Schools That Teachers Leave: The Effects of Power to Influence

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Recruitment and Retention by Districts and Schools

Abstract

This study explored trends in teacher turnover, particularly focusing on the authority and influence of various school actors in shaping the instructional climate and school operations. Using data on a nationally representative sample of teachers (N=3,501), the study investigated whether and how teachers’ career outcomes (i.e., satisfaction, job commitment, and turnover) were associated with the level of influence possessed by teachers, school leaders, and families over school governance and student instruction, and the extent to which these associations differed in low-performing, high-poverty, or high-minority schools. Findings highlight the importance of instructional autonomy for teachers in any school context, and more complex associations that exist between principals’ influence and teacher outcomes.

Author

• Sol Bee Jung, Johns Hopkins University