Problem statement
When offered the chance, several teachers often opt to leave learning institutions that serve below average, dismally-performing, and non-white students (Boyd et al., 2011). Even though a wide body of research has already addressed this aspect, minimal research input is directed towards comprehending specific characteristics of working conditions that compel a higher turnover rate in some learning institutions.
It can be remarkably detrimental and costly for schools that experience excessive teacher turnover. For instance, such schools are highly likely to encounter the challenge of instructional cohesion. As a result, there are several policies that have been set up to control or manage the impacts of teacher attrition, especially in learning institutions that face high teacher turnover.
Examples of such policies include retention bonuses and mentoring programs for teachers. Nonetheless, these approaches have not been effective as anticipated owing to know the age gap between the existing retention initiatives and pragmatic reasons why teachers depart learning institutions.
According to Grissom (2011), recent statistics obtained from the US education system reveal that on an annual basis, an estimated 500, 000 teachers depart their schools for reasons that are not known. It is alarming to note that retirement accounts for approximately 16 % of attrition cases among teachers. The other 84 % comprises of teachers who either abandon the profession completely or seek transfers to other learning institutions.
There is a need to develop a study that can articulately address the association between school contextual factors and teacher turnover. Such a study should corroborate or build on the past knowledge on this subject by providing better and more viable alternatives to curbing the current high rate of teacher turnover. Pertinent factors that have not been addressed by past studies include facilities, safety, student behavior, staff relations, and efficacy of school administrators.
References
Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Ing, M., Lankford, H., Loeb, S. & Wyckoff, J. 2011, “The Influence of School Administrators on Teacher Retention Decisions”, American Educational Research Journal, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 303-333.
Grissom, J A, 2011, “Can good principals keep teachers in disadvantaged schools? Linking principal effectiveness to teacher satisfaction and turnover in hard-to-staff environments”, Teachers College Record, vol. 113, no. 11, pp. 2552-2585.