Turnover is a serious concern for the K-12 community, especially when teachers quit after just a few years in the classroom. See what the newest data say about the impacts of new teacher attrition and learn what schools can do to reduce turnover and support their greenest educators.

1. Sources:
1
Gray, L., and Taie, S. (2015). Public School Teacher Attrition and Mobility in the First Five Years: Results From the First Through Fifth Waves of the 2007–08 Beginning
Teacher Longitudinal Study (NCES 2015-337). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
2
Ingersoll, R. (2003). Is There Really a Teacher Shortage?
3
Baldacci, Leslie. (2006) Why New Teachers Leave… American Federation of Teachers. American Educator.
4
Ingersoll, R., and Merrill, L. (2017). A Quarter Century of Changes in the Elementary and Secondary Teaching Force: From 1987 to 2012. Statistical Analysis Report
(NCES 2017-092). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
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Snyder, T.D., de Brey, C., and Dillow, S.A. (2016). Digest of Education Statistics 2015 (NCES 2016-014). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Educa-
tion Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.
6
Ingersoll, Richard M. “Beginning Teacher Induction: What the Data Tell Us.” Education Week, 16 May 2012.
7
National Center for Education Statistics. 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.
8
Carver-Thomas, D. Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what we can do about it. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.
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Chetty, Raj, John N. Friedman, and Jonah E. Rockoff. 2014. “Measuring the Impacts of Teachers II: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood.”
American Economic Review, 104(9): 2633-79.
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Kini, Tara and Podolsky, Anne. (2016). Does Teaching Experience Increase Teacher Effectiveness? A Review of the Research. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.
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Ladd, Helen F., Sorensen, Lucy C. (2015) Returns to Teacher Experience: Student Achievement and Motivation in Middle School.
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Smith, T. M., Ingersoll, R. (2004). What Are the Effects of Induction and Mentoring on Beginning Teacher Turnover?
A new study offers some good news for administrators as
they prepare to hire the next class of first-year teachers.
The Newest Data
The Good News
Fewer than two in ten new teachers
will leave the profession in their first
five years.1
Previous research estimated 40-50% of
beginning teachers quit within that time,
but that data was also acknowledged as
a “rough approximation.”2
of teachers quit
after just one year
in the classroom.1
10%
While it’s refreshing
that most new teachers
are sticking with their
profession for longer
than a year, a revolving
door of new hires
and less experienced
teachers can still have
a negative impact on
schools AND students.
Why New Teachers Leave
Teacher Education and Attrition
Nearly 1 in 6
enter through an alternative
certification program.7
The Cost To …
Students
Schools
Districts
$50,000 lessin projected lifetime earnings
for students who spend just one year taught by a less
effective teacher.9
Disruptionto school stability, collegial
relationships, and accumulation of institutional knowledge.
Increased financialcosts related to
separation, recruitment, hiring, and training.
Why It Matters
Teachers continue to improve over the course of their careers10
and
greater experience is linked to:
Higher test
scores
Reduced student
absenteeism
Improved student
behavior11
What Schools Can Do
Be proactive
Well-implemented induction programs
and mentorship for first-year teachers
increase job satisfaction, efficacy, and
retention.1, 12
Identify areas for
development
A significant number of public school
teachers report being underprepared
or only somewhat prepared for many
practical elements of teaching their
first year.
Classroom management
or discipline situations
Differentiating
instruction in
the classroom
Use of
assessments
to inform
instruction
Use of computers
in the classroom
Student
assessment7
42%
33%
45%
33%
47%
The majority of turnover is
voluntary
1
At Jossey-Bass, we strive to offer the best thinking, research, and practical
guidance on key issues in education to drive improvement in schools and
better outcomes for all students.
Explore our professional learning resources for K-12 educators.
GET STARTED
The Truth About
New Teacher
Attrition
and new teachers cite a
variety of reasons for
leaving, including:
Classroom resources
Professional growth
opportunities
Collaboration time
School leadership
Student behavior3
1988 2018, projected
2.6
million
3.6
million
Years of experience for
the most common teacher6
15
Public and Private K-12 Teachers5
1
The Teaching Force:
Bigger Greener
The number of teaching
professionals has
increased more than
two times the rate
of student enrollment
since the 1980s.4
HELLO
I’m New
The Bad News EXIT
Key Takeaway
PROBLEMS WITH
1988 2008
Those educators are 25% more
likely to leave the profession
compared to teachers who enter
through traditional programs.8
Research shows that when schools
provide meaningful coaching,
collaboration, and development
opportunities, new teachers are
significantly more likely to stay in
the classroom.
See the five common characteristics of
successful teacher development programs.
25%