“Having to Fight for Everything”: Why Illinois Educators Leave or Stay in the Profession

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding Why Teachers Stay or Leave: An Opportunity for Leaders to Improve Teachers' Working Conditions (Table 30)

Abstract

We surveyed 3,478 current and former Illinois public school educators to examine the
individual-, school-, and community-level factors contributing to decisions to stay in or leave their positions. For this study, we focus on qualitative comments from a subset of 1,898 respondents. Although we found differences between current and former educators’ employment decisions that were based on personal reasons and educators’ relationships with communities around their schools, most comments detailed educators’ views on and experiences with the working conditions and school climates cultivated by leadership. We amplify the personal stories—both positive and negative—around leadership that contributed to turnover and retention with the goal of informing leadership approaches and practices around these key issues.

Authors

• Shereen Oca Beilstein, University of Illinois System

• Judith Carine Kom Nguiffo, Prince George's County Public Schools

• Tom Withee, Goshen Education Consulting, Inc.

• Meg Bates, University of Illinois System