The Effect of Integrated Student Support on Teacher Turnover in Urban Schools

• In Event: Teacher Induction and Retention for and From Diverse Communities and Contexts

Abstract

High teacher turnover in economically disadvantaged school districts has been an established point of ongoing policy concern. Although several factors can be attributed to high turnover in these contexts, policymakers have placed an increased emphasis in recent years on improving school culture and climate. Systematic integrated student support targets a number of factors related to these constructs, but limited research has explored its impact on teacher turnover. In this study, we investigated the impact of a whole-school intervention centered around integrated student support on teacher attrition in a high-poverty school district. Our preliminary findings suggest attrition dropped by almost 20% in schools that adopted the intervention after the first year of implementation, and almost 30% following the second year.

Authors

• Noman Khanani, Boston College

• Yan Leigh, Boston College

• Mary Elizabeth Walsh, Boston College