Who's Left? Patterns of Turnover in New York City Teaching Fellows Mathematics Teachers and the Impact of School Climate

• In Event: 63.052 - Toward an Inclusive Teacher Workforce: Training, Hiring, and Retaining for Diversity

Abstract

High teacher turnover plagues many urban school districts in America, driven by poor working conditions and less positive school climate. This study examines patterns of turnover among two cohorts of secondary mathematics teachers in the New York City Teaching Fellows program. Using life table and event history analyses, I found that most teachers left their first school by the ninth year, with high risks of turnover through the whole period, and perceptions of a more negative school climate significantly reduced teachers’ stay at their first school. This study confirms the importance of school climate in teachers’ turnover decisions and contests the common perception that teacher turnover is only a problem in the first few years of a teacher’s career.

Author

• Ashley Anne Grant, Johns Hopkins University