Teacher Retention and Attrition in Public Schools: Evidence From SASS91

Abstract

Teacher retention and attrition were examined by conducting discriminant function analyses on data gathered from the 1990–91 Schools and Staffing Survey and the 1991–92 Teacher Follow-up Survey. The sample size of this study was 3,612 (weighted N = 2,404,592). Among the three groups of teachers who stayed in the same school (stayers), moved to another school voluntarily (movers), or left teaching of their own accord (leavers) between the 1990–91 and 1991–92 school years, stayers can be statistically distinguished from movers and leavers on personal characteristics, school characteristics, and their perceptions of school- and profession-related issues. Policy suggestions based on the findings include building into teaching a career ladder, empowering teachers, providing incentives to teachers working in schools with more disadvantaged students, and taking a multiple-perceptive approach to the issue of teacher retention and attrition.