A study conducted by the National Center on Education Statistics finds that new teachers who have mentor support, participate in an induction program, and have a higher starting base pay are more likely to remain in the field.
NCES undertook the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study (BTLS), which is a nationally representative longitudinal study of public school teachers who began teaching in 2007 or 2008, in order to learn about the early career patterns of beginning teachers. See Core Education’s coverage of the BTLS here. The BTLS provided researchers with the opportunity to examine the career paths of beginning teachers as well as factors that may influence those paths. In addition to the factors listed above, school factors such as FARMS data and issues of school culture are explored in this study as well.
Reporting on the study, Ashley Ison and Melissa Tooley of New America’s EdCentral point out the fact that, while this study takes into account many factors, it does not take into account school location, stability of administration , overall school performance, and type of school (e.g., public, public charter). They also point out the high rate of teachers who stay:
Nearly eighty percent of respondents taught for all five years. Of the 23 percent that did not, one quarter had returned to the classroom within the five year span or intended to return in the future. Demographic factors such as sex, age, and race/ethnicity were generally found to play a negligible role in determining retention and attrition rates. Teachers who participated in alternative certification programs, such as Teach for America, remained in schools at a similar rate as those who did not. And, as found in prior research, the proportion of low-income students in a teacher’s school was not highly correlated with teacher retention or attrition.
To read the report, see Career Paths of Beginning Public School Teachers.
For more a detailed analysis, see Early Career Teachers.
