Dylan Brock

Mrs. Rogers

Writing 2010

3/12/18

Ways of Retention of Teachers

Teaching has always played a major piece in the story of the history of the world. In

ancient times, fathers and mothers would teach their children techniques and ideas not to educate

in a scholarly-sense, but for simple survival. Today, teaching is still about physical survival but

through survival in the economical world and to inform people of knowledge that can help be a

more diverse and skilled person. However, the success and development of students all rely on

one main piece of this important structure of education, teachers. Many individuals, however

believe that there is a issue with teachers, better put as lack of experienced and developed ones,

are a major issue that society is dealing with. Many ideas have been proposed and discussed on

how to deal with this major issue, however these solutions don’t address the issue as whole but

address sub-topics (fixes that address only a certain area that is lacking in the retention of

teachers). There has been many studies and papers done to present finding on this issue, which

those will be shown and discussed throughout this paper. Some of the possible solutions from the

sources which will be used in this discussion are as follows: access to training to develop

expertise in a subject or a craft; having the teachers feel like they are making impact upon the

students; and finally, help teachers feel satisfaction and happiness in their careers. However, the

focus of all these solutions is to develop a pathway that teachers can find happiness in what they

are doing. While the all parties in this debate see problems with teacher retention, these parties
have proposed a variety of solutions and responses to this problem, leading for need for a place

where all these voices can toss their two cents in.

While this problem might seem minute to most people, the number of teachers that are

leaving the teaching field is almost at a pandemic level for the teaching industry, which is

highlighted by the NEA (National Education Association): “Over 40 percent of new teachers

leave the profession within the first five years. We must address these high levels of attrition or

face a projected need to fill 2.2 million vacancies by 2010” (NEA). Notice that the projection

was for 2010, and retention of teachers is still considered a problem by the NEA, meaning that

more and more teaching jobs are vacant. Another voice has rung the bell of alarm for those

concerned with the education field. Eric Westervelt, a journalist for the National Public Radio,

has presented more statistics about teacher retention: “8 percent of teachers leave every year.

That's a couple hundred-thousand teachers… new hiring hasn't made up for the teacher shortfall.

Attrition is high, and enrollment in teacher preparation programs has fallen some 35 percent over

the past five years” (Westervelt). To fight against this staggering problem, retention of teachers

needs to be addressed, which is why there are so many people proposing various and complex

answers that are being debated and experimented with to combat this pandemic of leaving

teachers.

The first of these proposed solutions is having more opportunities and programs for

teachers to develop and gain expertise in the field which they are practicing in. One way that

most of voices in this debate of how improve retention of teachers is having teachers support

other teachers in their school, which this idea is presented by Susan Moore Johnson, a graduate

from the Harvard Graduate School of Education: “The extent to which a school is well organized

and supportive is of central importance as new teachers decide whether teaching is the career for
them (Johnson and others 2004) … In both 1996 and 2001, teachers ranked ‘cooperative,

competent teacher colleagues/mentors’as the most important factor helping them in their work

(NEA 2003, p. 73)” (Johnson). Johnson shows a possible solution to where retention is suffering

the worst rate of lost teachers, brand new teachers. If able to be patch up this theoretically hole,

retention of teachers would significantly increase. The cooperation of teachers and supporting

teachers early on would help early retention, which means that schools would have to implement

new programs, such as mentoring programs and similar idea to a buddy system (an elderly

teacher looks out and supports a rookie teacher in teaching and its methods). If schools

implement programs to keep new teachers, how can schools retain older teachers? The answer to

this question has been discovered through a research project that was conducted by Zeinab

Toulabi, Maryam Raoufi, and Yasan Allahpourashraf (all from the University of Ilam): “To

investigate the fifth sub hypothesis, namely, there is a relationship between happiness and

professional development opportunity of high school teachers…(the) obtained value is positive,

it can be concluded that the relationship between happiness and professional development

opportunity is direct” (Toulabi and others). This study focuses on what Johnson doesn’t cover

much, the idea that programs must be installed for older teachers to be able develop their skills,

leading to a mastery or must implement systems where mature teachers teach other teachers

teaching skills and lesson preparations. However, to support these systems and have approval

from older teachers, schools would have to compensate the teachers either with pay raises if they

are teaching other teachers or free skill training, whether at the school or at some convention.

These voices present the idea that teachers must receive and give support to one another to boost

retention, however other people have different solutions to the retention question that are going

to be explored.
 Another solution that could help with the retention of teachers is helping teachers see and

understand the impact which they are having upon their students. While this seems like a “no

duh” for most onlookers, individuals within the teaching profession can feel like they aren’t

making a subnational impact upon the students they are teaching or are gaining experience at the

current school that are at. A great example of this feeling of helplessness that teachers can feel is

expressed by Bob Wise of the Alliance for Excellent Education in article on teacher retention in

troubled schools: "The monetary cost of teacher attrition pales in comparison to the loss of

human potential associated with hard-to-staff schools that disproportionately serve low-income

students and students of color" (Schaffhauser). While teachers want and desire to make impact, it

can be difficult due to the placement of new teachers at more rough neighbors, which pushes

those teachers out of the school or even the profession, allowing this cycle of teachers acting like

a rotating door to occur. While most people would suggest simply give teachers more money to

stay at those schools, the funding is either not there or isn’t being spent on education. While

people have argued over teacher pay, Schaffhauser focuses on the idea that teachers need to

realize that they personally are making an impact on students in way that no other person can

(Schaffhauser). However, even with the cycle of leaving teachers, the positivity of those who

stay in the profession is shown in a recent survey by Yongmei Ni and Andrea K. Rorrer for the

University of Utah: “(some) factors that are very or extremely influential in teachers’ decision to

remain teaching include three of the top factors for becoming a teacher (desire to make a

worthwhile difference in the lives of children (84%)” (Ni and Rorrer). So, these two sources

argue that we must make teachers feel that they are making a valuable impact on the students

they are teaching, but how do other teachers, students or even the schools show or make the

teacher feel appreciated? In a recent survey by Dylan Brock (yes, this is weird, but sue me),
which asked teachers why they stayed in teaching, teachers responded with why they had stayed

in the profession “The students are the main thing that keep me in teaching… I have thought

about quitting, but I stay because I do enjoy what I do and the interactions I have” (Brock).

