Revolving Doors: The Relationship Between High-Teacher-Attrition Schools and Student Performance and Attitudes

• In Event: Organizational Climate: Insight on Career Attrition, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout

Abstract

High teacher turnover continues to plague public schools in the United States. This study uses two recently available nationally representative student datasets to examine the degree that attending a school with high teacher attrition affects various outcomes including academic performance and attitudes towards learning. Using multivariate analysis, we find that attending a school with high teacher attrition is associated with lower math achievement and math identity (whether and student and their friends saw them as a math person). Although other studies have examined similar relationships, very few studies use nationally representative student-level data. As a result, our findings are generalizable to public schools and school leaders throughout the United States.

Authors

• Stephen Kotok, St. John's University

• David S. Knight, University of Texas at El Paso

• Nia E. Hulse, St. John's University