Tuesday
September 23, 2008
by desertjim
A recent piece in the Chicago Tribune profiled a young teacher returning to her second year of teaching. The article addresses the trials and tribulations of a first year teacher and the improved techniques developed by the second year. It also mentions that 31% of new Illinois teachers leave the profession before getting to their fifth year in the classroom. That sounds like a terrible attrition rate, until you discover that nationwide one-third of new teachers leave within three years and 46 percent are gone within five years.
The cost of such attrition is very high. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) estimates that there is an average turnover cost of over $56,000 for each teacher who leaves and is replaced by a new hire. ACORN’s figures come from a study done in Texas but their assumption is that Chicago Public Schools would absorb similar losses for each new teacher that decides to call it quits. Nationwide, a recent report finds that teacher turnover costs US school systems over $7 billion a year. Clearly something needs to be done to help new teachers stay in the classroom beyond their first few years. If the monetary loss is not enough, there is the simple fact that experience counts, and our students suffer if there are fewer experienced teachers in the classrooms.
Studies have been done to determine what causes the high turnover rate. A National Center for Education Statistics survey found that 64% left for jobs where they had more professional autonomy. The survey also found widespread problems with workloads and general working conditions. Anecdotal evidence cites administrative inflexibility and high levels of bureaucracy as reasons for leaving teaching. A survey in Arizona found that time, teacher empowerment, school leadership, professional development and facilities and resources all entered into the decision to stay in teaching or leave the profession.
What can be done to curb teacher turnover? Have you been involved in effective programs that keep teachers in their classrooms? What can other teachers do to help new teachers become long-term members of the school community?
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Support by school administrators for teachers is lacking. School administrators should view teachers as one of their customers and try to give them the tools and environment they need to teach.
Schools are doing a poor job of strategizing what would work for their students. Classrooms are still set up to let either the teacher figure everything out or the administration to tell them everything to do. A good company analyzes their customers (the student) and comes up with strategies to have the customer appreciate their product and want to keep coming back. A school that does not consider the fact that most urban students do not have good role models at home, have a various array of developmental problems and come to school “behind” the norm and then build a school around these will ultimately not make the progress government educators expect to see occur ......
