Eliminating the Urban-Rural Divide: Factors That Are Impacting Staff Turnover in Early Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Early Educator Persistence and Turnover (Table 8)

Abstract

This study analyzes staff turnover in early childhood education programs and how it is related to the quality of administrative practices. Specifically, assessment data from the Program Administration Scale, 3rd Edition (PAS-3) was used to compare turnover rates in urban versus rural areas in one U.S. state. This assessment measures the quality of leadership functions and practices within center-based early childhood programs. Using regression analysis, it was found that the PAS-3 assessment overall score is a significant predictor for staff turnover in rural programs, but the same affect was not seen for urban programs. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression analysis determined that only one subscale was a significant predictor of staff turnover, across both rural and urban programs.

Author

• Nicholas Bollinger, University of Missouri - Kansas City