Retaining and Sustaining Mid-Career Teachers: The Middle Years Matter

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: What Do Teachers Need? Staying in the Profession

Abstract

Retaining and sustaining talented teachers who positively impact student learning is critical for America’s K-12 school system. Studies suggest mid-career teacher attrition is a growing phenomenon in the U.S. This qualitative study explores mid-career teachers’ experiences to better understand the rising attrition of this population and to fill a gap in the literature on teacher turnover –typically studied with a focus on beginning teachers and teachers who leave teaching rather than those who persist. Using a life history approach, eight mid-career teachers were interviewed. Four participants currently teach and four left teaching at mid-career. Findings suggest that resilience and commitment keep teachers in the profession while the relentless pace of the job and personal factors force them out.

Authors

• Dorothy Moulthrop, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Belinda Gimbert, The Ohio State University