Teachers want to teach for various reasons, but they stay in teaching because they love it or love

the rewards from it (student success and interactions to state a few). These sources fight for the

position of acknowledging and praising teachers for being good teachers, to be grateful to them

so they feel of value in their career.

The last suggested solution to the retention of teachers is help improve their satisfaction

with teaching and improve their overall happiness with their career. This solution seems vague,

however due its vagueness, it always for many solutions and applications of solutions to improve

upon the current problems of retention and satisfaction. Possible action that could help improve

happiness and retention is suggested by Joachim De Stercke, Nancy Goyette, and Jean E.

Robertson by the strategy of keeping a close relationship between teacher and staff to retain the

teachers: “to cultivate well-being… set up trial partnerships between educational establishments

and mindfulness instructors… to promote the practice of mindfulness among educators, school

directors, and parents” (Goyette and others). The establishment of relationships for teaches with

supportive figures, whether that is a peer or school director, allows for that teacher to not only

develop a healthy relationship to rely on, but also receive guidance to be able maintain a healthy

balance between work and happiness. Goyette establishes the idea that for teachers to be happy,

they need have someone watching over them, whether that being a guiding and developing hand

in a rookie teacher development, or someone who cares about the teacher is doing, a position that

is more like watchful guardian to see if the teacher is doing well personally. These two roles, a

guiding hand or a watchful guardian, are vital to the retention of teachers, allowing them to be
more easily feel the satisfaction of teaching, leading to happiness. To be able to perform to the

best of their abilities require not only a desire from the teacher, but equal support and

opportunities from their school to help the teachers grow and develop. The development of skills

and expertise among teachers allow for teachers to not only improve their ability to teach, but

allow them to see steady improvements that will boast their confidence within themselves,

allowing for a more adept and knowledgeable teacher: “’Teachers in these schools experience

professional growth because they work together to become better teachers and to become a better

school’ (p. 90). They “experience careers marked by collective accomplishments and a sense of

continuing professional growth” (p. 91) (Johnson). These sources present the idea that a sense of

satisfaction is needed for teachers to be able feel happy, and happy teachers tend to stay in the

career of teaching shown by the study by Rorrer and Ni. Teachers require either one of these

presented solutions to be successful, whether it watchful guardians and guiding hand or school

resources to further develop their ability to teach. The main point that these sources argue is that

to successful retain teachers, teachers must be able retain a personal feeling of satisfaction to

than be happy with teaching.

The retention of teachers is a serious issue that the country is facing, as more and more

new teachers leave the profession due to high amount of stress and work it takes to be a

successful and happy teacher. While the mass amount of voices that are discussing this agree that

this problem needs to be faced down and addressed, there is a vast amount of options and ideas

of how to go about solving this issue. Luckily for the profession and the those who inhabit it, a

clear majority of the discussion is a focused voice on improving schools and developing

programs to help rookie teachers and retaining teachers through the options which were

discussed. There are various movements and organizations that are pushing for these solutions,
which are: developing expertise and skills of teachers; helping teachers recognize the impact

they are making; and to help teachers feel satisfied and happy being a teacher.
 Bibliography

Brock, Dylan. “Why Choose and Stay in Teaching?” Google Forms, 19 March. 2018,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DYoK8IXxPZWzFvrkA8adA-

UJhEgsS2QVHPt2QRJzQ8I/edit#responses

Johnson, Susan. “The Workplace Matters: Teacher Quality, Retention, and Effectiveness.

Working Paper.” ERIC, NEA, eric.ed.gov/?id=ED495822

NEA. “Research Spotlight on Recruitment and Retention.” National Education Association,

NEA, www.nea.org/tools/16977.htm.

Ni, Y. & Rorrer, A.K. (2018). Why Do Teachers Choose Teaching and Remain Teaching: Initial

Results from the Educator Career and Pathway Survey (ECAPS) for Teachers. Utah

Education Policy Center: Salt Lake City, UT.

Schaffhauser, Dian. “The Problem Isn't Teacher Recruiting; It's Retention.” The Journal, 7 Aug.

2014, thejournal.com/articles/2014/07/17/the-problem-isnt-teacher-recruiting-its-

retention.aspx.

Stercke, Joachim De, et al. “Happiness in the Classroom: Strategies for Teacher Retention and

Development.” Prospects, vol. 45, no. 4, 2015, pp. 421–427., doi:10.1007/s11125-015-

9372-z.

Toulabi, Zeinab, et al. “The Relationship Between Teachers†™ Happiness and Quality of

Working Life.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 84, 2013, pp. 691–695.,

doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.628.
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www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813017023

Westervelt, Eric. “Frustration. Burnout. Attrition. It's Time To Address The National Teacher

Shortage .” NprEd, NPR, 15 Sept. 2016,

www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/15/493808213/frustration-burnout-attrition-its-time-to-

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