teachers were less likely to leave schools when they were satisfied with their working conditions, as working conditions seemed to be moderating other school characteristics that have been shown to affect teacher retention, such as student composition and school quality.

Authors

• Tray Geiger, Arizona State University

• Margarita Pivovarova, Arizona State University - Tempe