Should I Stay or Should I Go (Later)? Teacher Intentions and Turnover in Low-Performing Schools and Districts before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper No. 302-0724

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Should I Stay or Should I Go (Later)? Teacher Intentions and Turnover in Low-Performing Schools and Districts before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper No. 302-0724
Language: English
Authors: Erica Harbatkin, Tuan Nguyen, Katharine O. Strunk, Jason Burns, Alex Moran, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Source: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). 2024.
Availability: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 137
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Faculty Mobility, COVID-19, Pandemics, Low Achievement, School Districts, Teacher Attitudes, Performance, Poverty, Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools, Work Environment, Teacher Behavior
Geographic Terms: Michigan
Abstract: Teacher turnover is a perennial concern, especially in low-performing, high-poverty schools. While districts and schools may try to anticipate and mitigate turnover by surveying teachers about their future plans, existing research on whether teacher-reported intent is predictive of actual turnover behavior is mixed. Using unique survey data from teachers in 35 low-performing, high-poverty districts in Michigan linked at the teacher level to statewide administrative data, we are able to measure turnover behavior one, two, and three years following reported intent. We find that intent is a significant predictor of turnover and becomes increasingly predictive over time. We also find organizational commitment and school organizational conditions are important factors in teachers' intent and, to a lesser degree, actual turnover behavior.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: ED662867
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Teacher turnover is a perennial concern, especially in low-performing, high-poverty schools. While districts and schools may try to anticipate and mitigate turnover by surveying teachers about their future plans, existing research on whether teacher-reported intent is predictive of actual turnover behavior is mixed. Using unique survey data from teachers in 35 low-performing, high-poverty districts in Michigan linked at the teacher level to statewide administrative data, we are able to measure turnover behavior one, two, and three years following reported intent. We find that intent is a significant predictor of turnover and becomes increasingly predictive over time. We also find organizational commitment and school organizational conditions are important factors in teachers' intent and, to a lesser degree, actual turnover behavior.