The Consequences of Principal and Teacher Turnover for School Social Resources

• In Event: 207 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 16. Teacher Hiring and Retention

Abstract

Staff turnover may have important consequences for the development of social resources such as trust, shared norms, and support. We empirically test the association between turnover and school social resources for principals and teachers in a random sample of 73 Los Angeles elementary schools. Based on teacher survey reports in 2006 and 2008, we find that turnover disrupts but does not systematically decrease levels of social resources. Turnover has negative effects for high social resource schools and positive effects for low social resource schools, suggesting that relational instability “resets” the resources that develop in the relationships among staff members. This implies that staff stability is a fundamental condition for the long-term development of school social resources.

Authors

• Paul Magnus Hanselman, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Jeffrey Grigg, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Sarah K. Bruch, University of Iowa